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<DIV><FONT size=4>Remember how the writer Rabelais joked. He said, "I never
sleep comfortably except when I am at a sermon." The reason we sleep is to
dream. The reason we sleep is to dream. The reason we have relationships is so
that we will have someone who will believe our dreams.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><A
href="http://day1.org/1070-believe_in_the_dreams_of_the_person_you_love">http://day1.org/1070-believe_in_the_dreams_of_the_person_you_love</A></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>Samuel G. Candler</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>- - - - -</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>It did not matter what the world said. Ridicule and
derision could be carried with the belief that the pain and the hardship were
worth it. The life of this child was too valuable to forsake. <SPAN
style="TEXT-DECORATION: underline">Anything</SPAN> would be endured so that this
child would be heard and known and shared with the world.</FONT>
<P><FONT size=4>Churches are not made up of building or programs. They are
not measured by the size of the budget or the dulcet tones of the choir.
Instead, wherever two or more come together with the understanding and belief
that there is a life and message so precious and so wonderful that anything can
be endured so that all may share in the joy of this news, then there is a
church.</FONT></P></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><A
href="http://day1.org/2387-the_blind_leap">http://day1.org/2387-the_blind_leap</A></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>Daniel P. Matthews, Jr.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>- - - - -</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>Do you know that you have only eleven shopping days before
Christmas? Do you know that you only have eleven more days to spend eleven
billion dollars? Do you know that during the twenty-five days of Christmas that
we Americans will spend twenty-five billion dollars? Do you know that this is
the biggest spending binge of the year for the American economy? Do you know
that many corporations make fifty percent of their profits during the lucrative
Christmas shopping season? </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2><FONT size=4>...we estimate that Christ was born somewhere
between 6-4 BC.</FONT><SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><?XML:NAMESPACE PREFIX = O /><O:P>
</O:P></FONT></DIV>
<DIV class=MsoNormal><FONT size=2><FONT size=4>Also, there was an unusual
conjunction of the planets Jupiter and Saturn in 7 BC.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>You can see a replica of the Christmas
sky at many planetariums during this time of the year and at a planetarium, you
will see this unusual movement between Jupiter and Saturn that many people think
may have been the star of the magi. So, Christ was born in about 7-4 BC.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>If you type in “Jupiter, Saturn and the
birth of Christ” in the Google search engine, you will find more than 10,000
sites dedicated to this astronomical research for the star of
Bethlehem.</FONT><O:P> </O:P></FONT></DIV>
<DIV class=MsoNormal><O:P><FONT size=4><></FONT></O:P></DIV>
<DIV class=MsoNormal><O:P><FONT size=4>In Carthage, there was a man by the name
of Hippolyitus, living in about the year 220 CE.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>He was the father of confirmation; that
is, he originated a three-year study program after which people could be
baptized.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Well, Hippolytus, a great
theologian, believed that Christ died on March 25th, in the year 29 CE.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>He believed he had knowledge of that
fact.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>He also believed that Jesus
was conceived on the same day he died, that is, on March 25th.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>So if Jesus was conceived on March 25th,
he was born on ...December 25th.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>In
other words, the Savior of the world was born on the same day that the world
itself was born.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN></FONT></O:P></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><FONT size=4></FONT></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><A
href="http://www.sermonsfromseattle.com/series_a_the_birth_of_christ_and_christmas.htm">http://www.sermonsfromseattle.com/series_a_the_birth_of_christ_and_christmas.htm</A></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>Edward F. Markquart<BR>- - - - -</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV class=MsoNormal><FONT size=4>The purpose of the story for today is not to
tell us that Joseph was religious or righteous. The primary purpose of the story
