This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us be rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24 ESV
As we began the Christmas season at Life Care Center today, I shared the message that Christmas is the day that the Lord has made (specially chosen). Not even Mary and Joseph knew the exact day, if they had, they would have left a few days earlier! For each of our lives, it is the same. Many days come along that challenge our faith, our joy and endurance. We sometimes stop and wonder how God could have allowed this to happen to us. But all the days, both happy and sorrowful are given to us by the hand of our loving Father. I hope you will be uplifted and encouraged by the message of this original song, “This is the Day”.
This is the Day by Peter Caligiuri Copyright 2022 all rights reserved Use with permission only
And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. Luke 2:7 KJV
For those whose farming experience comes only from watching “Little House on the Prairie,” the manger scene may sound idyllic. But for those of us who have milked cows, picked up bales of hay and fed the chickens, the words, “The little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay” have a completely different meaning. You might not know this, but in a barn when “The cattle are lowing,” they are often doing other unpleasant things not appealing to a mother who has just given birth! But for all these oversights in this children’s carol, the central truth still rings loud and clear: Jesus was a real baby! He was not just an infant with a halo around His head, posing for a portrait, smiling for the wise men and lifting His tiny hands to bless shepherds. God’s Son was born in a barn, His first bed was a feeding trough and the sights and smells around Him were not Frankincense and myrrh. God’s chosen place for the birth of Jesus was so that both children and wise men, shepherds and small town folks, could draw near. It doesn’t make sense. It isn’t dignified. It looked like it would never work. And yet it did. Jesus heard the sounds of chickens, He touched the rough hay, and smelled the barn animals just as we do. Then one day, He was given a crown to wear covered with thorns. Then He was beaten, given vinegar to drink, nailed to a cross and left to die on a cold dark hilltop. He did it all so that anyone who would believe in Him could be forgiven. Today He invites you to come, whether your home is in a barn or a mansion because He loves you and wants to make you His own!
Away in a Manger 1895 Author unknown music by Willaim Kirkpatrick
Caligiuri, Peter. A Christmas Treasury: Large Print Edition (pp. 5-6). Kindle Edition.
And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. Luke 2:9-10 KJV
While Thanksgiving weekend is a big date on most of our calendars, life at the nursing home stays pretty much the same. Sure, there is a big inflatable turkey behind me, and they served a special lunch yesterday, but few of the residents received visits from family members and fewer still have even been outside in months. But, just like those shepherds, who were overlooked by everyone else, God is sending them His message, that Jesus Christ has come down, right where we are. He came to give His life, so that we could have our sins forgiven and be restored to a loving relationship with our Father in Heaven. So, let’s “Go tell it on the mountain, over the hills and everywhere!”
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