"Christmas Bells"

The Christmas bells are ringing,

I know this much is clear,

No matter if you’re finished,

Christmas time is here!

Got hay put out for cattle,

And grain for horses, too,

Think ‘bout all the chores are done,

Not much more to do.

We finished wrapping presents,

Ate soup, cornbread and cheese,

Then sat beside the fireplace,

And wondered, if you please,

‘Bout Mary and the baby,

And if the night was cold,

Pop took down the Good Book,

And read the story old.

They came at last to Bethlehem,

They couldn’t find a place,

And finally the labor,

With pain on Mary’s face.

Wrapped him up in strips of cloth,

And laid Him in a trough,

Hay would shield the wind away,

And keep the weather off.

Shepherds running through the night,

Angels with their news,

Peace on earth, good will to men,

The world gets heaven’s cues.

Wise men bring their riches,

Far from the east they came,

Following the star they saw,

And no one knew their name.

Wonderful, our Counselor,

And tiny Prince of Peace,

Emmanuel, God came to us,

And from our sins release.

Pop, he closed the Bible,

Now, y’all it’s time for bed,

But couldn’t go to sleep so fast,

The words rang in my head.

Do I really know Him,

This baby born to be,

The Savior and the Lord of all,

But is He Lord of me.

Yes, I had accepted,

Been baptized long ago,

But when it came down to it,

I didn’t really know.

Crawled out of my bed so warm,

And got down on my knees,

I asked the Lord into my heart,

And to forgive me, please.

And on that Christmas morning,

I knew His peace on earth,

‘Cause Jesus Christ was born in me,

Gave me a second birth.

Born once, they say you die two times,

Your body and your soul,

Born twice, and you die only once,

That’s what the Good Book told.

For me the Christmas bells that day,

Rang out so loud and clear,

‘Cause if the Lord lives in your heart,

His birth is very dear.

“…peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased…” (Luke 2:14, NLT)

Is God pleased? It’s a good question to ask on Christmas or any other time, don’t you think? We know He loves us unconditionally, and nothing we can do will make Him love us more than He already does. So, the love question is already settled. He loves us, but is He pleased with us? That depends upon our willingness to cooperate with Him. Mary and Joseph did what God asked them to do. He was pleased. The shepherds did what the Lord told them to do. God was pleased. The wise men who followed the star and gave gifts to Jesus did what God wanted them to do. God was pleased. God loved Herod, but was not pleased when he tried to kill Jesus. This may all sound overly simplistic, but I think it pretty much describes the basic truth: If we cooperate with Him, He is pleased. And that’s what we want to hear at the end of our lives when we stand before Him. We are saved by accepting His love. We glorify Him by accepting His will.

Lord, give us the peace that comes to those with whom You are well pleased, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Jack Sorenson, jacksorensonfineart.com. Used by permission. Thanks, Jack, and God bless you.