How Silently

How silently, how silently,

The wondrous gift is given!

So God imparts to human hearts

The blessings of his heaven.

No ear may hear his coming,

But in this world of sin,

Where meek souls will receive him, still

The dear Christ enters in.

In our carol service tonight we will be singing ‘O Little Town of Bethlehem’. Bethlehem must be one of the most divided towns at the moment, with Jews, Christians and Muslims staking claim to certain areas – its importance in the world cannot be denied. But quiet…? With all those people coming in for the census, there must have been much noise and movement.

It wouldn’t have been quiet in the stable either. Labour can be quite noisy, and doubtless the animals would have added to Mary’s cries. I suppose it was Joseph who encouraged her with ‘one more push!’ There were no fanfares, and the shepherds’ arrival hardly compares with the media rush and camera flashes that would herald a birth nowadays.

Doubtless you have been rushing around trying to get everything done before the ‘Christmas deadline’. Take time to be quiet and consider the impact this baby’s birth has had. Listen for the voice speaking softly to you, and open your heart and mind so that Christ may come in.

Liz Dunthorne

Eyes to See

When I was a child, I loved to hang red and white striped candy canes on our Christmas tree. I loved eating them as well, and the sweet, peppermint taste always reminds me of my lovely, childhood Christmases. I always thought they were pretty but I was delighted when I found this story.

A candy maker in Indiana wanted to make a candy that would be a witness, so he made the Christmas Candy Cane. He incorporated several symbols for the birth, ministry, and death of Jesus Christ. He began with a stick of pure white, hard candy. White, to symbolize the Virgin Birth and the sinless nature of Jesus, and hard to symbolize the Solid Rock, the foundation of the church, and firmness of the promises of God. The candy maker made the candy in the form of a “J” to represent the precious name of Jesus, who came to earth as our saviour. It also represents the staff of the “Good Shepherd” with which He reaches down into the ditches of the world to lift out the fallen lambs who, like all sheep, have gone astray. Thinking that the candy was somewhat plain, the candy maker stained it with red stripes. He used the three small stripes to show the stripes of the scourging Jesus received by which we are healed. The large red stripe was for the blood shed by Jesus on the Cross so that we could have the promise of eternal life, if only we put our faith and trust in Him.

Unfortunately, the candy became known as a Candy cane - a meaningless decoration seen at Christmas time. But the meaning is still there for those who "have eyes to see and ears to hear".

I hope you like this story as much as I do, and that it has given you something to think about when you see a candy cane. (or eat one !)

God Bless

Diane