Tony
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« Reply #50 on: December 24, 2004, 12:35:28 am » |
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Hi,
I was looking for something particular on theOperation Save America Website and found this article. I found it to be an encouragement...nothing more.
Merry Christmas to all and to all...Be a light!
Tony
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This Christmas – I Saw Jesus!
By Kristene O'Dell
For all of you, like Mike and I who have a difficult time during the Christmas season, we have an encouraging ray of hope for you. Through all the advertisements,
like Target's “Joy to the World” commercials where their version of joy is all the gifts you can purchase at their stores, and the Christian children in
the public schools being told that they cannot mention the Name of Christ during “Winter Break” school parties, or even the secularist commentaries on
FOX News that are commenting on how there is a push to eradicate Christ from our culture in America, through all of this, our family saw Jesus this Christmas.
Where did we see him you ask? He showed up right outside our front door!
Our son, Pierce, had been at a neighbor's house across the alley and came running home to tell us that “a parade is coming and it's all about Jesus!” I
thought, “We don't live on a very busy street. Why would a parade be coming?” We opened the door and noticed a policeman on a motorcycle sounding his siren
and then stopping to let his entourage catch up. As we turned and looked toward the first flatbed trailer carrying families dressed in Nativity clothing,
I felt the presence of the Lord. Children were knocking on doors asking people to step outside and see the floats. Parents were right behind them passing
out candy canes with the meanings of the red and white colors attached to them and candles that were wrapped in green with stickers that said, “Jesus is
the Light of the World.”
I had started crying at the sight of the first float. By this time, I could not stop the tears streaming down my face. I looked at Mike and said, “I can't
stop crying.” He responded with, “Well, Kristene, if the media is going to remove Him from Christmas, Jesus is going to walk right down our streets!”
The small group of flatbed trailers slowed down and each one seemed to stop in front of our house. This wasn't a big production. We noticed dads, moms,
grandparents, and children as they passed by dressed as if they were at the birth of Baby Jesus and then we noticed the last two trailers. One had a cross
that stood about eight feet all decorated in Christmas lights. The final float was stopped in front of us for quite awhile. On it stood the “Savior of
the World” with His arms stretched open. He was all dressed in white. Behind Him was the tomb with the rock rolled away. There were angels gathered around
Him and music that praised His name was piped out of a small sound system.
The whole parade had been waving to us as they noticed our reaction to them. The man playing Jesus started to wave, but you could tell he felt compelled
to hold his position. In that moment, my heart was filled with reminders of all the Lord has done for my family. There was conviction for all my complacency
and for my own nature that sometimes gets the best of me, but there was “true joy” at how awesome our Lord is and that He has rescued me from it all.
This small production rolling down the streets in the surrounding neighborhood was the most powerful witness I have seen in a long time. It wasn't this
grand Disney-like production that so many of our Churches in America are heading toward so that we can all be entertained on Sunday mornings. This was
simple Christians living out their faith in the streets. This was Jesus Himself showing up in our everyday lives. For those with “eyes to see,” this was
Christmas!
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