A few years ago a striking Christmas
card was published with the title,
"If Christ had not come?"
It was founded upon our Saviors words,
"If I had not come?"
The card represented a clergyman falling into
a short sleep in his study on
Christmas morning and dreaming of a world
into which Christ had never come.
In his dream he found himself looking, through
his home, but there were
no stockings in the chimney corner, no Christmas
bells or wreathes of holly,
and no Christ to comfort gladden and save.
He walked out on the
public street, but there was no church with its spire pointing toward Heaven.
He came back and sat down in his library,
but every book about the Savior
had disappeared.
A ring at the doorbell and a messenger asked him to visit a poor dying
mother. He hastened with the weeping child and as he reached the home
he sat down and said, "I have something here
that will comfort you."
He opened his Bible to look for a familiar
promise but it ended at Malachi,
and there was no gospel and no promise of
hope and salvation, and he could
only bow his head and weep with her in bitter
despair.
Two days afterward he stood beside her coffin and conducted the funeral
service, but there was no message of consolation no word of glorious
resurrection, no open Heaven, but only "dust
to dust, ashes to ashes,"
and one long eternal farewell. He realized
at length that
"He had not come," and burst into tears and bitter
weeping in his
sorrowful dream.
Suddenly he awoke with a start and a great shout of joy and of praise burst
from his lips as he heard his choir singing in his church close by:
"O come all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant,
come ye,
O come ye to Bethlehem........"
Let us be glad and rejoice on Christmas Day, because, "He
has come,"
And let us remember the annunciation of the
angel,
"Behold I bring you good tidings of great
joy,
which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in
the City of David, a Saviour which
is Christ the Lord." (Like 2:10,11)
May our hearts go out to the people in heathen lands who have no blessed
Christmas Day.
Our thanks to the family of the Late Rev. Ralph
Chambers
for their permission to share this article
to the Glory of God.
God Bless you



