The Lord is Come

by Reece, Colleen L.

• ISBN13: 9781577484370
• ISBN10: 1577484371
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2001-11-01
• Publisher: Barbour Pub Inc

Summary

Have a truly joyful holiday season this year--and for all the years to come--by discovering traditions that are sure to become your own. Traditions that celebrate Christ's birth in ways that delight, satisfy, and inspire.

Table of Contents

Thanksgiving	p. 7
The Wonder of Winter	p. 21
Fit for the King (Recipes)	p. 27
Christmas Joy	p. 47
Table of Contents provided by Syndetics. All Rights Reserved.

Excerpts

Chapter One

"Come, Ye Thankful People, Come"

Come, ye thankful people, come,

Raise the song of harvest home.

All is safely gathered in

Ere the winter storms begin;

God, our Maker, doth provide

For our wants to be supplied;

Come to God's own temple, come,

Raise the song of harvest home.

Henry Alford (1810-1871)

Blessings Are Where

You Find Them

Freedom . The Pilgrims came to America seeking the blessing of religious freedom. They paid a high price, losing almost half their original number the first winter. We owe much to those who refused to bow before any king but God. They opened the way for the freedom of worship we often take for granted.

Happiness . Pollyanna, beloved heroine of the children's classic, received the richest heritage of all from her impoverished minister father: the ability to recognize blessings. She clung to the promise, "All things work together for good to them that love God ..." (Romans 8:28) and found joy in doing so.

Family and friends . "Over the river, and through the woods, to Grandmother's house we go" conjures up images of horse-drawn sleighs filled with excited, laughing families. Most of us don't go to Grandmother's house by sleigh, but the same thrill of anticipation surges through us. Who will be there? Cousins we don't often see? Newcomers who quickly become part of the warm, loving group around our table? Heads bowed, hearts light as the fragrant, flickering candles, we give thanks for the priceless blessing of family and friends.

The True

Thanksgiving

"Not what we give, but what we share,-- For the gift without the giver is bare; Who gives himself with his alms feeds three,-- Himself, his hungering neighbor and Me."

from "The Vision of Sir Launfal," James Russell Lowell (1819-1891)

Roger had a gnawing feeling he needed to do something for his neighbors for Thanksgiving. Mr. Smith had lost his job. He, his wife, and little girl were being evicted from their apartment because they couldn't pay the rent.

    What could Roger do? He discussed the problem with his wife and children in a family meeting. "How would you like to make this Thanksgiving the most meaningful ever?" he asked. "We have a chance to open our hearts and home and give the Smiths a true Thanksgiving."

    "Yes!" came the unanimous vote.

    Roger immediately invited their neighbors to Thanksgiving dinner. He assisted the Smiths in finding help from local churches and community centers. Roger and his family squeezed their own tight budget to add to the growing fund.

    Thanksgiving arrived. Only a few days remained until the end of the month and the fund was one hundred desperately needed dollars short. The Smiths would be forced to move. The two families circled the festive table and offered thanks for God's blessings. They told God they trusted Him to meet the Smith's needs. As they began to eat, the phone rang.

    Roger answered. He listened, smiled, said thank you, and came back to the table. "That was my boss," he told Mr. Smith. "I shared my concerns with him a few days ago." A broad grin creased his face. "He wants to see you at nine o'clock sharp tomorrow morning. He has a job opening, if you're interested."

    "Am I!" Mr. Smith shouted, laughing and crying at the same time.

    Roger laughed, too. "I already told him that." He stopped and mysteriously lowered his voice. "There's more. The employees at work took up a collection. They had no idea how much you needed but it came to $200."

    The Smiths gasped. "With the other, that's enough for us to pay the rent, and buy groceries and gas."

    "And," Roger reminded, "it won't be long until payday."

    Two happy families continued their Thanksgiving dinner, experiencing what the holiday was really all about.

Thanksgiving Blackout

Mom and I always looked forward to Thanksgiving. Not just as a prelude to Christmas, but as a day set apart to express our appreciation to the Lord. One unforgettable year we were invited to join my sister-in-law's family celebration. We'd leave about noon for the hour's drive to their home north of Seattle.

