If Christ had not come

A number of years ago a remarkable Christmas card was published by the title "If Christ Had Not Come." It was based on our Saviour's own words, "If I had not come," in John 15:22. The card pictured a minister falling asleep in his study on Christmas morning and then dreaming of a world into which Jesus had never come.

In his dream, he saw himself walking through his house, but as he looked, he saw no stockings hung on the chimney, no Christmas tree, no wreaths of holly, and no Christ to comfort and gladden hearts or to save us. He then walked onto the street outside, but there was no church with its spire pointing toward heaven. And when he came back and sat down in his library, he realized that every book about our Saviour had disappeared.

The minister dreamed that the doorbell rang and that a messenger asked him to visit a friend's poor dying mother. He reached her home, and as his friend sat and wept, he said, "I have something here that will comfort you." He opened his Bible to look for a familiar promise, but it ended with Malachi. There was no gospel and no promise of hope and salvation, and all he could do was bow his head and weep with his friend and his mother in bitter despair.

Two days later he stood beside her coffin and conducted her funeral service, but there was no message of comfort, no words of a glorious resurrection, and no thought of a mansion awaiting her in heaven. There was only "dust to dust, and ashes to ashes," and one long, eternal farewell. Finally he realized that Christ had not come, and burst into tears, weeping bitterly in his sorrowful dream.

Then suddenly he awoke with a start, and a great shout of joy and praise burst from his lips as he heard his choir singing these words in his church nearby:

O come, all ye faithful, joyful and trimphant,

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 proclamation of the angel" "I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord." (Luke 2:10-11)

- Streams in the Desert

Plays

Our church recently did a rendition of "Good King Wenceslas!" It was a very humourous one! How we laughed at all the antics!

Did you know that the words to the carol "Good King Wenceslas" were written by John Mason Neale and published in 1853? The music originated in Finland. This Christmas carol is unusual as there is no reference in the lyrics to the nativity. Good King Wenceslas was the king of Bohemia in the 10th century. He was a Catholic martyr and the Patron Saint of the Czech Republic. St. Stephen's feast day was celebrated on 26th December which is why this song is sung as a Christmas carol.

When I was a kid, we did the play of King Wenceslas. I was the princess in that play.



We did plays twice a year at our one-room schoolhouse in Japan. Once at Christmas and once at the end of the year. Sometimes we invited the neighborhood children to come watch it. But mostly we did it for our missionary parents.

Here is my brother Doug, being silly.

Brother Dan is Hansel.

I'm the angel facing Hansel who has fallen into a deep sleep.

Here I am a pirate and my brother, Doug is Captain Long John Silver from Mutiny on the Bounty.

We don't do the children's Christmas program at church any more. It was too hard with doing Judgement House in late October. Now they do Easter plays at church. Last year was the first time we did that and it was fantastic!

The little children (nursery through K) still do their singing at Christmas time and that is sooooo fun! Laurel sang "O come little children" while they entered the stage. The little nursery kids sang Away in the Manger while they rocked their little baby Jesus. After singing him to sleep, they laid their babies in the manger (we had to have 3 mangers to fit all the baby doll Jesus' in). Then they did a little finger play.

(picture taken by Ian Johnson)

Aren't they just precious!! Christmas plays are so fun!

Baking

I planned that we would do some Christmas baking when the girls came over today.

They kind of got carried away with the sprinkles.

* * * * * * * * *

Hannah picked up a copy of our National Geographic.

"Look Nana! An Egyptian mommy!"

She wanted to read the article.

"Let's get grossed out!"

As I was reading the article about Egypt, there was a picture of the Nile river and the wilderness. That led to a fun story-telling about Moses being hid in the river as a baby. And how the princess found him. And then as an adult fleeing into the wilderness (I traced on the page with my finger from the river to the wilderness) I explained how he met Jethro and began to work for him and that he got married to Jethro's daughter.

Hannah: Boys marry girls. Who do you want to marry, Sophia?

Sophia: I don't want to do that marrying thing.

Hannah: You have to! Who do you want to marry?

Sophia: I want to marry mommy.

(Perhaps an Egyptian mommy?)

Sorry, Adam and Jill. I am sure the kids had a super sugar high this evening!!!

Cookies and carols

Christmas is around the corner! It is evident in the church nursery!

During worship time in church today, we sang Tommy Walker's version of Silent Night. I LOVE the chorus:

We worship You, we honor You, born on this night, our God our true light; we worship You, we honor You...

