Christmas Greetings, my friends and dear ones

A Friend's Greeting

by Edgar A. Guest

I'd like to be the sort of friend that you have been to me;

I'd like to be the help that you've been always glad to be;

I'd like to mean as much to you each minute of the day

As you have meant, old friend of mine, to me along the way.

I'd like to do the big things and the splendid things for you,

To brush the gray from out your skies and leave them only blue;

I'd like to say the kindly things that I so oft have heard,

And feel that I could rouse your soul the way that mine you've stirred.

I'd like to give you back the joy that you have given me,

Yet that were wishing you a need I hope will  never be;

I'd like to make you feel as rich as I, who travel on

Undaunted in the darkest hours with you to lean upon.

I'm wishing at this Christmas time that I could but repay

A portion of the gladness that you've strewn along my way;

And could I have one wish this year, this only would it be:

I'd like to be the sort of friend that you have been to me.

Merry Christmas to you, my friends and dearly loved ones! I thank God for allowing our earthly paths to cross and pray that God will grant you His grace, peace and joy in the Name of Christ our Savior, who was named "Jesus" for He shall save His people from their sins. I thank God for the love He gave us in Christmas, Christ, the God Man who died for us, taking our sins upon His own self, that we might have the forgiveness of sin, bring glory to Him and have hope eternal. (Titus 1:2) God bless you. If only I could be "the sort of friend that you have been to me." Thank you for all that you have done for me!

Harvest and Thanksgiving

To Thee, O Lord, Our Hearts We Raise

To Thee, O Lord, our hearts we raise

In hymns of adoration;

To thee bring sacrifice of praise

With shouts of exultation.

Bright robes of gold the fields adorn,

The hills with joy are ringing,

The valleys stand so thick with corn

That even they are singing.

And now, on this our festal day,

Thy bounteous hand confessing,

Upon Thine altar, Lord, we lay

The first-fruits of Thy blessing;

By Thee the souls of men are fed

With gifts of grace supernal;

Thou who dost give us daily bread,

Give us the bread eternal.

                                                        by William C. Dix,1837-1898

Through Him then, let us continually offer up

a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips

that give thanks to His name.

Hebrews 13:15 NASB



Grace

His grace is great enough to meet the great things-

  The crashing waves that overwhelm the soul,

The roaring winds that leave us stunned and breathless,

  The sudden storms beyond our life's control.

His grace is great enough to meet the small things-

  The little pin-prick troubles that annoy,

The insect worries, buzzing and persistent,

  The squeaking wheels that grate upon our joy.

                        by Annie Johnson Flint

"My grace is sufficent for thee; my strength is made perfect in weakness."

                                      II Corinthians 12:9

Courage and Comfort

Come Unto Me, Ye Weary

ICH WEISS AN WEN ICH GLAUBE

"Come unto Me, ye weary,

And I will give you rest."

O blessed voice of Jesus,

 Which comes to hearts oppressed!

It tells of benediction,

Of pardon, grace and peace,

Of joy that hath no ending,

Of love which cannot cease.

"Come unto Me, ye wand'rers,

And I will give you light."

O loving voice of Jesus,

Which comes to cheer the night!

Our hearts were filled with sadness,

And we had lost our way;

But morning brings us gladness,

And songs the break of day.

"Come unto Me, ye fainting,

And I will give you life."

O cheering voice of Jesus,

Which comes to aid our strife!

The foe is stern and eager,

The fight is fierce and long;

But Thou hast made us mighty,

And stronger than the strong.

"And whosoever cometh

I will not cast him out."

O welcome voice of Jesus,

Which drives away our doubt,

Which calls us, very sinners,

Unworthy though we be

Of love so free and boundless,

To come, dear Lord, to Thee!

by William C. Dix, 1837-1898

Come unto Me all ye that labour and are heavy laden,

and I will give you rest.