    A wild storm swept through the area and knocked out power. By midmorning, we wondered if we'd be going anywhere. Families with partially cooked turkeys panicked. Others huddled inside their homes, complaining and wondering how long the blackout would last.

    Our family is a hardy bunch of souls, rarely kept home by weather. "We'll finish cooking on the gas barbeque," was the word from our host, hostesses, and girls. "We won't be able to watch the special video we purchased, but we'll have a great time, anyway."

    We did! We ate by candlelight. Later, the kids curled up at Mom's feet, enthralled by her stories from "the olden days" (she was born in 1896 and lived until 1992). We laughed and visited, experiencing the simple joy of being together. The lack of power changed from inconvenience to opportunity and the day became one of our most memorable and enjoyable Thanksgivings.

A Gift of Thanksgiving

Kelly did not want to work at the restaurant on Thanksgiving. She had last-minute touches to put on her own meal. Her husband and children impatiently waited for her to come home. "Not until 4:00 P.M.," she sighed. "Some Thanksgiving."

    The day went smoothly but dragged until 3:00 P.M. A cold draft came from the doorway. An elderly man shuffled in, silvery head bent low. He sat down.

    "Why, Mr. Wilson!" Kelly smiled at him. "I haven't seen you for months. You used to be a regular customer. Happy Thanksgiving."

    "My wife died of a heart attack." He spoke haltingly and his chin quivered. "I hoped you'd be open. I didn't want to spend Thanksgiving alone."

    "We're glad you came." Kelly quickly told the other employees what had happened. They brought Mr. Wilson a grand meal, gave him a discount and took turns stopping at his table to visit, listen, and share amusing restaurant news.

    Kelly apologized for having to leave at the end of her shift, but Sherry came on and took over. Mr. Wilson sat smiling, shoulders squared and head high. When Kelly told him to come back soon, he jauntily replied, "I will. I just can't stay away from such nice friends." Kelly drove home, warm inside, thankful for the Thanksgiving gift she had both given and received.

"Give Thanks"

O give thanks, give thanks unto the Lord, For He is good, and His mercy endureth forever. To Him which led His people through the wilderness, For He is good, and His mercy endureth forever. He turned the wilderness into a standing water, And dry ground into water springs. Strengthen ye the weak hands and confirm the feeble knees, Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not, behold your God will come with a recompense. Then shall the eyes of the blind be opened And the ears of the deaf, of the deaf unstopped. And a highway shall be there, And it shall be called the way, the way of holiness, The unclean shall not pass over it, The unclean shall not pass over it, But the redeemed of the Lord shall walk therein; And the ransomed of the Lord shall return and come to Zion, To Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads, They shall obtain joy and gladness, And sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

Words & Music: Unknown; appeared in Shaker Hymnal (East Canterbury, New Hampshire: The Canterbury Shakers, 1906)

"Thanks to God"

Thanks to God for my Redeemer,

Thanks for all Thou dost provide!

Thanks for times now but a mem'ry,

Thanks for Jesus by my side!

Thanks for pleasant, balmy springtime,

Thanks for dark and stormy fall!

Thanks for tears by now forgotten,

Thanks for peace within my soul!

Thanks for prayers that Thou hast answered,

Thanks for what Thou dost deny!

Thanks for storms that I have weathered,

Thanks for all Thou dost supply!

Thanks for pain, and thanks for pleasure,

Thanks for comfort in despair!

Thanks for grace that none can measure,

Thanks for love beyond compare!

Thanks for roses by the wayside,

Thanks for thorns their stems contain!

Thanks for home and thanks for fireside,

Thanks for hope, that sweet refrain!

Thanks for joy and thanks for sorrow,

Thanks for heavenly peace with Thee!

Thanks for hope in the tomorrow,

Thanks through all eternity!

August Ludvig Storm, 1862-1914

Copyright © 1999 Barbour Publishing, Inc.. All rights reserved.