O Holy Night! The stars are brightly shining, It is the night of the dear Saviour's birth. Long lay the world in sin and error pining. Till He appeared and the Spirit felt its worth. A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices, For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn. Fall on your knees! Oh, hear the angel voices! O night divine, the night when Christ was born; O night, O Holy Night , O night divine! O night, O Holy Night , O night divine!* Let us kneel down and worship our King! Christmas Joy to you! Love, Diane *The words and lyrics of the old carol 'O Holy Night' … [Read more...]
And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 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 that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, 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 … [Read more...]
I've been thinking about this amazing thing God did.... sending his own son into the world in human form. And what did humanity do? Reject the God of the universe. I'm glad this true story didn't end there. You. Me. God's invited us into his family. We just need to believe in Jesus. God must love us more than we can ever imagine! This Christmas.... Believe! ...In Jesus ...God who became a babe, and then died and paid the price for every wrong thing we have done, and lives again so we can be in his children, … [Read more...]
Christmas stockings. I've been seeing them everywhere. Maybe you have too? People of all ages are hoping Santa Claus stops by with a few treats. Although my husband and I still have our childhood Christmas stockings, I thought it would be fun to try my hand at repurposing a cable knit sweater from the thrift store... into....yes...a pair of Christmas stockings! Karin was my inspiration. She says her collection is approaching 150 and it seems that she may have made most of them. Yes, I'm impressed. And so it seems that I should be able to make at least one, … [Read more...]
Many people began the new year with a resolution and a word for the year. Choosing a word seemed like a good thing and so I selected 'intentional' as my word. What's been interesting, is that as the year wore on, another word came to the forefront of my thinking. If you're a regular reader, I'm guessing that you will guess what that word is. Yes, it's 'joy.' As I began decorating my home for Christmas I started adding the word 'joy' to my wreaths and packages. For some time I've been smitten with banners and decided to make one for Christmas. Rejoice seemed to be the perfect word for my banner … [Read more...]
Today we light the candle of Hope. Advent candles, wreaths, and readings might or might not be part of your Christmas celebration. I didn't grow up with the tradition in my home, but observed it in my church. Some of us love the rituals of the seasons. Others simply embrace the season. For quite a few years I was involved in leading children in worship, and in the liturgy and lighting of the advent candles. I live in a different place now and I serve behind the scenes. But, those memories are tender in my heart. Another memory that is tender in my heart is singing the … [Read more...]
Do you take pictures of your Christmas decor? Every year I do. If you were to observe me, you might think I was photographing for a magazine. It really could be a bit amusing, I guess. I did not scrapbook, I didn't have a blog. Yet, I took lots of pictures. It was simply a photo record that stayed in the digital abyss of my laptop. Pretty funny, huh? This year...I do have a blog....and some photos from the past that no one has ever seen. It's really a miracle that I have these. For some reason they ended up in my husband's photo files. … [Read more...]
