Family Friday: Teaching Stewardship

Teaching Stewardship

 

Christmas has passed, gifts have been opened, and space must be made for all the new things our children have gotten.  What will you do with the older, unwanted things?  Sometimes children clean out their toy boxes and throw things away, but there is something else you can do.

             Consider donating gently used items to a children’s hospital, a homeless shelter, or an orphanage.  If your family works on a bus route together, think of some children on that route that would enjoy those items that your children no longer use.  There are always others that would enjoy using what you no longer need.

            When you are gathering and cleaning out the items from your house, involve your children in the process.  They need to learn the importance of “recycling” toys and clothes.  Talk to them about which children should receive the items they no longer play with.  This is a perfect opportunity to talk about the many blessings we have been given and the thankfulness we should express to God every day.

            Please be thoughtful in the clean-out process.  If an item is broken or very worn, do not donate it; that is not Christ-like.  However you chose to donate, involve your children and help them begin learning to be a blessing to others.

Monday's Message: I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day

I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day

       Longfellow is not usually thought of as a hymn writer, but one of his poems has been set to music by an Englishman, John Calkin, and the result is one of our most popular Christmas carols.

       On Christmas Day, 1863, Longfellow wrote of the joys of the season:

 

I heard the bells on Christmas day

Their old familiar carols play,

And wild and sweet the words repeat

Of peace on earth, good will to men.

 

       As he came to the third stanza he was stopped by the thought of the condition of his beloved country.  The Civil War was in full swing.  The Battle of Gettysburg was not more than six months past.  Days looked dark, and he probably asked himself the question, “How can the last phrase of those stanzas to be true in this war-torn country, where brother fights against brother and father against son?”  But he kept writing:

 

As in despair I bowed my head:

“There is no peace on earth,” I said,

“For hate is strong, and mocks the song

Of peace on earth, good will to man!”

 

       It seems as if he could have been writing for the present day, too.

       Then, as every Christian should do, he turned his thoughts to the one who solves all problems:

 

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:

“God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;

The wrong shall fail, the right prevail,

With peace on earth, good will to men.”

—Lindsay I. Terry

 

I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day.

1           I heard the bells on Christmas day

Their old familiar carols play,

And wild and sweet the words repeat

Of peace on earth, good will to men.

2           I thought how as the day had come,

The belfries of all Christendom

Had rolled along th’unbroken song

Of peace on earth, good will to men.

3           And in despair I bowed my head:

“There is no peace on earth,”

I said “For hate is strong, and mocks the song

Of peace on earth, good will to men.

4           Then peeled the bells more loud and deep:

“God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;

The wrong shall fail, the right prevail,

With peace on earth, good will to men.

5           Till, ringing, singing on its way,

The world revolved from night to day

A voice, a chime, a chant sublime,

Of peace on earth, good will to men.

Family Friday: Once in a Manger

ONCE IN A MANGER

Once in a manger, a long time ago,
Before there was Santa and reindeer and snow,
A star shone down on humble beginnings below
Of a baby just born who the world would soon know.

Never before had there been such a sight.
Would the Son of a King have to suffer this plight?

Aren't there armies to lead? Aren't there battles to fight?
Shouldn't He conquer the world and demand His birthright?

No, this frail little infant asleep in the hay
Would change the whole world with the words He would say.
Not about power or demanding His way,
But mercy and loving and forgiving God's way.

For only through humbleness would the battle be won
As shown by the actions of God's only true son.
Who gave up His life for the sins of everyone,
Who saved the whole world when His journey was done.

Many years have now passed since that night long ago
And now we have Santa and reindeer and snow
But down in our hearts the true meaning we know,
It is the birth of that child that makes Christmas so.

Thoughtful Thursday: The Light of Christmas

Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,

Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.

When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.

And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born.

And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet,

And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor,  that shall rule my people Israel.     Matthew 2:1-6

Although the wise men were following the light of a star, the Bible was their true guide, for it was an Old Testament prophecy that predicted where Christ would be born.  Micah 5:2 gives us this Old Testament prophecy: “But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.”  Just as the Bible guided the wise men to Jesus so many years ago, the Bible will light our path today.  Psalm 119:105 says, “Thy word is a lamp unto my feed, and a light unto my path.”

The wise men recognized who Jesus Christ was, and they allowed His light to guide their paths.  Sadly, Herod’s heart was darkened to the Messiah, and he rejected Christ.  When the wise men sought the Savior they recognized Him as the King of kings and desired to bring Him honor and worship.

As you go about your day, remember Jesus Christ.  He is waiting to guide you into His pathway of light this Christmas.  Wise men still seek Him!

Used with permission from  "a daily WORD" by Paul Chappell.

Monday's Messsage: Hark! the Herald Angels Sing

Hark! the Herald Angels Sing

       One of the most famous of Charles Wesley’s hymns is the Christmas carol: “Hark! the Herald Angels Sing.”  It was written in 1738, about one year after Wesley’s conversion. It is almost impossible to pick up a church hymnal today and find this hymn omitted.
       It is said that no other man swayed the minds of the people of England as did John Wesley. Yet, the sermons of John are silenced and forgotten in England today, while the songs of his brother Charles are heard and sung around the world. Probably none is so familiar as:

Hark! the herald angels sing,

Glory to the new-born King;

Peace on earth, and mercy mild;

God and sinners reconciled.

