. . . thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins.

"Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us."

Matthew 1:23

 

The Christ Is Born

Psalms 72:11 May all kings fall down before him, all nations serve him!


--

Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord

An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."   - Luke 2:9-14









--

Let Earth Receive Her King

"Joy to the World, the Lord is Come"

1. Joy to the world, the Lord is come!

Let earth receive her King;

Let every heart prepare Him room

And heaven and nature sing.

2. Joy to the earth, the Savior reigns!

Let men their songs employ,

While fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains

Repeat the sounding joy.

3. No more let sins and sorrows grow

Nor thorns infest the ground;

He comes to make His blessings flow

Far as the curse is found.

4. He rules the world with truth and grace

And makes the nations prove

The glories of His righteousness

And wonders of His love.

--

The Way, the Truth and the Light

'This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.'"

"Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." Luke 2:11-13

A Soldier's Christmas Poem

The embers glowed softly, and in their dim light,
I gazed round the room and I cherished the sight.
My wife was asleep, her head on my chest,
my daughter beside me, angelic in rest.

Outside the snow fell, a blanket of white,
Transforming the yard to a winter delight.
The sparkling lights in the tree, I believe,
Completed the magic that was Christmas Eve.

My eyelids were heavy, my breathing was deep,
Secure and surrounded by love I would sleep
in perfect contentment, or so it would seem.
So I slumbered, perhaps I started to dream.

The sound wasn't loud, and it wasn't too near,
But I opened my eye when it tickled my ear.
Perhaps just a cough, I didn't quite know,
Then the sure sound of footsteps outside in the snow.

My soul gave a tremble, I struggled to hear,
and I crept to the door just to see who was near.
Standing out in the cold and the dark of the night,
A lone figure stood, his face weary and tight.

A soldier, I puzzled, some twenty years old
Perhaps a Marine, huddled here in the cold.
Alone in the dark, he looked up and smiled,
Standing watch over me, and my wife and my child.

"What are you doing?" I asked without fear
"Come in this moment, it's freezing out here!
Put down your pack, brush the snow from your sleeve,
You should be at home on a cold Christmas Eve!"

For barely a moment I saw his eyes shift,
away from the cold and the snow blown in drifts,
to the window that danced with a warm fire's light
then he sighed and he said "Its really all right,
I'm out here by choice. I'm here every night"

"Its my duty to stand at the front of the line,
that separates you from the darkest of times.
No one had to ask or beg or implore me,
I'm proud to stand here like my fathers before me.

My Gramps died at 'Pearl on a day in December,"
then he sighed, "That's a Christmas 'Gram always remembers."
My dad stood his watch in the jungles of 'Nam
And now it is my turn and so, here I am.

I've not seen my own son in more than a while,
But my wife sends me pictures, he's sure got her smile.
Then he bent and he carefully pulled from his bag,
The red white and blue... an American flag.

"I can live through the cold and the being alone,
Away from my family, my house and my home,
I can stand at my post through the rain and the sleet,
I can sleep in a foxhole with little to eat,
I can carry the weight of killing another
or lay down my life with my sisters and brothers
who stand at the front against any and all,
to insure for all time that this flag will not fall."

"So go back inside," he said, "harbor no fright
Your family is waiting and I'll be all right."
"But isn't there something I can do, at the least,
"Give you money," I asked, "or prepare you a feast?
It seems all too little for all that you've done,
For being away from your wife and your son."

Then his eye welled a tear that held no regret,
"Just tell us you love us, and never forget
To fight for our rights back at home while we're gone.
To stand your own watch, no matter how long.

For when we come home, either standing or dead,
to know you remember we fought and we bled
is payment enough, and with that we will trust.
That we mattered to you as you mattered to us.

