From:-
TORCH TRUST FOR THE BLIND, Torch House, Torch Way, Northampton Road, Market
Harborough, Leicestershire, LE16 9HL, U.K.
Telephone: (01858) 438260, Fax: (01858) 438275, email:
info@torchtrust.org
Charity Number 1095904.
Maybe it's just my imagination but as I listen to news from around the world, it seems to be a little darker than last year. As I write, economists are getting gloomy about the world's finances, demonstrations against the military regime are being brutally suppressed in Myanmar, much of Africa is flooded and conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan seem to be in stalemate.
For those of us who live in the northern hemisphere Christmas comes at a dark time of year, just after the winter solstice or the shortest day. Our friends in Scandinavia hardly see the sun at Christmas time. Yet those in the Southern Hemisphere are enjoying their brightest days - and are probably complaining about the heat - while I moan about the cold!
It was on a dark night that light burst into a gloomy world. At the time Palestine was occupied by an oppressive Roman regime. Religious life had become sterile and God, who in previous times had been speaking regularly through the prophets, seemed to have nothing more to say.
But in the countryside shepherds were startled by unearthly light. A surprisingly wonderful message was entrusted to surprisingly ordinary recipients: "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord." (Luke 2:10-11)
Though John's Gospel skips the birth of Jesus it does pick up the Christmas theme of light: "The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world" (John1:9).
Jesus came as the light of the world. "His life is the light that shines through the darkness - and the darkness can never extinguish it." (John 1:5 Living Bible). No matter how dark it gets, His light shines into the shadows and dispels darkness.
It's not that the problems disappear and the troubles end but that the darkness that has infested our souls can be driven away. The apostle Paul prayed for Ephesian Christians: "I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you" (Ephesians 1:18). Just as physical eyes let physical light in, so the eyes of our heart let spiritual light into our souls.
To those in Corinth he gave these amazing words, "For God, who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness', made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ." (2 Corinthians 4:6).
When God created the universe he poured light into the endless darkness. When he sent his son Jesus into the world he followed in the family business, bringing light into darkness. But this is light we don't need good eyesight to recognise. It's light that gets right inside of us. As we let it flood our heart it drives away the darkness and fills our "soul eyes" with a vision of Jesus.
Paul had to experience blindness (Acts 9) for this light to illuminate his soul. Later he reflected on his dramatic conversion experience. The words of Jesus that came to him and determined his life's work thereafter were: "I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen of me and what I will show you. I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me." (Acts 26:16-18)
This causes me to think. A lot of effort, skill, money and passion go into preventing physical blindness and seeking treatments to restore physical sight. That's good and we are thankful for it and for those who are devoting their lives to this vital work. However, looking forward to the year ahead I feel the challenge for all of us - the worldwide Torch family - is to strive to open soul eyes - that the people around us wherever we live, whether they be physically blind or sighted may turn from darkness to light, and will turn to God through Jesus his Son.
Looking forward to the coming of Jesus - the very first Christmas - Isaiah prophesied, "The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned." (Isaiah 9:2)
God bless you all this Christmas time
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.
Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.
There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.
He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognise him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God - children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
[Mohinder came to England from Punjab, India 26 years ago. He lives in Birmingham, England, with his wife and children, and works as a machine operator.]
My friends and I stocked up with bottles of whisky and cans of beer well before the festive season, and then went from house to house getting drunk. That is how I used to spend my Christmas. I knew it was celebrated to remember the birth of Jesus, but this did not mean much to me.
There had always been despair and frustration in our home. I was always arguing with my wife and there was no real peace or contentment in our lives. My ambition was to earn as much money as I could and get my five children married. I thought I was happy doing this, but deep down inside I was empty and unfulfilled.
Then about 14 years ago, my wife became a Christian and started attending a local church where the Bible was taught in both English and Punjabi. This really upset me because I thought she had embraced an English god and changed her culture. My relatives used to ask me why she had turned to a white man's religion and left her own beliefs.
Although I disliked what she had done, I started seeing changes in her life - she became honest in her ways and there was a reality in her faith.
It was not until 1994 that I too found the way to God. I realised what a terrible person I had been and how I had mistreated my wife, my family and other people. I had also cursed God. I realised that in God's view, my life was wrong: I needed to be right with Him and find His forgiveness.
I then began to suffer from real fear, and it was not until I turned my life over to Jesus Christ that I began to overcome this problem. I asked God to forgive me for all that I had done wrong, and that He would give me His power in my life to change me. I read in the Bible that God promises to those who follow him, a spirit of love, power and a sound mind, not a spirit of fear. This became really true for me.
