by Trenton Frost
Rudolf’s nose was a little too bright,
So Santa used a different sleigh that night;
A forty-horse sl“A” with wire wheels,
Instead of runners and reindeer heels.
He set the spark ‘n throttle at “ten to three,”
Pulled on the choke and turned on the key,
He touched the starter with his shiny-boot toe,
And, man, did that Model “A” go!
He spun ‘round the Pole ‘till he threw a hub cap,
And winked at Mrs. Claus in his final lap,
Then pulled back on the wheel and took to the sky,
As Mrs. Claus and the elves waved and shouted goodbye.
Faster and faster went Henry’s old Ford,
As Santa kept that ol’ gas pedal floored.
Santa made his rounds in record time that year
(Forty horses had it all over eight tiny reindeer!),
As sugar plum kids tossed and turned in their beds,
The sound of an aahhooogah horn rang in their heads!
The tire tracks seen on the rooftops Christmas morn,
Confirmed the suspicions aroused by the horn:
Santa had arrived in an old Model “A,”
That wondrous, happy legend 'bout
Just as kids look for Santa’s sleigh
Bright angels will His reindeer be,
What joy will be for those who’ve watched
For in His bag our Savior brings
The end of death and sorrow deep,
The lame will run, the blind will see,
The horns will blow, the trumpets sound
The carols now a token are
The universe will wonder then,
It is the sequel to that night
For unto us a Child was born
So, Santa, you have played the role,
We thank you for the love you’ve brought
This Christmas, amid all the noise and clamor of a world filling up with the good and bad of mankind, may we remember that a Baby loved us so much that He came from Heaven to be held in our arms, to grow up among us, to feel our hurts and fathom our hopes, to tread over the same ground of our failures, triumphantly, -for us! When the moment would come for the atoning of all the world’s sins, He would climb a hill and take our place. There He would give the ultimate gift, dying between a saved man and a lost one, because He gave himself for all, even those who would be unreceptive to His gift.
During the magic of this Christmas, undistracted by the tinsel and bustle, may we personalize again the message of the manger. May its simple power and joy seep deeply into our souls and may each of us sense anew that the love from the manger was “for ME, for YOU” -for it was! May we thrill as we realize that every worry, heartache, failure and loss of our lives was embraced by the manger Gift, annulled by Calvary’s cross, triumphed over by Jesus’ Resurrection and will soon be compensated for far beyond our imagining at His GLORIOUS RETURN, for all who believe. That starry night in Bethlehem, Divinity invaded humanity in a manger bed. This Christmas may its story bring us joy as we and our world await the rest of God's Story! Then, (as in the old Elvis song, forevermore, every day will be like Christmas!
PEACE, GOODWILL TOWARD MEN
Luke 2:1-20; John 3:16, 17; Titus 2:14; John 14:1-3
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Two Worlds
by Trenton Wayne Frost
Two worlds collided, the percussion was great,
One kingdom was Love, the other, Hate,
One came to give, the other to take,
One entered to heal, the other to break;
One to bring light to the children of men,
The other to darkness men’s souls to win,
One brought us flowers, the rising sun,
The sweetness of dusk when day is done,
The other breathed death, made the flowers fade,
The sun to scorch, the night make afraid.
It led man to sin, Love’s essence betray,
While promising life, it took life away,
Then heaped man’s guilt upon his own head
And left him hopeless, dying, dead.
The other World slept in a manger bed,
With lowly straw to pillow its head,
Then arose to be the Light of men,
To bring them hope and joy again,
And splendid gifts from God above:
The right to live, to laugh, to love.
Then, ascending Calvary’s lonely hill,
It bore the price of all man’s ill,
There, dying, made an end of death,
Opened Heaven for us with fleeting breath;
Crying “It is finished!” it loudly proclaimed
The end of Satan’s awful reign, -
That, soon, his world of terror and tears
Will be taken away, ne’er to rise again!
For yet awhile more we dwell
Between Heaven’s hope and Satan’s hell*,
Which world we by our choosing claim
God’s nearing harvest soon will tell.
Meanwhile, we know both good and ill,
The lark’s sweet song above the storm,
As both worlds await our verdicts still,
for Satan, cold, or Jesus, warm.
Of these two worlds shall God keep one,
Reserved for all who’ve loved His best.
Saved through the gift of His dear Son,
He’ll grant them Everlasting rest.
Should sorrows for awhile befall,
Faint not, dear friend, with hope go on,
For Christ has overcome them all,
And will bring such joy at Heaven’s dawn!
*(meaning Satan’s fate. He is not in charge of hell, only destined for it along with those who, by their own choosing, join him there, and experience eternal extinction.)
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given:
and the government shall be upon his shoulder:
and his name shall be called
Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father,
The Prince of Peace.
–Isaiah 9:6
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
