I am a Christian and as such, I grew up believing the story of the birth of Jesus. I understand there are many other religions and viewpoints in the world. Because I am an American, I have the freedom to believe as I wish; because I believe, I have tolerance for the beliefs of others.<\/p>\n
For me, I come back to the story of the birth of Jesus. What must it have been like for the poor people in the field watching over their sheep? Can you imagine the total darkness of the night suddenly\u00a0blasted away\u00a0by the arrival of angels? How fearful do you think they were, when they saw something they could not comprehend?<\/p>\n
\u00a07<\/sup><\/strong>And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.<\/p>\n
\u00a08<\/sup><\/strong>And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.<\/p>\n
\u00a09<\/sup><\/strong>And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.<\/p>\n
\u00a010<\/sup><\/strong>And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.<\/p>\n
\u00a011<\/sup><\/strong>For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.<\/p>\n
\u00a012<\/sup><\/strong>And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.<\/p>\n
\u00a013<\/sup><\/strong>And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,<\/p>\n
\u00a014<\/sup><\/strong>Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.<\/p>\n
\u00a015<\/sup><\/strong>And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.<\/p>\n
\u00a016<\/sup><\/strong>And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.<\/p>\n
\u00a017<\/sup><\/strong>And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.<\/p>\n
\u00a018<\/sup><\/strong>And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
I am a Christian and I choose<\/em> to believe this story. I recognize others choose not to believe. And as much as I believe, I am not going to force\u00a0<\/em>my beliefs on others.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But I do wish for one thing; I would hope that whether you believe or not, whether you are Christian, Jewish, Muslim, atheist, or some other religion, I hope you believe in, as I do, the peace of the season. As it is appropriate for you, Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, or Season\u2019s Greetings.<\/p>\n
Enjoy your family, rest and relax, be peaceful, and know peace.<\/p>\n
\u00a0-30-<\/p>\n
\u00a9 2010 J. Clark<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I am a Christian and as such, I grew up believing the story of the birth of Jesus. I understand there are many other religions and viewpoints in the world. Because I am an American, I have the freedom to … Continue reading