By Michael Marks, Christmas 2000



--

"Glory to God in the highest heaven"

8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

Luke 2: 8-14

A Retired Marine Talks About Christian America

Blogging here at Holger Awakens will be a bit spotty the next couple of days as I celebrate the birth of the Christ but wanted to be sure to get this article up, written by a retired Marine. As I read this, I saw the love of his Saviour coming through so loud and clear and his mention of the Christian founding of this country is absolutely spot on.

From the article at Family Security Matters:

I Thank God for Christmas!


Col. Bob Pappas (USMC, ret.)


In their continuing effort to marginalize or more correctly, eradicate Christianity many businesses, conglomerates, and government entities have eschewed the word “Christmas” in their advertising or other expressions for which the Holiday exists. This is ostensibly done to avoid offending those who hold other religious beliefs, or claim none (which is impossible). It is an indication of success that the political left is having in its efforts to restrict or quash Christian religious freedom of expression.

Let’s get it straight, this nation was founded by Christian men on Christian principles clearly enunciated in both the Declaration of Independence and Constitution. Were they perfect? Hardly! But to date they are the best founding documents ever devised by humans and where the Constitution was flawed, it has been revised through the Amendment process and no doubt might be in the future. In recent decades the political left has assailed that foundation; and, Obama has made no bones about his disdain for the Constitution notwithstanding his oath to support and defend it. But that is not the purpose of this essay.

I love the Christmas season. I love everything about it, but mostly I love what it represents. I am a Christian, not because my parents were Christians, nor that I was brought up in a Christian home or that I attended a Christian institution of higher learning. I am a Christian because deep within my being there was and is a yearning for things eternal. I was blessed to have been brought up in an environment that made it possible for me to learn about that yearning and seek its satisfaction.

When they say that “preachers’ kids are the worst” it was certainly true of me. Oh, to be sure, I was a “good boy,” right, sure. But the worst part was that I struggled for too many years to have it both ways, one foot firmly planted in what I wanted of the world and which tore me away from the more important, that eternal part of me and in every human that knew and wanted personal peace, contentment and unity with God.

When my dear friend, my F-4 teammate from Vietnam was killed in a crop dusting accident in which we were business partners, I was confronted with what some psychologists refer to as a “significant emotional event.” Life as I had carefully constructed it of a mix of good and evil, coated with lies that rivaled the best of Bill Clinton began to collapse and although like many in various other walks of life, while my military vocation was moving along well, my spiritual and personal life was a train wreck.

It came to a head one day after I had put one lady friend (now my wife of thirty one years) on an airplane, then after a brief meeting with my deceased teammate’s wife was on my way back to Camp Pendleton from Los Angeles when I stopped (in the days before cell phones), to call the one I had put on the airplane to ascertain that she had arrived home safe. The conversation was brief but changed my life. She asked me where I was and in typical fashion I gave her a cover story, just one more in the construct of lies that I lived by. But she saw right through it and said, “Robert, you are lying to me.” After whispering sweet nothings into the mouthpiece, I got in my Datsun pickup truck and headed for Camp Pendleton.

As I drove along in the after mid-night freeway traffic that single statement hit me between the eyes like nothing else ever had. It laid bare my soul to the naked reality that I had descended of my own volition beyond anything from which I could possibly recover. I was totally undone, it was impossible to lie my way through life any longer and I came face to face with the reality that absent God’s grace and forgiveness I stood zero, repeat, zero chance of eternal life. I was miserably and abysmally lost. Then and there, driving down the Los Angeles freeway, as one more prodigal son, empty and in full recognition of the hypocritical, evil life I was living I asked God to forgive me, and He did! He figuratively and quite literally welcomed me with open arms, He “killed the fatted calf for a feast, put a ring on my finger, embraced me, and welcomed me to the fold.” I thank Him, love, adore and worship Him for it; and have never looked back.

