Hope Chest #53 part 2: A Bittersweet Advent
Posted by: homenews <homenews@...>
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THE HOPE CHEST:
Ideas and Inspiration for Home Education
Issue #53 part 2
December 2002
A Christmas Treasury
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CHRISTMAS MEMORIES
by Virginia Knowles
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Taking a trip through old photo albums evokes childhood Christmas memories for me. One year, when we lived in the Midwest, we traveled to Grandma and Grandpa Hess' Pennsylvania homestead. We all had the chicken pox, but we had so much fun playing with our many cousins in the teepee that the grownups had constructed in the living room. In the guest room with pull-down Murphy beds, Grandma always kept a drawer full of toys for our visits. I can just smell the wood furnace, taste the fresh peas from Grandpa's garden that we would shell on the porch, hear the cuckoo clock, and feel the leaves crackling under my feet as I tromped through the woods out to the smooth boulder where I received the gift of the Savior in 1976.
Christmas 1968 holds the memory of the little red wagon Mom and Dad gave me. I must have been in the "pretty princess" stage of childhood, because I instantly rejected it as being "for a boy." My Mom, perennial fount of wisdom, merely smiled and responded that SHE would be glad to have my red wagon. She piled her own Christmas presents into it, climbed aboard in her short plaid skirt, and scooted into the kitchen. Oh, how that kindled my desire to have it back! And of course she gave it to me.
Whatever fond Christmas memories you cherish, this year I ask God to bless you with close relationships, a heart of service, and the thrill of discovering anew, with a child's heart, the Reason for the Season.
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SHEPHERD'S TALE
by Virginia Knowles
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A prayer I make to stay awake,
To watch the sheep safe in my keep,
When I should see, in front of me,
An angel bright in darkest night.
"Be not afraid!" the angel bade.
"Good news of joy! A baby boy
Is born today, on bed of hay.
The Savior mild, the Lord's a child!"
Now in the sky the angels fly,
And gladly sing of newborn King.
"Give God high praise, hosannas raise,
And peace on earth through Jesus' birth!"
All shepherds know that they should go,
To follow them to Bethlehem.
Where baby rests is not the best,
A scratchy stall holds Lord of All.
But God above sends Gift of Love.
Forgiving sin, he lives within.
Now spread the word, till all have heard
Amazing story, to God be glory!
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CHRISTMAS ONCE IS CHRISTMAS STILL
by Phillips Brooks
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The silent skies are full of speech,
For who hath ears to hear;
The winds are whispering each to each,
The moon is calling to the beach,
And stars their sacred mission teach
Of Faith, and Love, and Fear.
But once the sky its silence broke,
And song o'erflowed the earth,
The midnight air with glory shook,
And angels mortal language spoke,
When God our human nature took
In Christ the Saviour's birth.
And Christmas once is Christmas still;
The gates through which He came,
And forests wild and murmuring rill,
And fruitful field and breezy hill,
And all that else the wide world fill
Are vocal with His name.
Shall we not listen while they sing
This latest Christmas morn,
And music hear in everything,
And faithful lives in tribute bring
To the great song which greets the King
Who comes when Christ is born.
~~Phillips Brooks
Phillips Brooks (1835-1893) was an influential Episcopal minister who is famous for his hymn, O Little Town of Bethlehem.
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CHRISTMAS GIFT TIPS FROM SHOPPING TO SHIPPING
by Virginia Knowles
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With so many children, I've really had to get organized when it comes to buying, storing and shipping Christmas gifts. Here are several miscellaneous tips:
1. Ask each family member to write a Wish List and mark each item whether it is "gotta have", "would be great" or "nice but not necessary". Make sure they are specific if they want a certain brand or title of something. Have them copy their final version onto an index card.
2. Using the Wish Lists and your budget (made with your husband), write out a list of what you plan to buy or make for each one. Do each person's list on a separate index card or notebook page. Also, list relatives and friends, and what you intend to do for them. Finally, list Christmas extras, such as outdoor lights, craft supplies, etc. Estimate prices and add it all up to make sure you won't go over budget. Allow some buffer for special deals, bad estimates, forgotten items, etc.
3. Make a Christmas shopping organizer for your purse. Take a manila file folder and open it up so that the crease goes vertically up the middle. Now fold about four inches of the bottom edge up so that makes a pocket. Tape the edges of the pocket on the left and right hand sides. Next, fold the left side in almost half way, and do the same with the right side. Now you have a four panel pocket folder that will probably fit in your purse. Use one section for Wish List index cards, another section for your Shopping Plan index cards, another section for Coupons and Ads and the final section for Receipts. As you buy things, you can check them off your list and add them to a running total.