today is to tell us that Joseph was not the biological father of Jesus.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>That is the point of the story. Joseph
was not the biological father of Jesus. Joseph was the legal father. Joseph was
the adopted father. But he was not the biological father of Jesus and that is
what the story is all about.<O:P> </O:P></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><></FONT></DIV>
<DIV class=MsoNormal><FONT size=4>In his prayer life, Jesus always called God,
“abba,” which is translated papa or father.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV class=MsoNormal><FONT size=4>Do you realize that in the history of
civilization, nobody had ever called God, “Father,” in prayer until Jesus of
Nazareth did? In the history of the world, nobody had ever called God, “Father,”
in prayer. Jesus did this all the time. “Abba” is the common address that Jesus
used when calling on God in prayer. The story of the virgin birth reaches the
same conclusion, as do the stories of his prayer life; that God is the Father of
Jesus.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><FONT size=4></FONT></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><FONT size=4><A
href="http://www.sermonsfromseattle.com/series_a_joseph_and_the_virgin_birth.htm">http://www.sermonsfromseattle.com/series_a_joseph_and_the_virgin_birth.htm</A></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><FONT size=4></FONT></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>Edward F. Markquart<BR>- - - - -</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>...it was clear that not all was well with "Romeo and
Juliette." They went to opposite ends of the large sofa in my office and
plunked themselves down. They sat silently -- looking glum. It was clear I was
going to have to jump start the conversation for these two usually bubbly
people. </FONT>
<P align=left><SMALL><FONT size=4>"What's up?" I tendered.</FONT></SMALL></P>
<P align=left><SMALL><FONT size=4>She glares at him, "You tell
him!"</FONT></SMALL></P>
<P align=left><SMALL><FONT size=4>"I gave her her Christmas
present."</FONT></SMALL></P>
<P align=left><SMALL><FONT size=4>"That's a bad thing?" I
respond.</FONT></SMALL></P>
<P align=left><SMALL><FONT size=4>She continues, "Tell him what you gave
me!"</FONT></SMALL></P>
<P align=left><SMALL><FONT size=4>"Let me explain." He's obviously wounded. "I
gave her the gift early because she needed it..."</FONT></SMALL></P>
<P align=left><SMALL><FONT size=4><STRONG>"You gave me a set of tires!"</STRONG>
she blurts out!"</FONT></SMALL></P>
<P align=left><SMALL><FONT size=4><STRONG>"They were Michelins!" </STRONG>he
responds, <STRONG>"Sheess!"</STRONG> </FONT></SMALL></P>
<P align=left><SMALL><FONT size=4><></FONT></SMALL></P>
<P align=left><SMALL><A
href="http://www.lectionarysermons.com/ADV4-98.html"><FONT
size=4>http://www.lectionarysermons.com/ADV4-98.html</FONT></A></SMALL></P></DIV>
<DIV align=left><SMALL><FONT size=4>John Jewell, 1998</FONT></SMALL></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT size=4><SMALL><FONT size=4>- - - -
-</FONT></SMALL></FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT size=4><FONT
size=4><SMALL></SMALL></FONT></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT size=4><SMALL><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman"><FONT
size=4>The Christmas stories in the Gospels of St. Matthew and St. Luke are not
meant to be literal history, like, let us say, detailed descriptions of the
Battle of Gettysburg. Rather they are theological stories designed to tell us
that with the birth of Jesus a new phase of the history of humankind had
begun.</FONT> </FONT></SPAN></SMALL></FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><SMALL><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"></SPAN></SMALL> </DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT size=4 face="Times New Roman"><SMALL><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><A
href="http://www.agreeley.com/hom10/dec19.htm"><FONT size=4
face="Times New Roman">http://www.agreeley.com/hom10/dec19.htm</FONT></A></SPAN></SMALL></FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT face="Times New Roman"><SMALL><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"></SPAN></SMALL></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT size=4 face="Times New Roman"><SMALL><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><FONT size=4
face="Times New Roman">Andrew M. Greeley,
1999</FONT></SPAN></SMALL></FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT size=4 face="Times New Roman"><SMALL><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><FONT size=4
face="Times New Roman">- - - - -</FONT></SPAN></SMALL></FONT><FONT size=4
face="Times New Roman"><SMALL><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"> </SPAN></SMALL></FONT></DIV>
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