There are many who do not know, nor want to know the truths contained in the Gospels. They believe that if they read, or are otherwise exposed to them that somehow they will forfeit their identity, lose their freedom, or miss out on something. Well, I knew the Gospels, read them, studied them and absorbed them for many years, but held tight to the world. Like most, I believed I would miss out on having a “good time;” and only by God’s grace dodged many “bullets” both figuratively and literally. Having a “good time” means different things to different people, but to most as the “60s” generation put it, “if it feels good, do it.” That phrase translated into reality was and is: “eat, drink, be merry, have sex, smoke pot and make love not war;” succinctly put, pursuit of the lust of the flesh with complete abandon.

In the Gospel of John, the tenth chapter and tenth verse Jesus states: “The thief (ed. Satan) cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” How true! Given my experience I can state a number of things with certainty: First, I wasted too much, too many years, caused too much hurt, damaged myself and too many other people, even the closest ones to me in selfish pursuits. Second, I have not missed the former life. Third, I know what I was and now know new life. Succinctly put, I’ve been born again!

And, liberals and other leftists want to eradicate Christmas? Oh, that they would find what I have found! They can, you know, and if they would, they would celebrate Christmas as never before!

Are Christians perfect? No! But, there’s a song that states: “My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.” One should never abuse that fact, but be humbled by it. Now, when I hear and sing along with the Halleluiah Chorus it has meaning beyond the words and lyrics, it is eternal in its majesty, praise God forever and ever!

Have a wonderful and blessed Christmas!

Semper Fidelis

Christmas in Bethlehem Destroyed by Israel?

by Maggie at Maggie's Notebook

I guess I haven't been paying attention the past few years. I didn't know that Israel has destroyed life for Christians in the town of Bethlehem to the point that Christians have left in a "massive flight."

Bethlehem - Manger Square

WorldNetDaily has this story, and I found it via AmerIsrael. According to WND's Aaron Klein, Reuters, the GuardianUK and others, are in the habit of reporting, each year at this time, the terrible treatment of Christians by Jews in Bethlehem. If you do not have time to read the portions below, or time to go directly to WND to read the entire piece, read the three paragraphs in bold text below, and you will get the idea.

TEL AVIV – Like clockwork, every year at this time reporters file misleading and, in some cases, outright false reports about the state of Christmas in Bethlehem [blaming Israel for the demise of the Christian population]. 

They claim Israeli policies have wreaked havoc on the city's economy and that Israel is responsible for the massive flight of Christians from Bethlehem. Yet the news media completely ignore Muslim intimidation and get their facts wrong on documented history and the true state of affairs in this ancient town.

A widely circulated Reuters article, for example, laments "Christmas cheer hasn't spread to all of Bethlehem's residents," squarely blaming "an Israeli wall" for the town's misfortunes. Britains' Press and Journal also paints a dismal picture of Bethlehem, claiming the city is "divided by a huge wall" and that the "26ft-high security wall completes the isolation of Bethlehem and prevents it from ever expanding." The piece also wrongly states that about 2 percent of Bethlehem's population is Christian.

An opinion piece by Austen Ivereigh in the London Guardian, meanwhile, also claims Bethlehem is "shuttered and depressed" by an "Israeli separation wall."

"I don't just mean the structure itself – 30 feet high, bristling with watchtowers and formed of grey concrete slabs – but where it is built, deep into the town itself, far into the West Bank, severing Bethlehem from Jerusalem and ensuring the relentless expansion eastwards of Jewish-only settlements built on land seized from Palestinian farmers," the Guardian piece claims. Regarding the "wall" that "surrounds" Bethlehem: Israel built a fence in 2002 in the area where northern Bethlehem interfaces with Jerusalem. A tiny segment of the barrier, facing a major Israeli roadway, is a concrete wall that Israel says is meant to prevent gunmen from shooting at Israeli motorists....

Amazingly, Ivereigh's piece in the Guardian falsely claimed: "Bethlehem is shuttered and depressed not because of Koran-wielding thugs but because the wall has smashed its economy. The town has become a ghetto, severed from lands to the north and west by the wall, and to the south and east by settler-only roads and a forest of checkpoints, leaving it barely able to trade."

