Nan Corbitt Allen - Yuletide Blessings: Christmas Stories that Warm the Heart

Yuletide Blessings, Digital Edition

Based on Print Edition

Copyright 2013 by Nan Corbitt Allen

978-1-4336-8115-8

B&H Publishing Group

Nashville, Tennessee

BHPublishingGroup.com

Dewey Decimal Classification: 394.2

Subject Heading: CHRISTMAS \ ADVENT \ BLESSINGS

Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible, Copyright 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Also used: King James Version ( kjv ).

Dedication

To my husband, Dennis, who tempers my angst and chronic discouragement with genuine love, optimism, patience, and affirmation. I love you.

To my sons and their wives who are living proof that Gods hand has poured out His richest blessings on my life. I love you.

To my grandchildren who remind me that it can be like Christmas everyday. I love you!

To all who will buy this bookthank you! Now buy several more and give them away so you can experience the joy of blessing someone else.

Contents

Introduction

Traditions. Trends. There are lots of both when it comes to the celebration of Christmas.

A trend might contain traditions.

For instance, the Christmas tree has been around for centuries, but even in my lifetime this holiday icon has given in to the trends. I remember those days when we put silver cellophane icicles on our Christmas trees. Oh, how I loved to throw them haphazardly at the boughs only to be scolded for not draping them neatly over each branch! And then there was the aluminum tree phrase, complete with a spotlight and a revolving color wheel in front of it. Blue. Red. Green. Amber. You didnt have to choose a color scene. It was chosen for you every fifteen seconds. Somewhere after that, our family transitioned into a solid white artificial tree with a black light beaming up at it. Hey, it was the 60s. My sister and I wondered if it could be seen from outer space.

This book will hopefully unwrap a few traditions, legends, and myths that come to the surface during this season. But more important, unfold some amazing truths about the first Christmas.

I pray it will bless you (as the title implies) and that you will be able to bless someone else with the gift of this bookcontaining the writing of your own story on the last few pages.

Bless the L ord , O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. (Ps. 103:1 kjv )

The Real Christmas Story

They Foretold Us So

They were called prophets because they could foretell the future by divine revelation. Joel, Jonah, Amos, Isaiah, Micah, Nahum, Zephaniah, Jeremiah, Habakkukjust to name a few. These were designated mouthpieces for God who told the world what He wanted said. Many times that included promises of events that would happen in the future, oftentimes a thousand years or so later.

And there were others who werent really numbered among the prophets but who wrote prophetic words from God. King David, for instance, wrote prophecies in his song lyrics.

Most scholars agree that there are more than three hundred Old Testament prophecies that predicted the coming of the Messiah. When you read them and then compare those to events recorded in the New Testament that are obvious fulfillments of the prophecies, its truly amazing to see Gods plan revealed.

Here are a few of the prophecies concerning just the coming of Jesus and how they were fulfilled thousands of years later. Lets start with Isaiah who predicted how the Messiah would come, who He would be, and even where He would grow up.

Therefore, the Lord Himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive, have a son, and name him Immanuel. (Isa. 7:14)

She will give birth to a son, and you are to name Him Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins. Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: See, the virgin will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and they will name Him Immanuel, which is translated God is with us. (Matt. 1:1823)

The surviving remnant of the house of Judah will again take root downward and bear fruit upward. (Isa. 37:31)

The historical record of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham: Abraham fathered Isaac, Isaac fathered Jacob, Jacob fathered Judah and his brothers, and Jacob fathered Joseph the husband of Mary, who gave birth to Jesus who is called the Messiah. (Matt. 1:14, 14)

Micah spoke about where Messiah would be born.

Bethlehem Ephrathah, you are small among the clans of Judah; One will come from you to be ruler over Israel for Me. His origin is from antiquity, from eternity. (Micah 5:2)

And Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family line of David, to be registered along with Mary, who was engaged to him and was pregnant. While they were there, the time came for her to give birth. Then she gave birth to her firstborn Son, and she wrapped Him snugly in cloth and laid Him in a feeding troughbecause there was no room for them at the lodging place. (Luke 2:46)

Hosea chimed in about a journey that Jesus and His family would take to protect Him from Herods wrath.

When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called My son. (Hosea 11:1)

So he (Joseph) got up, took the child and His mother during the night, and escaped to Egypt. He stayed there until Herods death, so that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet might be fulfilled: Out of Egypt I called My Son. (Matt. 2:1415)

These are just a few of the amazing prophecies that were fulfilled and only these are about His birth and childhood. Hundreds more predict specifics about His teaching, His healing ministry, His arrest, His trial, His execution, and His resurrection.

It seems God had a plan all along and He let His people in on it a little piece at a time. When all the pieces are assembled (prophecy to fulfillment), it paints a beautiful picture of the Incarnate God and His redemptive plan.

This season look for the single threads, either from Scripture or from direct revelation, that together weave a tapestry of how much God loves you and wants you to know Him.

May you be blessed by the L ord , the Maker of heaven and earth. (Ps. 115:15)