Christmas Day

"His name shall be called Emmanuel...God with us." (Matt. 1:23)
"The Prince of Peace." (Isa. 9:6).

"There's a song in the air!

There's a star in the sky!

There's a mother's deep prayer,

And a baby's low cry!

And the star rains its fire

While the beautiful sing,

For the manger of Bethlehem cradles a King."

A few years ago a striking Christmas card was published, with the title, "If Christ had not come." It was founded upon our Savior's words, "If I had not come." The card represented a clergyman falling into a short sleep in his study on Christmas morning  and dreaming of a world into which Jesus had never come.

In dream he found himself looking through his home, but there were no little stockings in the chimney corner, no Christmas bells of wreaths of holly, and no Christ to comfort, gladden and save. He walked out on the public street, but there was no church with its spire pointing to Heaven. He came back and sat down in his library, but every book about the Savior had disappeared.

A ring at the door-bell, and a messenger asked him to visit a poor dying mother. He hasted with the weeping child and as he reached the home he sat down and said, "I have something here that will comfort you." He opened his Bible to look for the familiar promise, but it ended at Malachi, and there was no gospel and no promise of hope and salvation, and he could only bow his head and weep with her in bitter despair.

Two days afterward he stood beside her coffin and conducted the funeral service, but there was no message of consolation, no word of a glorious resurrection, no open Heaven, but only "dust to dust, ashes to ashes," and one long eternal farewell. He realized at length that "He had not come," and burst into tears and bitter weeping in his sorrowful dream. 

Suddenly he woke with a start, and a great shout of joy and praise burst from his lips as he heard his choir singing in his church close by:

"O come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant,

O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem;

Come and behold Him. born the King of Angels,

O come let us adore Him, Christ, the Lord."

Let us be glad and rejoice today, because "He has come." And let us remember the annunciation of the angel, Behold I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people, for unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord." (Luke 2:10,11.)

"He comes to make His blessings flow,

Far as the curse is found." 

May our hearts go out to the people in heathen lands who have no blessed Christmas day. "Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and SEND PORTIONS TO THEM FOR WHOM NOTHING IS PREPARED." (Neh. 8:10.)

"How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?"

"Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man have been born of water and the spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." (John 3:5)
This verse is in answer to a question. The first word of Jesus to Nicodemus in a word that brings a question. The true teacher seeks to provoke activity of mind and curiosity in the learner. The question is certainly a most absurd one, but Nicodemus had no time to prepare a sensible answer. It is easy for us to be wise over the introductory declaration of Jesus, because we look at it with plenty of illustrations and explanations shining upon it. But Nicodemus, in all his previous thinking, had nothing to make him expect Jesus would speak; and so it is little wonder to find him staggered, confused, utterly bewildered, to hear Jesus speaking thus calmly of such a wondrous  experience. The question, however absurd, leads on to a piece of most practical information.
We are not to suppose that being born over again means to live natural life over again. Few would care for that, traveling over the old road, meeting the old difficulties, fighting the old battles. Jesus explains that to be born again is to be born of water and of Spirit. Being born of water means  passing through the experience  of repentance. The true disciple of John the Baptist was born of water. He repented changed from his old view of life, manifested that changed view by changed habits and practices, and, for sign of all this, he was baptized with water.
Being born of water takes us only a small way into the regeneration. Must follow the discipleship of John with Jesus. You may cease to care for the old, and yet have not found your way to possession of the new. The only creature worth calling  such is the new creature in Christ Jesus. You must feel in your heart the warmth of Him who has eternal life. By repentance, old things pass away; by spiritual birth, all things become new. The spiritual man looks on a virtually new world. The precious becomes worthless, and the worthless precious--the once neglected  is sought for, and the once sought for is neglected.