Simple demographic facts disprove this contention entirely. Israel built the barrier seven years ago. But Bethlehem's Christian population started to drastically decline in 1995, the very year Arafat's Palestinian Authority took over the holy Christian city in line with the U.S.-backed Oslo Accords.

Bethlehem was more than 80 percent Christian when Israel was founded in 1948. But after Arafat took control, the city's Christian population plummeted to its current 23 percent. And that statistic is considered generous since it includes the satellite towns of Beit Sahour and Beit Jala. Some estimates place Bethlehem's actual Christian population as low as 12 percent, with hundreds of Christians emigrating each year.

As soon as he took over Bethlehem, Arafat unilaterally fired the city's Christian politicians and replaced them with Muslim cronies. He appointed a Muslim governor, Muhammed Rashad A-Jabar, and deposed of Bethlehem's city council, which had nine Christians and two Muslims, reducing the number of Christians councilors to a 50-50 split.

Arafat then converted a Greek Orthodox monastery next to the Church of Nativity, the believed birthplace of Jesus, into his official Bethlehem residence.
Suddenly, after the Palestinians gained the territory, reports of Christian intimidation by Muslims began to surface.

Christian leaders and residents told this reporter they face an atmosphere of regular hostility. They said Palestinian armed groups stir tension by holding militant demonstrations and marches in the streets. They spokes of instances in which Christian shopkeepers' stores were ransacked and Christian homes attacked. 

They said in the past, Palestinian gunmen fired at Israelis from Christian hilltop communities, drawing Israeli anti-terror raids to their towns.

In 2002, dozens of terrorists holed up inside the Church of the Nativity for 39 days while fleeing a massive Israeli anti-terror operation. Israel surrounded the church area but refused to storm the structure....

Some Christian leaders said one of the most significant problems facing Christians in Bethlehem is the rampant confiscation of land by Muslim gangs.

One religious novelty store owner recently told WND that Muslim gangs regularly deface Christian property.

"We are harassed, but you wouldn't know the truth. No one says anything publicly about the Muslims. This is why Christians are running away."

 The City of the birth of Christ, the birth of King David, and the tomb of Rachel is under Palestinian governance, and has a Muslim majority population.

In 2007 the city had approximately 25,000 residents with Christians making up 20% of the citizenry. With life made difficult for Christians, and the fact that Christians propagate at a much slower rate than Muslims, the Christian presence in Bethlehem is dwindling.

Read about Christmas observances by Christians in Bethlehem here and about the Church of the Nativity and the birthplace of Christ here.

A Soldier's Christmas Poem

A Soldier’s Christmas Poem

'Twas The Night Before Christmas,
He Lived All Alone,
In A One Bedroom House
Made Of Plaster And Stone.

I Had Come Down The Chimney
With Presents To Give,
And To See Just Who
In This Home Did Live.

I Looked All About,
A Strange Sight I Did See,
No Tinsel, No Presents,
Not Even A Tree.

No Stocking By Mantle,
Just Boots Filled With Sand,
On The Wall Hung Pictures
Of Far Distant Lands.

With Medals And Badges,
Awards Of All Kinds,
A Sober Thought Came Through My Mind.

For This House Was Different,
It Was Dark And Dreary,
I Found The Home Of A Soldier,
Once I Could See Clearly.

The Soldier Lay Sleeping,
Silent, Alone
Curled Up On The Floor
In This One Bedroom Home.

The Face Was So Gentle,
The Room In Such Disorder,
Not How I Pictured
A United States Soldier.

Was This The Hero
Of Whom I'd Just Read?
Curled Up On A Poncho,
The Floor For A Bed?

I Realized The Families
That I Saw This Night,
Owed Their Lives To These Soldiers
Who Were Willing To Fight.

Soon Round The World,
The Children Would Play,
And Grownups Would Celebrate
A Bright Christmas Day.