Christina Siriwardina did signing to a solo by Bernie Zuercher and it was almost a dance and so very worshipful!! "O come let us adore Him!"

This afternoon there was a Christmas party at the Pretty Prairie Sunset Home where Al's Dad lives.

Del Stucky sang "Stille Nacht"

Santa came to visit

We had a fun program at church tonight - Cookies and Carols - or maybe it was called Carols and Cookies. The cookies did come after we sang carols.'

That one guy who was parked out in the parking lot all week and the Sri Lankan guy came running in to start us off. So funny!

People had put requests in a box and Adam had different people in the audience pick a song out out of the box to sing.

There was a game played "Last caroler standing". Questions were asked and if you got it right, you could continue standing. I had to sit down when I didn't know that Frosty the Snowman had a button nose. I assumed it was a carrot. The last person standing got a $25 gift card to Red Robin!

After the singing, we had cookies in the Fireside room. Yum!

(we had our share of cookies today! 'Tis the season!)

Six more days!

Christmas lights

On Saturday evening, we thought it would be fun to go look at Christmas lights with our friends, Mike and Debbie. RJ and MaryEllen were going to come too, but her sister became ill and Mary Ellen had to fly out to Seattle. Prayers go with you, Mary Ellen! After a delicious Mexican meal, we drove around downtown Wichita and College Hill area.

After driving around for an hour, we went back to their home. Debbie had made lots and lots of Christmas cookies which we enjoyed. I have not done baking yet!

Their kitty liked Al's hair goop smell.

Great evening Mike and Debbie!

Christmas outing

Every year, my Bible study group goes on an outing. Well, two outings. One at Christmas and one at the end of the study in May.

Usually around 6-8 girls can go. One year only Mary Ellen and I went. This year only 3 of us could make it. The others all had conflicts.

Mary Ellen suggested that we go to Hutchinson to the Dutch Kitchen, run by Amish ladies. After a hearty breakfast, we went next door to Stutzman's greenhouse. It was wonderful!

Mary Ellen's daughter told her about the next place. Back in the '70's, when we had come back to the States and I was a junior/senior in highschool, I remember shopping here with my Mom for groceries. Hutch was the place we went to shop as Pretty Prairie, a town of 500 where we lived didn't really have stores to speak of.

Smith's is much more than a grocery store now! Such great finds!! (Family, you may not shop there before Christmas because I got several of your gifts here!)

We stopped at a very nice restaurant where the old Peques store used to be. (I don't know how you spell that, but it was a clothing store). It was by the train station. I have been thinking wouldn't it be neat if Newton turned its train station into restaurants and small specialty shops?

We ordered spinach/chicken alfredo pizza. And I got raspberry mango tea. Love that!

We continued shopping at an antique store. You can spend hours in places like this!!

On the way out of town, on the way to Starbucks, we saw this sign.

Good to know that!

(Actually Graber is an elementary school in Hutch)

Precious times, precious friends. Wish all of them had been able to make it. Hopefully in the spring more of them can.

This morning, Mom and I decided to go to the Holiday Home Tour in Hesston.

Our first stop was at Jeff and Marcy Thiesen’s English Tudor-style home. The staircase that rises two stories in front of a limestone stair tower wall give it a medieval feel. Like a castle!

"Santa" was playing Christmas music. First time I had actually seen a player grand piano! My grandparents had an upright player piano. I wonder whatever happened to it?


24-foot vaulted beamed ceiling.

Ran into Sarah, Matt Friesens and several others we knew.

The library.

The ceiling of the library was from a mosque in India. So beautiful!

Guest room for the grandchildren.

Such a magnificent home! We were saddened to hear the story about the family. Their one son was killed in a 4-wheeler accident, leaving a pregnant wife. She delivered twin girls. The cribs are for them, when they come.

Next we toured the house across the street, a Southern plantation-style home. I didn't get any more pictures. Somehow got caught up in it all.

The last home we toured was the home of the Stahly's, who used to live in our neighborhood. They have a beautiful view as their home is on an inlet surrounded by water. After they both lost their spouses, they renewed their friendship and began a new life together. They have a combined family of 19! One of the Christmas trees they have has an ornament to represent each person in the family.

It was such a fun morning seeing how others decorate for the holidays and to also help out the Hesston Women's Civic Club.