 

    

Hark! The Herald Angels Sing

1           Hark! The herald angels sing

Glory to the new-born King!

Peace on earth and mercy mild,

God and sinners reconciled!

Joyful, all ye nations, rise,

Join the triumph of the skies;

With the angelic host proclaim

Christ is born in Bethlehem!

Chorus  Hark! the herald angels sing

Glory to the new-born King!

2           Christ, by highest heaven adored;

Christ, the everlasting Lord;

Late in time behold him come,

Offspring of the Virgin’s womb.

Veiled in flesh the Godhead see;

Hail the incarnate Deity,

Pleased as man with man to dwell;

Jesus, our Emmanuel!

3           Mild he lays his glory by,

Born that man no more may die,

Born to raise the sons of earth,

Born to give them second birth.

Risen with healing in his wings,

Light and life to all he brings,

Hail, the Sun of Righteousness!

Hail, the heaven-born Prince of Peace!

Monday's Message: Silent Night

Silent Night

       In the Austrian village of Hallein on Christmas Eve 1818, the organist, Franz Gruber, composed a hymn called Song of Heaven.  He played and sang it in church the following night.

       A man from a nearby town happened to hear the song. Being impressed, the visitor memorized the words and music which he later taught to a traveling quartet.

       By 1854, the piece had become so famous that a search was made for its unknown composer and Gruber was found.

       He then learned that his song had been memorized, sung for 36 years and had become the most beloved Christmas hymn of all time under another name—Silent Night.

       At that late date, the fact meant little to Franz Gruber, who was then 67, and he remained an obscure and impoverished organist until his death in 1863.

 

Silent Night! Holy Night! (1)

 

1           Silent night! holy night!

All is calm, all is bright

’Round yon virgin mother and Child!

Holy Infant, so tender and mild,

Sleep in heavenly peace,

Sleep in heavenly peace.

2           Silent night! holy night!

Shepherds quake at the sight!

Glories stream from heaven afar,

Heav’nly hosts sing Alleluia;

Christ, the Saviour, is born,

Christ, the Saviour, is born.

3           Silent night! holy night!

Son of God, love’s pure light

Radiant beams from Thy holy face,

With the dawn of redeeming grace,

Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth,

Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth.

 

 

Silent Night, Holy Night (2)

       Only by happy coincidence did the names of the true authors of the song “Silent Night” come to light—thirty-six years after they wrote it.

       The story begins in 1818 in a church in the little Austrian town of Oberndorf. Shortly after Christmas Eve, a mouse ate a hole in the leather bellows of the church organ, effectively silencing it.

       The itinerant organ mender was not due in town for months, and music was needed for the Christmas Eve service.

       In three-and-one-half hours, Franz Gruber, the organist, composed music for a poem written by Josef Mohr, a priest. It began Stille Nacht, Heilige Nacht (Silent Night, Holy Night).

       On Christmas Eve, the two men sang their composition accompanied by a guitar and children’s chorus. They were a great success.

       The following May, when the organ mender turned up, Gruber gave him a copy of the song, which the man then circulated in his travels. By 1831, thirteen years later, the Strasser family quartet was billing “Silent Night,” one of their numbers, as a Tyrolean folk song by authors unknown.

       Time went by, and soon the now-popular song was being attributed to several famous composers. In 1854, the leader of the king’s orchestra in Berlin wrote to the choir director of the Benedictine school in Salzburg, asking for a copy of “Silent Night” by Michael Haydn, brother of the more famous composer, Franz Joseph Haydn.

       The choir director asked a student—who just happened to be Felix Gruber, Franz Gruber’s son—to find a copy. And you can guess the rest.

Family Friday: Famly Traditions

Family Traditions

           

 Family traditions are important!  They help you and your children feel a closeness and bond because of the things that are unique to your family.  Traditions can be tied to holidays, but they don’t have to be so.  Perhaps there is a favorite vacation spot that your family always visits, or maybe there is a restaurant where you celebrate special events that has become a tradition in your family.         

Maybe you like the idea of traditions but don’t know where to start.   

The following are some ideas that we incorporate in our family, 

and a few ideas are from friends. 

·         Decorate the Christmas tree together – each member does at least a little part

·         Drive around looking at Christmas lights on Christmas Eve

·         Read the Christmas story from the Bible before opening presents

·         Bake Christmas goodies together and pass them out to church family or shut-ins

·         Pray with your children and tuck them in at night

·         Decorate Easter eggs together and tell the Easter story

·         Choose a “field-trip” day of the week during the summer, and do something fun each week on that day

·         If grandparents live far away, have a schedule to face-time

·         Have family reunions every few years

·         Choose a certain type of souvenir your family enjoys, then purchase one at each spot where you take a vacation

·         Eat grilled-cheese sandwiches every Sunday night after church

The possibilities are endless!  Start thinking of things your family really enjoys doing, then decide to do those things on a regular basis.  Start some traditions of your own, then enjoy them in years to come.