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Ladies and gentlemen, the following story is why we have Christmas:
“Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away [privately]. But when he thought on these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, ‘Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she shall bring forth a son; and thou shalt call his name JESUS; for…he… shall save his people from their sins.’ Now all this is come to pass, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, ‘Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel; which is, being interpreted, God with us.’ And Joseph arose from his sleep, and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took unto him his wife; and knew her not till she had brought forth a son: and he called his name JESUS.” Continue reading
wind was picking up now, making any site of land impossible. Not only was it looking like they wouldn’t be able to find a place to build their houses today, they were beginning to fear this might be their last day on earth. This storm was such a rage they began to pray in desperation that they could find any safe harbor. Suddenly, as if God had intervened, the wind died enough for one of them to see what he thought was a shoreline. They struggled desperately with the waves and the elements, and with great difficulty finally made land. They had no clue where they were, for in weeks of looking around Cape Cod for a place to settle their families, they had never been here before. They were really afraid because their guns had gotten wet and would not fire. They had already encountered the Indians in this area and they had proven to be enemies instead of friends. The men prayed and prayed for the storm to stop and for God to protect them.
The little boy tugged at the young man’s coat sleeve. “How far is it to America?” he asked, “Will we soon be there?” “No, lad,” the man replied, “It will take many days to cross this huge ocean.” The little boy gazed briefly across the ocean to the west. Then, unaware of the risks of such a voyage, he ran to find his friend to tell him this ship, the Mayflower, would be their playground for a long time. The young man continued to gaze across the vast ocean. His thoughts drifted back twenty years—to the time he had first met these people he was now a part of.
– He was facing an opponent with a deep network of campaign volunteers, party backing, and Mr. Obama working hard for her election.
But beyond the observance of those important symbols, what can we now expect? If Donald Trump keeps his word to the American people—and he has certainly been no shining example of moral rectitude—but if he will keep his word to the American people, we will have at least one Supreme Court judge (and hopefully several) which will be a true Constitutionalist appointed to the Court. We’ll strengthen our military and give them the weapons they need. If Mr. Trump keeps his word, our policemen will be honored and once again unshackled to enforce Constitutional law, instead of sharia or socialist law! Illegal immigration will become a treacherous mountain path instead of the super highway it has been for years! We can expect American industry to recover from years of suffocating socialist regulation. But remember, Mr. Trump has no political record. Therefore, we can’t be sure he’ll do any of the things he promised.
By now it was noon, and a strange thing began to happen. The sky began to darken with an eerie blackness. For a few brief moments, the air was so still it seemed to choke you as the darkness deepened. Then the earth began to tremble. Lightning bolts were exploding against the ground. Then, unexpectedly, the voice of Jesus pierced the darkness. In a loud, wrenching voice Jesus cried out,
seen—Jesus suddenly breaks in with another statement. As He looks down from the cross, He sees His mother standing there beside one of His most devoted followers, whose name is John. Looking into the eyes of His mother with those amazing eyes of peace, He says, “Woman, behold your son.” (John 19:26-27) Then looking into the face of the youthful John, He says, “Behold, your mother!” Thus, He has fulfilled His last earthly obligation. Being the oldest son in the family, it is His responsibility to see that His mother is cared for in her latter years. He is dying, thus, He gives her to a trusted friend (and John fulfilled that obligation). Watching all of this, the soldier is becoming more convinced that Jesus is Who He says He is. And if He is God’s Son, then that fact demands He be listened to. If He was God’s Son, then He would be right about everything. And if there was only one God and He sent His Son to earth to be a man that would prove He cared about us. If this was true, the Creator was evidently trying to communicate something to us humans. What could it be?
blood of its Creator.
hardest part of this hideous work would be done. One more…
Jesus has just received the tremendous beating with a whip called a “cat o’ nine tails”, so named for the ripping effect it had on bare skin. In His heart Jesus now cries to His Father for strength to get up and finish this course. By a miracle he struggles to His feet and stands woozily, trying to regain His sense of balance. The soldier points commandingly to the cross prepared for Him. Jesus staggers to it, drops to one knee and—embraces the crude, wooden structure destined to bring Him to death. Straining to rise, He lifts the cross and begins to stagger in His weakness out into the street. Dragging His instrument of death, He sets His course for a hill outside of Jerusalem known as Golgotha, “the place of the skull”. The hill was so named because from a distance it bears some resemblance to the side view of a human skull. As if prophetically named, it would be the place Jesus’ head would finally hang in death.
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