Matthew 11:28

Beautiful Ohio

I sailed away;

Wandered afar;

Crossed the mighty restless sea;

Looked for where I ought to be.

Cities so grand, mountains above,

Led to this land I love.

Beautiful Ohio, where the golden grain

Dwarf the lovely flowers in the summer rain.

Cities rising high, silhouette the sky,

Freedom is supreme in this majestic land;

Mighty factories seem to hum in tune, so grand.

Beautiful Ohio, thy wonders are in view,

Land where my dreams all come true!

by Ballard MacDonald, published in 1918

Providence has granted me a Buckeye home and although I have "crossed the restless sea,"  living in a foreign land for awhile, God has allowed me to live in beautiful Ohio and for that I am truly thankful. As Dorothy said so well "There is no place like home."

"Praise God from Whom all blessings flow."

To a Kindly Critic

It it's wrong to believe in the land that we love,
And to pray for our flag to the good God above;
If it's wrong to believe that our country is best;
That honor's her standard, and truth is her crest;
If placing her first in our prayers and our song
Is false to true reason, we're glad to be wrong.

If it's wrong to wish victory day after day
For the troops of our country now marching away;
If it's wrong to believe they are moved by the right
And not by the love and the lure of the fight;
If to cheer them to battle and bid them be strong
Is false to right thinking, then let us be wrong.

If it's wrong to believe in America's dreams
Of a freedom on earth that's as real as it seems;
If it's error to cherish the hope, through and through,
That the stars in Old Glory's immaculate blue
Shall shine through the ages, true beacons to men,
We pray that no right phrase shall flow from our pen.

    By Edgar A. Guest, published in 1942 concerning

                                    World War II

God Give Us Men

God give us men. The time demands
Strong minds, great hearts, true faith and willing hands
   Men whom the lust of office does not kill;
Men whom the spoils of office cannot buy;
   Men who possess opinions and a will;
Men who have honor; men who will not lie'
   Men who can stand before a demogogue
Condemn his treacherous flatteries without winking;
   Tall men, sun-crowned, who live above the fog
In public duty and in private thinking!
For while the rabble with their thumb-worn creeds,
Their large professions and their little deeds
Mingle in selfish strife; lo! Freedom weeps!
Wrong rules the land, and waiting Justice sleeps!
                   by J.G. Holland, 1819-1881

With thoughts that these words from the past are fit for today's nation.

Gladness

Be glad when the flowers have faded?
   Be glad when the trees are bare?
When the fog lies thick on the field and moors,
   And the frost is in the air?
When all around is a desert,
   And the clouds obscure the light?
When there are no songs for the darkest days,
   No stars for the longest night?

Ah, yes, for the truest gladness
   Is not in ease or mirth;
It has its home in the heart of God,
   Not in the loves of the earth.
God's love is the same forever,
   If the skies are bright or dim,
And the joy of the morning lasts all day
   When the heart is glad with Him.
                       Anonymous

O Gott, Du Frommer Gott

O God, Thou Faithful God

O God, Thou faithful God,

Thou Fountain ever flowing,

Without whom nothing is,

All perfect gifts bestowing;

A pure and healthy frame

O give me, and within

A conscience free from blame,

A soul unhurt by sin.

And grant me, Lord, to do

With ready heart and willing,

Whate'er Thou shalt command,

My calling here fulfilling;

And do it when I ought,

With all my strength, and bless

The work I thus have wrought

For Thou must give success.

John Heermann,1585-1647

Chief of Sinners though I Be

Chief of sinners though I be,
   Jesus shed His blood for me,
Died that I might live on high,
   Lives that I might never die.
As the branch is to the vine,
   I am His, and He is mine.

Chief of sinners though I be,
   Christ is All-in-All to me;
All my wants to Him are known,
   All my sorrows are His own.
He sustains the hidden life
   Safe with Him from earthly strife.