4. Buy an extra large hip pack and wear it on your shopping trips. This takes stress off your shoulder (if you usually wear a purse) or reduces risk of theft (if you usually leave it in your cart or on your stroller). I like the hip pack because it keeps my hands free for dealing with purchases, packages and children. In my main pocket I keep my check books, other "paper" sorts of things, change purse, etc. In the front pocket I keep my "car things": keys (two sets), garage door opener and sunglasses. In the back pocket, safe against my waist, I keep a small wallet with insurance cards, debit card, and other things I don't want to lose, as well as a very small first aid kit. I got my navy blue Eastport brand hip pack at Wal-Mart for under $10. On Sundays when I don't want to wear it to church, I drop it into a tote bag along with my Bible, and off I go.
5. If at all possible, go shopping without your children. If you don't have a teenager or nearby relative who can babysit for you, try arranging with another mom to trade childcare for a few hours at a time. When you do go shopping with children (like when THEY are doing some shopping), remember that stores are very busy and that there may be criminals lurking about waiting for an opportunity to snatch a child. Keep your young ones with you! If your older children can be trusted to go by themselves, have them tell you exactly where they are going in that store, and instruct them to meet you at a prearranged spot every half hour to check in on them. Some families use a secret code word to avoid parents or children being duped by a stranger purporting to bring a message from the other. Also, speaking of crime, do not leave your purse in a shopping cart while you shop. Wear a purse with a sturdy strap crossing over your shoulder. (Take this from experience! My purse was snatched from a shopping cart four years ago, and I was never more than five feet from the cart, which also had my toddler in it.) If you really want to cut out holiday shopping stress, stock up on good gifty deals throughout the year, and you'll have less to do in Decemer.
6. If your children are old enough to go off alone at stores, try taking along a set of inexpensive two-way radios. You can get a pair for about $30 at Wal-Mart. Mine say they have a 2 mile radius, but they really don't, especially if all of the channels are busy. Maybe a more expensive set would do the trick. But mine are fine within a smaller area like a store.
7. Christian books, music and videos make excellent holiday gifts since they can encourage someone in the faith. In past years, I did a major chunk of my shopping at Family Christian Store because I save up my "Family Perks Card" which gives a 25% discount off of everything (including sale prices). They give you this certificate after every 10 purchases in their stores, which are nationwide. I also shop a local Christian outlet which offers 30-70% discounts. If you want to get great Christian stuff for a good price on-line, try CBD at http://www.christianbooks.com.
8. When you get your goodies home, you have to store them out of sight and out of reach! I label a large paper bag for each family member (either a grocery bag or an old gift bag), open it up so that it stands by itself, and put it on my closet shelf. When needed, I can take it all down and see what I have and what I still need.
9. Establish a Christmas wrapping station stocked with paper, tape, ribbons, gift tags, scissors, etc. Give your kids lessons on how to wrap efficiently so they don't waste too much paper. Or design your own paper and tags with finger paints or rubber stamps. Let your older children assist your younger ones with wrapping presents for Mom and Dad. If you will be mailing packages, be sure to have cardboard boxes and something like bubble wrap to protect the contents.
10. A few words about postage: You can call the post office at 1-800-ASK-USPS to find out the cost for mailing any package. They will ask you the weight in pounds and ounces (use your kitchen scale for this), your zip code and the zip code of the destination. If you stock up on lots of postage stamps ahead of time ($1, 10 cent and 1 cent), you can avoid lots of trips to the post office this way. You can also let your children practice "place value" math concepts by deciding which stamps to use. If your package contains ONLY "media", which includes bound printed matter (books, magazines, calendars, and such, but not catalogs or loose papers), audio cassettes, CDs or videos, then you can send it "Special Standard Rate" which is cheaper but may take a little longer to deliver. If they weigh under a pound, these MEDIA RATE packages around cost $1.42, and each additional pound costs another 42 cents. You must mark these packages as "MEDIA RATE". Also check the price of Priority Mail -- sometimes it costs only a few pennies more than First Class. And always be sure to allow plenty of time for your packages to get there! If the contents of your package are valuable, check into insuring it. It doesn't cost that much extra.
I hope these ideas help make your Christmas shopping season a little easier!
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SANTA VERSUS JESUS
Unknown author
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Santa rides in a sleigh ...
JESUS rides on the wind and walks on the water.
Santa comes but once a year ...
JESUS is an ever present help.
Santa fills your stockings with goodies ...
JESUS supplies all your needs.
Santa comes down your chimney uninvited ...
JESUS stands at your door and knocks, and then enters your heart
when invited.
You have to wait in line to see Santa ...