Christmas has now taken on a new meaning. There is now contentment and real joy in my heart, and there is peace in our home. We no longer argue and fight. Difficulties still come, but I know that Jesus is my friend, and He is able to help me through my problems. Even if I die, there is great hope because I will go to be with Jesus Christ. He can save and help all who trust Him, whether black, white or Asian. That is why Christmas with Christ is special.
What does Christmas mean to you? Is it just a big festival which gives us an excuse to "eat, drink and be merry"? or does it mean more than that? If we are Christians then it will be the time when we think of Jesus Christ coming into this world. We may have all sorts of thoughts on who He is, and why He came. Isaiah in the Old Testament was a prophet who "saw" Jesus the Messiah as a very special Person with a very special mission. Let's look at three of the prophecies that Isaiah gave concerning Messiah's birth.
Isaiah 7:14 and 16 says: "Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and give birth to a son, and will call him Emmanuel ... before the boy knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right, the land of the two kings you dread will be laid waste".
Isaiah gave this message at a time when King Ahaz was on the throne of Judah. He was a bad king who was being threatened by the nations of Syria and Samaria. To try and solve the problem he asked help from Assyria - the major world-power of the day - but this was foolish, as it was like asking a lion to protect the sheep! Ahaz thought nothing of giving to the king of Assyria precious things from God's temple in order to gain his support.
But God's message to Ahaz was that He would give him a sign of a child that would be born. God would deal with Ahaz' enemies before the promised child was even able to think and speak, so there was no need to appeal to Assyria for help. Probably this child was to be born to the young woman who was Isaiah's wife, but like so many prophecies in the Old Testament, it has a double meaning - a local, and a distant fulfilment. The significant thing is the name - Emmanuel, which means "God is with us". Because God was with the people of Judah they would not be invaded by their enemies. But looking further ahead we see how Jesus was the Child born of a virgin, who was "Emmanuel" - for he was, and is, "God with us".
Isaiah 9:6 says: "For to us a Child is born, to us a Son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace".
Let's think about that last title - "Prince of Peace". This prophecy was a promise to the area of Israel around the Sea of Galilee. This could be a dark and dangerous place, for it was close to the border with Syria - Israel's enemy. It was a despised area - remember how Jesus' future disciple Nathanael asked "can anything good come out of Galilee?". But now there is the promise of the coming of a person who would bring peace to that area and to all Israel.
It is likely that the local and immediate fulfilment of this prophecy was a son born to King Ahaz. This was Hezekiah, who reigned after Ahaz and was an exceptionally good king, greatly blessed by God. However, again we see that the prophecy must refer to somebody far greater than Hezekiah who would come at a much later date. We could never call Hezekiah "Mighty God" or "Everlasting Father". There is only One who could rightly be called those things - Jesus the Messiah who was to be born and who would bring God's peace to the hearts of all who trust Him.
Isaiah 11:1,2 says: "A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him - the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord."
Jesse was the father of King David, from whom all the kings of Judah were descended. The time was coming when Israel, and later Judah, were taken captive, away from their land, and the king was killed. It was like a great tree being cut down. When I first came to Torch House at Hallaton 20 years ago, there was a huge chestnut tree outside the production building. It blocked off all the sunlight, so it was cut down and we thought that was the end of it. But it was not long before new shoots began to grow out of the tree stump, and if we had not kept cutting them down they would eventually have grown into a big tree again.
The captivity of the nation and the death of their king seemed to the people that David's line had finally come to an end. But God had promised to David that his line would go on for ever. So we find that both Joseph and Mary were descended from the royal line of David, and Jesus became the "Shoot" which grew back. He is not only King, but will be King of kings and Lord of lords. His power will have no end, as he is filled with the Spirit of God and thus has all wisdom and understanding, all counsel and power. A day will come when He will reign with absolute power. But even here and now, do we know His power in our lives? Do we also know His presence and His peace - for He is Emmanuel, and He is Prince of Peace.
Let's make this a very special Christmas as we come to experience that power, presence and peace in our lives.
At Christmas we celebrate the birth of the Saviour ... the One who was rejected by men ... the One who came from heaven to earth to give his life a ransom for your sins and mine ... the One who is now in heaven preparing a place for his followers ... the One who is coming again to take us to be with him in heaven forever. How can we ever thank God and the Son of God enough for so great a salvation?
One of my favourite gospel songs written by Keith Green expresses my feelings very well. I trust it will yours too. Let's make this our suggested prayer for today:
Gratefully, in Jesus' name. Amen.
It was a cold, miserable, rainy day when Terry Caldwell, clad only in a thin jacket, boarded a streetcar to the city in search of employment. Recently divorced, out of work and broke, Terry desperately needed work to cover the rent of her small apartment, pay many bills, and take care of her young daughter, Peggy, and herself.
