Name: |
LonghornBoater
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Subject: |
The Christmas Pageant
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Date:
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12/4/2012 10:23:48 AM
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THE CHRiSTMAS PAGEANT
My husband and i had been happily married (most of the
time) for
five years but hadn't been blessed with a baby.
i decided to do some serious praying and promised God that if he
would give
us a child, i would be a perfect
mother, love it with all my heart
and raise it with His word as my guide.
God answered my prayers and blessed us with a son.
The next year God blessed us with another son.
The following year, He blessed us with yet another son.
The year after that we were blessed with a daughter.
My husband thought we'd been blessed right into poverty. We now
had
four children, and the oldest was only four years
old.
i learned never to ask God for anything unless i meant it As a
minister once
told me, "if you pray for rain, make sure you
carry an umbrella."
i began reading a few verses of the Bible to the children
each day as they lay in their cribs..
i was off to a good start. God had entrusted me with four children
and
i didn't want to disappoint Him.
i tried to be patient the day the children smashed two dozen eggs on
the kitchen floor searching for baby chicks.
i tried to be understanding when they started a hotel for homeless
frogs in the
spare bedroom, although it took me nearly two
hours to catch all twenty-three frogs.
When my daughter poured ketchup
all over herself and rolled up in a blanket to see
how it felt to be a hot dog, i tried to see the humor rather than the
mess..
in spite of changing over twenty-five thousand diapers, never eating
a hot meal
and never sleeping for more than thirty minutes at a time,
i still thank God daily for my children.
While i couldn't keep my promise to be a perfect mother - i
didn't even come close...
i did keep my promise to raise them in the Word of God.
i knew i was missing the mark just a little when i told my daughter
we were going
to church to worship God, and she wanted to bring
a bar of soap along to "wash up" Jesus, too.
Something was lost in the translation when i explained that
God gave us everlasting life, and my son thought it was
generous of God to give us his "last wife."
My proudest moment came during the children's
Christmas pageant.
My daughter was playing Mary, two of my sons were shepherds and my
youngest
son was a wise man. This was their moment to shine.
My five-year-old shepherd had practiced his line, "We found the
babe
wrapped in swaddling clothes."
But he was nervous and said, "The baby was wrapped in
wrinkled clothes."
My four-year-old "Mary" said, "That's not 'wrinkled
clothes,' silly.
That's dirty, rotten clothes."
A wrestling match broke out between Mary and the shepherd and was
stopped
by an angel, who bent her halo
and lost her left wing.
i slouched a little lower in my seat when Mary dropped the doll
representing
Baby Jesus, and it bounced down the aisle
crying, "Mama-mama."
Mary grabbed the doll, wrapped it back up and held it tightly as
the wise men arrived.
My other son stepped forward wearing a bathrobe and a paper
crown,
knelt at the manger and announced, "We are the three wise men,
and we are bringing gifts of gold, common sense and fur."
The congregation dissolved into laughter, and the pageant
got a standing ovation.
"i've never enjoyed a Christmas program as much as this one,"
laughed the pastor, wiping tears from his eyes
"For the rest of my life, i'll never hear the Christmas story
without
thinking of gold, common sense and fur."
"My children are my pride and my joy and my greatestblessing," i
said as i dug
through my purse for an aspirin.
Jesus had no servants, yet they called Him Master.
Had no degree, yet they called Him Teacher.
Had no medicines, yet they called Him Healer.
Had no army, yet kings feared Him.
He won no military battles, yet He conquered the world.
He committed no crime, yet they crucified Him.
He was buried in a tomb, yet He lives today.
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