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<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>How Do We Hold onto the Feeling?</span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span> </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>Just a few days
later, the needles are falling, the poinsettias are drooping, and the
cookies are stale. How do we hold onto the feeling? How do we hold onto
the warmth, the wonder, the welcome of Christmas? <br>
<br>
* Christmas letters - offering graceful glimpses of old friends;<br>
* That rare mother/daughter afternoon, creating the most perfect Christmas of our lives;<br>
* American soldiers sharing Christmas with war-scarred children;<br>
* Virginia neighbors sharing love with a Pentagon widow;<br>
* A Christmas pageant, so full of joy and giggles and energy, that I know God was smiling; <br>
* A rippling harp lifting human voices to heaven;<br>
* That sea of candles, shimmering with hope and memory, in the dark womb of this sanctuary.<br>
<br>
Yes,
my friends, if we try, we can hold onto the feelings, the images, the
memories. But we will need to struggle to let this fresh incarnation,
this tangible, touchable God carry us through the rest of the year. For
the way things really are has already come crashing down upon us. This
morning, before the baby has even digested his first decent meal, the
gospel writer has us running - fleeing from danger and death and
despair. Yes, Matthew forces us to deal with the rest of the Christmas
story. And the reality is that the incarnation of good, of God, leads
quickly to the incarnation of evil - not only 2,000 years ago, but
today, here, now.</span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span> </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>Susan R. Andrews, Sermons for Sundays: In Advent, Christmas, And Epiphany: The Offense Of Grace, CSS Publishing Company, Inc.</span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span> </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>_________________________</span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span> </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>Letting Go of Treasures</span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span> </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>Giving with a glad
and generous heart has a way of routing out the tough old miser within
us. Even the poor need to know that they can give. Just the very act of
letting go of money or some other treasure does something within us.
That something is it destroys the demon, greed."</span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span> </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>Richard Foster</span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span> </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>_________________</span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span> </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>As Long As There Is Hope</span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span> </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>A few years ago the
psychology department of Duke University carried on an interesting
experiment. They wanted to see how long rats could swim. In one
container they placed a rat for whom there was no possibility of escape.
He swam a few moments and then ducked his head to drown. In the other
container they made the hope of escape a possibility for the rat. The
rat swam for several hours before finally giving up. The conclusion of
the experiment was just the opposite of our common conclusion. We
usually say, "As long as there is life, there is hope." The Duke
experiment proved, "As long as there is hope, there is life."</span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span> </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>Brett Blair, <a shape="rect" target="_blank" __removedlink__909411652__href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001v-A02_4yPf1MDA2pL2cEBDpeCPm-Rho1yKf0koEf0-aXkqZUQiQ_O2giQr429Yo-VE2o1zRkElHvK5_KVsJ0w7eNSviOxqMOPiJ8XN8Kdrs="><span>www.Sermons.com</span></a> </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span> </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>__________________</span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span> </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span> </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>A Legend of the Magi and the True Story</span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span> </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>There is a
beautiful old tradition about the star in the East. The story says that
when the star had finished its task of directing the wise men to the
baby, it fell from the sky and dropped down into the city well of
Bethlehem. According to some legend, that star is there to this day, and
can sometimes still be seen by those whose hearts are pure and clean.
It's a pretty story. It kind of makes you feel warm inside.</span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span> </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>There are other
legends about this story of the wise men from the east. For instance,
how many wise men were there? In the old days in the east, they believed
that there were 12 men who made the journey, but now most everyone
agrees there were three. One old legend even tells us the names of the
three. Melchior was the oldest of the group, with a full beard. He gave
the baby the gift of gold. Balthasar also had a beard, but was not as
old as Melchior. He presented the gift of myrrh. The youngest of the
three was Casper, who had no beard yet, but did present the gift of
frankincense to the baby. Yet another legend goes on to tell us that
after seeing the baby, the three continued traveling as far as Spain,
telling the world the good news about what they had seen. These stories
bring the wise men a little more to life, and add some color to the
meaning of Christmas. They can also get in the way.</span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span> </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>The problem with
legends is that sometimes they add color to stories that don't need any
additional color. In fact, sometimes legends are so colorful, they are
unbelievable, and can end up making the entire story unbelievable as
well. Kind of like that star falling in the well. It makes you warm
inside. It also makes you wonder.</span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span> </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>I am not out to ban
legends, but I do think it might be worthwhile to hear the story one
more time, the way it was told the first time. I need to hear it anyway,
and you are welcome to listen along if you like.</span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span> </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>The rest of this sermon entitled "Just the Facts" can be used by joining <a shape="rect"><span>www.eSermons.com</span></a>.</span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span> </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>John B. Jamison, Time's Up!, CSS Publishing Company </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span> </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>________________</span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span> </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>Do It Anyway!</span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span> </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>Herod was a
power-hungry ruler whose actions reeked of evil. We can't explain his
actions, or the actions of anybody else who acts in evil ways.<br>
</span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>And despite our
best efforts to create an atmosphere of cooperation and kindness, it is
unrealistic to think we are going to eliminate from the face of the
earth divisive, rude, evil people. Our only choice, unless we want to
give in or give up, is to work around the evil. Yes, this is an
imperfect world, but that does not relieve us of our responsibility to
work for what is good and right. If anything, the evil present in our
world only accentuates the need for us to do something.</span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span> </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>Someone wrote a short piece about rejecting the nay-sayers and taking the higher road. They titled it "Anyway." Here it is:</span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span> </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>People are unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered. Love them anyway!</span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span> </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives. Do good anyway!</span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span> </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>If you are successful, you will win false friends and true enemies. Succeed anyway!</span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span> </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway!</span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span> </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>Honesty and frankness will make you vulnerable. Be honest and frank anyway!</span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span> </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>The biggest people with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest people with the smallest minds. Think big anyway!</span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span> </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>People favor underdogs but follow only top dogs. Fight for some underdogs anyway!</span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span> </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight. Build anyway!</span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span> </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>People really need help but may attack you if you help them. Help people anyway!</span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span> </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>Give the world the best you have and you will get kicked in the teeth. Give the world the best you have any way!</span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span> </span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span>The rest of this sermon can be viewed and used by joining <span><a shape="rect"><span>www.Sermons.com</span></a></span></span></div>
<div style="MARGIN-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px"><span><span><a shape="rect"><span><br>
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