Jack’s Winning Words 12/24/13
“I will honor Christmas in my heart and try to keep it all year.”  (Charles Dickens)  What does it mean, to keep Christmas?  Dickens’, A Christmas Carol, seems to indicate that “Christmas” is having sympathy for the poor.  Early critics saw the story as an indictment of the rich taking advantage of the poor.  Perhaps the way to honor Christmas is by being an advocate for the poor.  Pope Francis appears to like the idea.    ;-)  Jack

 FROM MICHIZONA RAY:  For myself, Christmas is the Light that has been brought to the darkness. For me, the Light in this sense applies to all who are poor-in-spirit. Whether they are rich or poor in the world is a different matter -- a fruit of Grace not of spirit. For one can be poor in the world but not poor in one's spirit; just as one can be rich in the world and still poor-in-spirit (as we note in Scrooge). Scrooge's redemption was first in his spirit, the fruit of which brought generosity. We need to feed with food for the body and even more by the spirit....This is what the reminder of Christmas brings to the mind of my soul. ====JACK:  Thanks for the reminder that even the rich can be poor.  The word poverty has more than one application.

 FROM RI IN BOSTON:  The year-end holidays are always a time when charities inflict our mailbox with overload.  Some are genuinely hard-working organizations, with programs devoted to giving food and shelter to the poor, the down-and-out, the destitute, so I support several of them throughout the year.  The Christmas season seems to provide more exposure than usual to the plight of so many indigent people, and during the holidays when I'm sharing so much cheer, I'm unable to hold back giving more, hoping to lift the spirit of those in need, even a little bit.  There's an aphorism that comes to mind:  "There but for the grace of God go I."   A "hearty" Christmas to you Pastor Freed, and to all who share your WW.====JACK:  The mail requests to "help the needy" are many at this time of the year, but the plight of the poor continues throughout the year.

 FRO TARMART REV:  "Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." . . . Always bringing out "the preacher" in me, Jack!====JACK:  You're the second one to remind me that there is a "poorness" beyond the economic kind.

 FROM HONEST JOHN:  I love A Christmas Carol.    My sister Jean read it ti me when I was a little boy.   Still watch it almost every year.    God bless us everyone.====JACK:  We can appreciate the fact that there were stories about Christmas before "Rudolph" and "The Grinch."

 FROM SHARIN' SHARON:  For me, more and more, Christmas is a time for empathy for everyone experiencing changes in their families. Talked to my mother-in-law yesterday in assisted living in another state and she seemed a bit down--other residents have their families right there and can go out somewhere. Talked to a friend here whose son divorced his wife this year and she was trying to arrange a happy Christmas celebration time together with the grandson. Guess these are the poor-in-spirit. My prayers are for those in our society who have never had money for Christmas as well as those who have had joy in Christmases past and now, due to job loss, etc. are also coping with a no-money Christmas but the wonderful thing, in spite of the problems, is that all of these people know deep down that Christmas is somehow a different kind of day, I believe that many of them know that Christmas holds our sorrow, as well as our joy, our sorrow that the world does not yet know Christmas and that we live in the midst of all that and can only turn to God who I think and believe is coming into each of our lives every day with some little miracle of His Love and Encouragement, some little Birth of New Faith in the Baby Jesus, that is my hope anyway.====JACK:  We sing in one of our carols..."The hopes and fears of all the years are met in Thee...."  That is THE hope!

 FROM FACEBOOK LIZ:  I am asking Santa for a good economy & jobs galore for everyone..... ====JACK:  I think that Santa's in the toy business.  But, who knows?  Maybe he's branched out.