God: "I looked for someone to take a stand for me, and stand in the gap" (Ezekiel 22:30)
Here are some reasons it is okay to celebrate Christmas:
1. The day itself is not really the day Christ was born. Nobody actually has the exact day down, but most believe it was not during this time of year at all. Probably it took place in the spring, not on a “cold winter's night that was so deep.”
2. Diversity over the years has taken away much of the “Romish” flavor to the holiday. Our Catholic friends do as they wish on the night before and the day of Christmas, that is granted. But we do not have a state church. There are so many other ways Christmas is celebrated that no one really thinks about it the way the Puritans did so many years ago. The problem is not so acute because of so many years of varied expressions. At least this is true in our part of the world.
3. God can be honored in gift-giving and generosity as well as in singing carols and telling the story. They’re both important if done in the right spirit. We don't have to make something spiritual out of giving gifts. You may make a birthday cake to Jesus if you wish, but you don't have to. We do need to be Christian, however, about everything we do. Emphasizing the giving part of the day can heal lots of wounds, open calcified hearts, stir up gratefulness, and just be plain fun. God's not against fun is He?
4. There may be better things to be different about. In other words, we might show our radical difference better in the way we treat other shoppers, the kindness we show to retail clerks, the warmth of our hearts, the largeness of our generosity, the thankfulness we express and really feel.
5. There are admittedly some great opportunities to make Christ known during Christmas. With all that is bad about it, we can still make our point. And we will have some sympathy for our message. For years I've led Christmas Eve services, short ones of only 45 minutes, but packed with meaning. The building will be full and all kinds of our friends and family will hear the truth as clearly as we are willing to express it.
There is a tale told of that great English actor Macready. An eminent preacher once said to him: “I wish you would explain to me something.” “Well, what is it? I don’t know that I can explain anything to a preacher.” “What is the reason for the difference between you and me? You are appearing before crowds night after night with fiction, and the crowds come wherever you go. I am preaching the essential and unchangeable truth, and I am not getting any crowd at all.” Macready’s answer was this: “This is quite simple. I can tell you the difference between us. I present my fiction as though it were truth; you present your truth as though it were fiction.”
Arrange the mango slices in an even layer in a shallow, heatproof dish.
Put the cream and fromage frais in a saucepan and heat gently until bubbles
begin to appear.
Put the egg yolks, caster sugar, vanilla and cornflour in a large bowl.
Stir with a wooden spoon until you have a smooth mixture.
Very carefully pour the hot cream and fromage frais into the bowl and stir
with a wooden spoon to blend everything together.
Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and place it over a low heat. Bring
the mixture to the boil, stirring it regularly.
Remove the saucepan form the heat and leave to cool for 10 minutes. Stir
well then pour over the mango slices in the dish.
Leave until cold then chill in the refigerator for 30 minutes.
Sprinkle demerara sugar over the top in an even layer. Put under the grill
until the sugar melts. Cool. Chill for 15 minutes.
Source: Woman's Realm
From Gemini's MASSIVE MealMaster collection at www.synapse.com/~gemini
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