They All Enjoyed Freedom
Each Month Of The Year,
Because Of The Soldiers,
Like The One Lying Here.

I Couldn't Help Wonder
How Many Lay Alone,
On A Cold Christmas Eve
In A Land Far From Home.

The Very Thought
Brought A Tear To My Eye,
I Dropped To My Knees
And Started To Cry.

The Soldier Awakened
And I Heard A Rough Voice,
"Santa Don't Cry,
This Life Is My Choice;

I Fight For Freedom,
I Don't Ask For More,
My Life Is My God,
My Country, My Corps."

The Soldier Rolled Over
And Drifted To Sleep,
I Couldn't Control It,
I Continued To Weep.

I Kept Watch For Hours,
So Silent And Still
And We Both Shivered
From The Cold Night's Chill.

I Didn't Want To Leave
On That Cold, Dark, Night,
This Guardian Of Honor
So Willing To Fight.

Then The Soldier Rolled Over,
With A Voice Soft And Pure,
Whispered, "Carry On Santa,
It's Christmas Day, All Is Secure."

One Look At My Watch,
And I Knew He Was Right.
"Merry Christmas My Friend,
And To All A Good Night."

Link.

Christmas: "I bring you good tidings of great joy"

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.
And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

Luke 2:9-14

Christmas Banned at the White House...before it wasn't

by Maggie at Maggie's Notebook

White House Social Secretary Desiree Rogers told a group of her predecessors that the White House "did not intend to put the manger scene on display. This happened earlier in the year, but is just now breaking news. Rogers' comments indicating that the White House Christmas was banned...was before the White House reversed their decision and Christmas wasn't banned after all. See a video below.

White House Creche (between draperies) - previous administrations

Ms. Rogers, this participant said, replied that the Obamas did not intend to put the manger scene on display — a remark that drew an audible gasp from the tight-knit social secretary sisterhood. (A White House official confirmed that there had been internal discussions about making Christmas more inclusive and whether to display the crèche.)

I would like to know how the former social secretaries kept this secret. 

The report says "in the end, tradition won out...and the creche is in its usual East Room spot. What a sad, sad commentary for our country. Would you ever have believed that such a discussion would be possible in the house where the President of the United States lives?








White House Christmas Tree, Manger (Creche)

Twas The Month Before Christmas!

Twas the month before Christmas*
*When all through our land,*
*Not a Christian was praying*
*Nor taking a stand.*
*See the PC Police had taken away,*
*The reason for Christmas - no one could say.*
*The children were told by their schools not to sing,*
*About Shepherds and Wise Men and Angels and things.*
*It might hurt people's feelings, the teachers would say*
* December 25th is just a ' Holiday '.*
*Yet the shoppers were ready with cash, checks and credit*
*Pushing folks down to the floor just to get it!*
*CDs from Madonna, an X BOX, an I-pod*
*Something was changing, something quite odd! *
*Retailers promoted Ramadan and Kwanzaa*
*In hopes to sell books by Franken & Fonda.*
*As Targets were hanging their trees upside down*
* At Lowe's the word Christmas - was no where to be found.*
*At K-Mart and Staples and Penny's and Sears*
*You won't hear the word Christmas; it won't touch your ears.*
*Inclusive, sensitive, Di-ver-si-ty*
*Are words that were used to intimidate me.*
*Now Daschle, Now Darden, Now Sharpton, Wolf Blitzen*
*On Boxer, on Rather, on Kerry, on Clinton !*
*At the top of the Senate, there arose such a clatter*
*To eliminate Jesus, in all public matter.*
*And we spoke not a word, as they took away our faith*
* Forbidden to speak of salvation and grace*
*The true Gift of Christmas was exchanged and discarded*
*The reason for the season, stopped before it started.*
*So as you celebrate 'Winter Break' under your 'Dream Tree'*
*Sipping your Starbucks, listen to me.*
*Choose your words carefully, choose what you say*
*Shout MERRY CHRISTMAS , not Happy Holiday !*

Please, all Christians join together and
wish everyone you meet during the
holidays a MERRY CHRISTMAS!