O my Savior, help afford
   By Your Spirit and Your Word!
When my wayward heart would stray,
   Keep me in the narrow way;
Grace in time of need supply
   While I live and when I die.
                       -William McComb, 1793-c.1870

With loving thoughts of childhood friends Debbie and Ruth Ellen, who gave me more patience and grace than I ever could deserve and many cherished memories of times long ago, in a little town in Ohio. (I still use my very first sewing box, given to me by Debbie, and wear the birthday necklace from time to time, given to me by Ruth Ellen when we were youngsters) God grant them grace and bless them.

Remember our Creator

God Who Madest Earth and Heaven

God who madest earth and heaven,

Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,

Who the day and night hast given,

 Sun and moon and starry host,

Thou whose mighty hand sustains

Earth and all that it contains:

Grant that I may rise this morning,

 From the lethargy of sin;

So my soul, through Thy adorning,

 Shall be glorious within;

And I at the close of day

 Shall not shrink from Thee away.

Wholly to Thy best protection

 I can commit my heart and mind.

Mighty God! to Thy direction

 Wholly may I be resigned.

Lord, my Shield, my Light divine

O accept, and own me Thine. 

Heinrich Albert, 1642

My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.

Psalm 121:2

In loving memory of Joel P. McKanna, April 23,1979 - May 25,2011

When in the Maddening Maze of Things

by John G. Whittier, 1807-1892



When in the maddening maze of things,

When tossed by storm and flood,

To one fixed hope my spirit clings,

I know that God is good.

I know not what the future hath

Of marvel or surprise,

Assured alone that life and death

His mercy underlies.

And if my heart and flesh are weak

To bear an untried pain,

the bruised reed He will not break

But strengthen and sustain.

And so beside the silent sea

I wait the muffled oar;

No harm from Him can come to me

On ocean or on shore.

I know not where His islands lift

Their fronded palms in air;

I only know I cannot drift

Beyond His love and care.

"...The Lord is gracious and full of compassion." Psalm 111:4

Jesus said in Matthew 11:28

 "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."

                            

Treasures

Bask in the risen Son's great light,
   Warm and fair and true,
Walk not in paths of darkness;
   The dark is not for you.
Stand not in world-bound wonder,
   At enticements and fleeting pleasure
For folly is in the heart of fools
   Clutching their earth-bound treasure.
                         By Grant Sullivan  (excert of
                                     poem written upon the dedication of
                                     Paige Sullivan to his Lord)

Life's Goal

So let me work on Life's patchwork quilt
   Through the rainy days and the sun--
Trusting that when I have finished my block
   The Master may say: "Well done."
                            Elizabeth Ryan DeCoursey

Cares in This Life

Should Thy mercy send me
   Sorrow, toil, and woe;
Or should pain attend me
   On my path below;
Grant that I may never
   Fail Thy hand to see,
Grant that I may ever
   Cast my care on Thee.
                       James Montgomery, 1771-1854
                       The Mennonite Hymnary

God's Mercy

What mercy and divine compassion
  Has God in Christ revealed to me!
My haughty spirit would not ask it,
  Yet He betowed it, full and free.
In God my heart doth now rejoice:
  I praise His grace with grateful voice.
  I praise His grace with grateful voice.

Eternal wrath should be my portion:
  The Lamb of God, for sinners slain,
Removed the curse and condemnation,
  His blood atoned for every stain.
God's love in Christ on Calvary's Tree
  From guilt and shame has set me free.
  From guilt and shame has set me free.
                   Gerhard Tersteegen, 1697-1769
                          from the Mennonite Hymnary,1942

Love of Christ

O grant that nothing in my soul
   May dwell, but Thy pure love alone;
O may Thy love possess me whole,
   My joy, my treasure, and my crown!
All coldness from my heart remove;
   May every act, word, thought, be love.
                                 by Paul Gerhardt,1651
                                 translated by John Wesley
                                 from The Mennonite Hymnary

Forgiveness

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
I John 1:9