Relieved to be out of the cold and wet (she had no umbrella), Terry found a seat alone on the streetcar. As she sat down, she noticed a beautiful silk umbrella with a silver handle inlaid with gold and flecks of bright enamel leaning against her seat. Never having seen one like it, she picked the umbrella up to examine it more closely and spotted a name engraved on the handle.
After thinking about it, Terry decided that instead of turning in the umbrella to the conductor, she would try to find the owner and return it in person. As she left the street car, she gratefully opened the beautiful umbrella for protection from the rain.
After leafing through a crumpled phone book in the nearest phone booth, she finally spotted the name of the umbrella's owner. The voice on the other end of the line sounded excited when she heard that her beautiful umbrella had been found. "My parents gave me the umbrella for my birthday a few years ago, and they're both gone now," she said, adding, "I'm a teacher and my umbrella was stolen from my locker at school almost a year ago, and I'd be so grateful to have it returned!"
As Terry hung up the phone, she decided that instead of looking for work, she would deliver the umbrella to its owner. When she did so, the teacher tried to reward her with cash but Terry wouldn't accept it, even though she needed money desperately. However, she did leave her address at the teacher's request.
During the next wretched six months, Terry could find temporary employment which paid only a pittance. Her last job ended the day before Christmas, her $30 rent was due, and she had only $15 to her name for food for her daughter and herself.
Snow fell gently as she walked home from work on Christmas Eve. Carols sounded merrily above the din of traffic and pretty lights decorated the windows of stores and homes. But there would be no Christmas cheer for Terry or Peggy. She collected the mail from her box - only bills and two white envelopes. Probably more bills, she thought. She cried as she climbed the three flights of stairs to her apartment, but then put on a smiling face to meet her daughter. Peggy greeted her mother with joyous hugs and insisted they decorate their tiny Christmas tree immediately.
Terry managed as best she could, but she knew that before January they would be homeless, foodless and she would be jobless - unless a miracle happened. As she served hamburgers for Christmas Eve dinner, she thought of the prayers she had earnestly lifted to God for many weeks - prayers for a permanent job and for her other needs to be met - with no answer. Misery overwhelmed her and her heart felt colder than ice. She felt abandoned, forgotten, and as lonely as death. For the first time she even doubted the existence of God.
And then the doorbell rang. It was a delivery man with arms full of parcels. "This must be a mistake," Terry said, but when she checked, she saw that the packages were all addressed to her. She plopped down on the floor beside Peggy and they excitedly opened the packages. There, they found a huge doll, gloves, candy, and a beautiful leather purse ...
Incredible, she thought, who could they be from? She looked at the return address and saw the teacher's name but the main address was missing. She had apparently moved to California as the postmark bore witness.
Terry and Peggy partook of a delicious dinner that evening, and over and over Terry prayed, "Thank you, God; thank you, God!" For the moment she forgot she still had no job, no money for the rent, and only $15 in her purse. Laughing happily, they placed the gifts under the tree.
After putting Peggy to bed, Terry opened the two white envelopes. What did she find? A cheque for $30 - a Christmas bonus from a previous job. That will pay the rent, she thought. The other letter offered her a permanent position with the government - to begin two days after Christmas!
With faith restored and hope renewed, a very happy Terry looked out of her window before going to bed. The storm had passed. Twinkling stars filled the crystal clear night sky. Church bells rang out, "Christ, the Lord is born!"
I'm not alone at all, Terry thought, and realised that she never had been.
And this, of course, is the message of Christmas. In the midst of a world filled with sorrow, sadness, loss, grief, sickness, loneliness, terrorism and war, we are again reminded that even though a vicious battle is raging between good and evil, we have a God who hasn't forgotten us - he cares deeply and sympathises with our weaknesses and infirmities. Hebrews 4:15 says:
In fact, God cared so much for every single person who was ever born or who ever will be born, that on that first Christmas some 2,000 years ago, he sent his very own Son, the Lord Jesus Christ to earth. He left the "Ivory Palaces of Heaven" as a babe to identify with mankind and to give his life on the cross to pay the ransom price for our sins. This is so we could be delivered from a fate far worse than physical death; that is, spiritual death in the place the Bible calls hell - which includes eternal separation from love, meaningful life, goodness, mercy, and - worst of all - from the God who loves us.
No matter where you are, who you are, whatever you have done or failed to do, Christmas is a graphic reminder that God loves you ... personally, individually and unconditionally, and that he has a plan and purpose for your life. It begins by confessing your sinfulness to God, asking for his forgiveness, thanking Jesus for coming to earth and dying in your place for your sins, and inviting him into your heart and life as your personal Saviour and Lord.
[Angels trying to persuade Jesus not to come to earth.]
Christmas is a time of love and peace and joy. It is a time of wonder. The wonder that Jesus was born. The wonder of life, the wonder of family, the wonder of love.
God bless you all, and may you truly revel in the wonder of Christmas.