"Night After Christmas"

Twas the night after Christmas,

And all ‘cross the range,

There was a calm quiet,

That the cowboys thought strange.

So they followed the quiet,

As the winds whispered low,

Long trotted their ponies,

Through the sage and the snow.

Topped a rise, then they saw it,

A small campfire built there,

And a little old cowhand,

With white beard and hair.

And he said, hullo, boys,

He stood up as they rode,

With a pot of black coffee,

And some biscuits there showed.

So the boys all stepped off,

And each took a cup,

And a couple of biscuits,

Old man had enough.

And as they all sat there,

Horses hobbled nearby,

The old man told a story,

It’s the truth and no lie.

‘Bout the miles he had traveled,

And the things he had seen,

Wild cattle he’d gathered,

And the places he’d been.

And then he confessed,

That he’d been bad to drink,

And lived on the wide side,

And an outlaw I think.

But then how a preacher,

Had sat by a fire,

Offered some coffee,

And words to inspire,

He told of a Savior,

Who died and was raised,

And how the forgiven,

Can live for His praise.

And then he said something,

The boys won’t forget,

Every night after Christmas,

They remember it yet.

He said that God changed him,

And we could change, too,

If we just believed it,

And turned to God true.

Early next morning,

The boys rose to find,

The old cowboy had gone on,

No tracks left behind.

We’ve often wondered,

Was that old man real,

Or was he an angel,

To offer God’s deal.

But he left us his coffee,

And a biscuit or two,

We saddled our horses,

And did what we do.

But I started preachin’,

‘Cause my life had changed,

And though I still cowboy,

My life’s rearranged.

So follow the quiet,

When the whisper calls you,

You may find the fire,

And a life that is new.

“This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” (2 Corinthians 5:17, NLT)

Can people really change? Sometimes we look at them and doubt it. But the Bible claims otherwise. Paul wrote that the grace of God can transform us into new people who live a new life, no matter what happened before. Paul had a testimony to back it up, too! No one, including himself, thought he would be transformed from someone who terrorized the church to someone who would proclaim the Good News to all the known world. But it happened and he did exactly that. The message is clear. It can happen. And because we can change, we should.

Lord, give us a new life, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Clark Kelley Price, used by permission. Thanks, and God bless you.