A Saviour Is Born

O Holy Night

O holy night, the stars are brightly shining;

It is the night of the dear Savior’s birth!

Long lay the world in sin and error pining,

Till He appeared and the soul felt its worth.

A thrill of hope, the weary soul rejoices,

For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.

Fall on your knees, O hear the angel voices!

O night divine, O night when Christ was born!

O night, O holy night, O night divine!

Led by the light of faith serenely beaming,

With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand.

So led by light of a star sweetly gleaming,

Here came the wise men from Orient land.

The King of kings lay thus in lowly manger,

In all our trials born to be our friend!

Fall on your knees, O hear the angel voices!

O night divine, O night when Christ was born!

O night, O holy night, O night divine!

Truly He taught us to love one another;

His law is love and His Gospel is peace.

Chains shall He break for the slave is our brother

And in His Name all oppression shall cease.

Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,

Let all within us praise His holy Name!

Fall on your knees, O hear the angel voices!

O night divine, O night when Christ was born!

O night, O holy night, O night divine!

Holger Takes A Holiday

I want to wish every Holger Awakens reader a very Merry Christmas and a Happy Hanukkah. I will be away for a couple of days enjoying the merriment and tradition and celebrating the most important event in the History of Man. G_d bless all of you and your families.

A Jewish Perspective of Christmas

This really is a great piece over at Family Security Matters. Take the time to read it in its entirety right here.
Here is my favorite line from this excellent look at Christmas from a Jewish perspective:

You have Christmas. We have Chanukah. You have Easter. We have Passover. Does this separate us? No, this unites us, for together, this land is our land.

This is a special time of year for both Christians and Jews. This is the time for uniting, for looking back at America and it's Judeo-Christian origins. This is a time for rebirth and for renewing our pledge to keep this wonderful country strong and free.

Here are some excerpts from Jack Engelhard's piece:

Why I Love Christmas: A Jewish Perspective
Jack Engelhard

Up and down the street where I live, half the homes are lit up with Christmas trees, the other half with menorahs. The days are good and the nights are silent. Most of the time we can’t tell the difference between Christians and Jews. We’re too busy being just plain old Americans.

You have Christmas. We have Chanukah. You have Easter. We have Passover. Does this separate us? No, this unites us, for together, this land is our land.

However, I am offended. Across this nation, in cities, towns, villages and school districts, Christians are being told that they cannot celebrate Christmas openly. Here, there and everywhere, Christians are being sent into hiding if they want to sing carols, display nativity scenes, herald the Ten Commandments, or praise Jesus. Even Santa is not kosher.

I am Jewish, and Jesus is not my God…so why am I so offended at what I take to be an agenda of persecution against Christians?

This is not a scholarly approach, so let me simply say that American Christianity is a marvel, a near miracle of tolerance and, better yet, loving-kindness. American Christians do love their neighbors as themselves. I know this from the pavements I walk, the streets I drive, the sandlots where I root for the home team. I am free to visit your church, and you would be most welcome in my synagogue.

Yes, we are a Judeo/Christian nation, and if it gets any better than that, I don’t know where.

Only Israel itself compares, the Israel of before, and the Israel of today. Israel is where our American heritage begins.

As Jews, we do not pray to Jesus, but we stand in admiration that true Christians adhere to His message of love, taken from our Scriptures. We respect your devotion as you respect ours. We honor your faith as you honor ours, even as we pray separately but live equally, in friendship.

Let me watch them praise their Lord with Christmas trees and jingle bells, for these are a reminder to me, a Jew, that I live in this land, this land of mostly Christians that have kept the promise of my ancestor, the prophet Micah, that this house be blessed by the shade of that vine and fig tree, and none shall make us afraid.