Why Am I So Blessed?

We have so much to be thankful for at this time of the church year. It is good to take a moment to examine those blessings and appreciate their purpose in our lives. In this Sunday’s message, we will join with another person who, when she learned of a special blessing in her life, exclaimed in a loud voice, “Why am I so blessed?”

Scripture: Luke 1:39-45

            At that time Mary got read and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice she exclaimed, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!”

            Luke 2:1-7

In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to his own town to register.

So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and the line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

Hymns

“Away in a Manger”

“Silent Night”

“Joy to the World”

Renewing Reflections

It is our prayer that Renewing Reflections will be a blessing in your life this coming week. This quote is taken from the sermon A Thankful Spirit delivered on Christian Crusaders November 21, 1999.

During my years in the ministry it has been a joy to see how God has created a thankful spirit in many lives. The thought that God owes me these blessings I enjoy are no longer a part of the thinking. Let me tell you about Sonya who died when only 15 years of age. In my last visit with Sonya, and only a few hours before her death, I asked Sonya, "Sonya, do you ever get angry because this illness has come to you?"

Sonya replied with words like these, "No, because then I would have a bigger question to answer. Why did God give me such a wonderful family, parents, a brother and two sisters, my horse, and a place to ride it on our family farm?” This statement reveals a thankful spirit. Yes, God had blessed her with caring parents. They wanted their children to grow up and be well mannered. They taught them to be polite and say thank you. But they were also Christian parents who introduced Sonya and their other children to Christ. He was the One who gave her this thankful spirit.
Are we not blessed to have a Heavenly Father who loved us so much that he gave his Son for us? Through him we have the forgiveness of our sins. He is the Father who wants to take us deeper in our relationship with him and create within us a thankful spirit.

We Want to Hear From You

Christian Crusaders receives many letters each month from listeners across the country. These letters are frequently sent to simply thank us for delivering the Gospel to the sender’s home over the airwaves or to comment on a particular message that touched them. Sometimes, we receive prayer requests. Listeners have even sent postcards from their vacation destinations! A handwritten note is much appreciated and helps us to know our listening audience better. Don’t hesitate to put your thoughts down on paper and mail it or email it our way.

The Origin of Some Best-Loved Christmas Hymns

Away in a Manger

No Christmas song is more loved than this tender children’s carol. It’s simply worded expression of love for the Lord Jesus and trust in his faithful care appeals to young and old alike.

For some time “Away in a Manger” was titled “Luther’s Cradle Hymn.” However, stanzas one and two (author unknown) first appeared in the Little Children’s Book, published in 1885.The third verse was written by Dr. John T. McFarland, a Methodist minister, in the early 1900s when an additional stanza was desired for use at a church children’s day program.                       (Taken from “Amazing Grace” by Kenneth W. Osbeck.)

On the Light Side

As the number of sons of our friends, Marge and Dick Hitt increased, their Christmas cards carried the signature, “Dick and Marge and the Three Hitts” or “Four Hitts” or “Five Hitts” depending on the score. Finally a long-awaited baby girl arrived and the signature changed to: “Dick and Marge, Five Hitts and a Miss.”