JESUS is as close as the mention of His name.
Santa lets you sit on his lap ...
JESUS lets you rest in His arms.
Santa doesn't know your name. All he can say is,
"Hi little boy or girl, what's your name?" ...
JESUS knew our name before we were born.
Not only does He know our name,
He knows our address too.
He knows our history and future and
He even knows how many hairs are on our heads.
Santa has a belly like a bowl full of jelly ...
JESUS has a heart full of love
All Santa can offer is HO HO HO ...
JESUS offers health, help and hope.
Santa says "You better not cry" ...
JESUS says "Cast all your cares on me for I care for you."
Santa's little helpers make toys ...
JESUS makes new life, mends wounded hearts, repairs
broken homes and builds mansions.
Santa may make you chuckle but ...
JESUS gives you joy that is your strength.
While Santa puts gifts under your tree ...
JESUS became our gift and died on a tree.... The cross.
We need to put Christ back in CHRISTmas.
Jesus is still the reason for the season!
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MERRY X-MAS?
by Kathryn Frazier
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Do you sometimes write "Merry X-mas" on cards and letters to save space? Does the sight of it make you cringe? Do you tell your children, "It's not X's birthday, it's Christ's birthday!" Here's something else you can tell them:
The Hebrew people have traditionally held God's Name in such high regard as to render it unspeakable. When they come to His Name in the reading of Scripture, they substitute the word *adonai*, which means "Lord". That is why we have lost the true pronunciation of His Name, and we say "Jehovah" or "Yahweh".
In the King James Version of the Bible, whenever you see the word LORD (all capitals) in the Old Testament, it denotes the personal Name of God.
Early Christians, who were predominately Jewish, kept to the tradition, and used the capital letter "X" (kee) to stand for the word "Kristos" (spelled: kee, roe, iota, sigma, tao, omicron, sigma--but I don't have Greek symbols on my keyboard). "Kristos" means Christ. This was carried over by some into the English language. So "Christmas" became "X-mas".
It is actually a capital letter kee, not an English "X"; and it was originally intended to safeguard against using the Holy Name of Christ without due respect.
I am not saying that in our culture today people are not using "X-mas" to disregard the Lord, or to simply abbreviate. They certainly are.
But we who know its origin can take a moment to reflect upon the holiness of the Name of Christ every time we see it. We may also be able to use it as an opening to share the gospel with those who don't know.
May you have a blessed Christmas season in the Lord!
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A BIRTHDAY CAKE FOR JESUS
by Valerie Frazier
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Aside from a Christian background and a stable home where love and discipline go hand in hand to shape their values, one of the greatest gifts we can give our children is to create family traditions. These simple experiences, which occur year after year, develop valuable memories. I'd like to share just one of our Christmas traditions with you.
Because Christmas is Jesus' Birthday, we celebrate it like we would anyone else's. But His birthday cake has special symbolic meaning.
1. The shape of the cake is round representing God's unending love for us.
a. Bottom Layer - BLACK (Chocolate) representing the fact that all men have sinned. This is the reason Jesus came to earth.
b. Center Layer - RED (Red Velvet, Strawberry or Cherry flavored with red food coloring) symbolizing Jesus' blood that was shed for our sin.
c. Top Layer - GREEN (Pistachio flavor with green coloring) denoting the new life we have in Christ after our sins have been washed away.
2. The frosting is pure WHITE standing for the righteousness and purity of Christ.
3. A border of RED hearts stands for the brothers and sister united in
Christ circling the earth as His witnesses.
4. On the top is a GOLD (or Yellow) star typifying the star that shone
heralding His birth and lighting the way to where it had taken place. This should be a six-pointed Star of David. Six is the number of man that showed us that the Grace of God includes us all - not only the Jewish people whose Messiah is our Savior.
5. In the center of the top is one large RED candle representing Jesus who came into the dark world to bring it light and truth.
We gather around with the cake in the center and each person is given a smaller GREEN candle. Dad or Mom reads the Christmas story out of Luke, or some of the children who have memorized it recite it. Then we light the large RED candle and sing Happy Birthday to Jesus.
After everyone takes their smaller GREEN candle and light it from the middle one representing Jesus, they put it in the top of the cake. This represents the fact that we all are to be the light of the world. We sing "Silent Night". Someone prays, thanking God for sending His Son. We blow out the candles and proceed with our Christmas Celebration.
If you haven't created a family tradition such as this, now is the time.
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THE HANUKKAH STORY
by Kathryn Frazier
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[This is reprinted with permission from the Precious Privilege home school newsletter in Tampa, Florida.]
