Everywhere you go, it's "Happy Holidays" these days. The brightly lit signs on the city buildings all say it. The stores all say it. The very stores who try diligently to get the vast majority of us who celebrate Christmas in some way, to buy much more than we need. They'll take our money for Christmas stuff, but they can't quite bring themselves to say, "Merry Christmas." Company policy, you know. Don't want to offend anyone. Separation of church and Target.
So it is with some reluctance that I change our calendars over from November to December today. What a blessing it is to have Thanksgiving right before Christmas. Just a week ago I was preparing the stuffing to go in the turkey, planning how I was going to arrange the candles, pumpkins, and Indian corn on the table, and thinking of my many blessings. I placed five kernels of corn on everyone's plate, reminding us of the bleak second winter the Pilgrims had in the New World. Five kernels of corn. Per person. Per day! And, yet, they STILL praised God!
While we are in the midst of the frenzy that our society now refers to as "The Holidays," ponder these words written by Governor Bradford of Plymouth Plantation:
[The people of Plymouth Plantation] cherished a great hope and inward zeal of laying good foundations, or at least making some ways toward it, for the propagation and advancement of the gospel of the kingdom of Christ in the remote parts of the world, even though they should be but stepping stones to others in the performance of so great a work.
Thus out of small beginnings greater things have been produced by His hand that made all things of nothing, and gives being to all things that are; and, as one small candle may light a thousand, so the light here kindled hath shone unto many, yea in some sort to our whole nation; let the glorious name of Jehovah have all the praise.
The next time someone tells you, "Happy Holidays," at least reply with, "Merry Christmas!" If the Pilgrims could suffer so much to lay a good foundation for the advancement of God's kingdom, it's the least we can do. And if we're really bold, perhaps we can come up with something more profound and worthy of the sacrifices of our Pilgrim brethren. Something more profound and worthy of the sacrifice of our Lord and King!
2 comments:
How the mighty have fallen! It is always so bracing and encouraging to read what our forebearers thought they were doing, and what they thought we would continue.
I hope my children will remember that I stood on the shoulders of such men (& women), and built as they built.
Merry Christmas!
Your eloquent reply is so true, Kim. Another thing that amazes me is how young many of our forebearers were when they did these wonderful things. That should give us pause, as well.
Belated Merry Christmas back! :)
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