What do you know about Hanukkah? Do you think of it as a "Jewish Christmas"? Is it something that "they" do that has no meaning for Christians in the United States? You may be surprised to find out just how relevant the Hanukkah account is to you!
The word Hanukkah means "dedication". It was during this Feast of Dedication (Hanukkah!) that Jesus declared Himself to be the Promised Messiah, God in the flesh (John 10:22-23).
Over two thousand years ago, before the birth of Jesus, the Jewish people lived in Israel which was then known as Judea. They lived and died, worked and played, married, had children, and loved one another much like you and I do today. They worshipped God and offered sacrifices to Him in the beautiful temple in Jerusalem.
In the temple was an oil lamp, called a menorah, made of pure gold. The fire from the menorah was called the "ner tamid", "the fire that never goes out". God had commanded that this fire always be kept lit with clear oil squeezed from olives (Lev. 24:1-4). Only the finest oil would be fit for the menorah, because it was for God.
For many years, the Jewish people lived under the authority of one ruler after another, paying taxes, but still worshipping God openly, until...
The Greek army, ruled by an evil king named Antiochus, conquered the country of Syria. Then together, the two armies of Syria and Greece conquered Judea (Israel).
Once Antiochus took over, the Jews were no longer allowed to worship God by law. Now, they were told, they must take Greek names, follow Greek customs, and worship Greek idols. If they did not, they would be killed. The temple of God in Jerusalem was robbed and dishonored.
Some liked the new way, and went along with it. Some were afraid, and did as the king commanded. But some remained faithful to God, and were killed. Many fled Jerusalem rather than see it defiled, and tried to live peacefully in outlying villages.
The Greek army set out from village to village, demanding that all people worship Antiochus and his idols. Men who refused were killed. Women and children were captured and sold as slaves.
Then the army went to the town of Modin, where an old priest named Mattathias lived with his sons, and set up an idol. Because Mattathias was a leader of his community, the soldiers promised him favored status with the king and great wealth if he would sacrifice a pig to the idol, and eat from the sacrifice. Mattathias refused. When another Jewish man offered to sacrifice to the idol, Mattathias struck the man down, knocked the idol over, and shouted, "Whoever is on the LORD's side, follow me!"
The villagers took the weapons away from the soldiers and killed the soldiers. Those who were on God's side fled with Mattathias into the mountains.
The mountains opened up to give God's people refuge from the two powerful armies. The armies came with swords and spears, armor and armored elephants. The forty to fifty peaceful Jews were farmers and housewives and priests. They did not have many weapons or protective armor, but they had something better: They had God!!
Others joined the rebel band in the mountains, and soon there were thousands on God's side, against many tens of thousands of Greek and Syrian soldiers.
When Mattathias died, his son Judah led the people of God against the armies of Antiochus. Judah was called the Macabee, which means "hammer", and the followers of Judah were called Macabees.
During one battle, in which the Macabees were sorely outnumbered, the highest commanders of the Greek and Syrian armies were personally leading the charge. They were leaving nothing to chance. Slave traders followed with cages and chains to carry off the beaten Macabees. Can you guess how many Jews were captured? Not even one!
With God as their strength, the Macabees ambushed the powerful armies, killing thousands and sending the rest running! The Macabees then marched into Jerusalem to take back the temple.
When they got to the temple, they were very sad, because the once beautiful temple was now violated and dirty. It had been used as a garbage dump. After taking time to mourn, the people of God set to work to clean and repair.
When the time came to light the menorah, there was only one small jar of oil which was fit to be used. This jar had only enough oil in it to burn for one day; but the ner tamid was never to go out. It would take days to prepare more oil. They lit the fire anyway and dedicated the temple again to the One True God, who had delivered them from the armies of the wicked.
At the end of the day, when it was time for the oil to run out, the lamp was still burning! And the next day, it still burned, and the next day, and the next! The lamp oil didn't run out at all! It took eight to prepare more oil for the menorah, and the ner tamid never went out during that time!
Judah Macabee declared that every 25th day of Kislev on the Jewish calendar from then on would begin an eight day joyful celebration in remembrance of the deliverance of God's people, and the miracle of the oil. And we still celebrate today.
For eight days, we kindle candles or oil lamps and eat foods cooked in oil. We dance and sing and praise the One True God, the King of the Universe, for His miracles, His delverances and His wonders.
Those Jews who do not know Jesus prepare their hearts and homes for the coming of Messiah and His Kingdom. And those of us who know the Messiah Jesus prepare for His return and His Kingdom.
So when you hear the word "Hanukkah", don't think of it as a "Jewish Christmas". Remember the miracles. Remember the faithful martyrs and overcomers. Remember Jesus, and prepare your heart for His return.