FW: Why Christmas?

-----Original Message-----
From: =09Hewett, Jackie =20
Sent:=09Tuesday, December 11, 2001 11:22 AM
To:=09E Fisher (E-mail); Lawrence, Ed; hershy harty (E-mail); jansgrapevine=
(E-mail); Rosemarie (E-mail); Sosa, Frank; Campbell, Larry; Grace Communit=
y Church (E-mail)
Subject:=09FW: Why Christmas?

-----Original Message-----
From: =09Brickman, Ronnie =20
Sent:=09Tuesday, 12 11, 2001 08:55
To:=09Matt Ammerman; Ashe, Molly; Bailey, Arnie; Bill_Baird@eott.com; Baker=
, Amy; ballardjk@yahoo.com; Bandel, Bob; CallieB23@aol.com; lylelinda@logix=
online.net; Boothe, David; brennan@centramedia.net; Brickman, Susan Jane; m=
ax_five@yahoo.com; Brown, Ricky; Carbajal, David; rd_cates@yahoo.com; Clark=
, Scott; Clements, Carol; charlotte.collier@region16.net; mkdean@pldi.net; =
sdevor@hotmail.com; Fitzwater, Sandra; Floyd, Jodie; Foutz, Lawrence; aalbe=
rs@amaonline.com; Gokey, Ray; Hamilton, Luke; mark haney; Heitman, Dick; He=
wett, Jackie; Howard, Randy; JHubbard@NEELY.com; Jolly, Rich; Ingalls, Todd=
; Jones, Sandra; Jordan, Fred; Chelsea Kroger; Lachapelle, Bobbie; Lawrence=
, James R.; Loveless, Rick; gcmlwd@nts-online.net; Metzler, Verlene; Rhett =
O'Briant; jkpenry@hotmail.com; Ragsdale, John; Robyn Penry; Roensch, David;=
dross@logixonline.net; simpson5@itl2.itlnet.net; Smith, Rick; Sommer, Caro=
l; Sosa, Frank; cherylas@amaonline.com; Team EOTT-Whiteoak,; mthomason@logi=
xonline.net; Thompson, Charlie; touchstoneleroy@hotmail.com; Urban, Larry; =
Calvin and Verna; mwallace@fone.net; theranch@logixonline.net; Wier, Gloria=
; Williams, Sammy; tate.williams@frco.com; Williams, Walt; billwood@nts-onl=
ine.net; mmpmw@aol.com
Subject:=09Why Christmas?

There was once a man who didn't believe in God, and he =20
didn't hesitate to let others know how he felt about religion and =20
religious holidays, like Christmas. His wife, however, did=20
believe, and she raised their children to also have faith in=20
God and Jesus, despite his disparaging comments. =20
=20
One snowy Christmas Eve, his wife was taking their children=20
to a Christmas Eve service in the farm community in which they=20
lived. She asked him to come, but he refused. =20
=20
"That story is nonsense!" he said. "Why would God lower=20
Himself to come to Earth as a man? That's ridiculous!" So=20
she and the children left, and he stayed home. =20
=20
A while later, the winds grew stronger and the snow turned=20
into a blizzard. As the man looked out the window, all he=20
saw was a blinding snowstorm. He sat down to relax before =20
the fire for the evening. Then he heard a loud thump. =20
Something had hit the window. Then another thump. He =20
looked out, but couldn't see more than a few feet. When the=20
snow let up a little, he ventured outside to see what could=20
have been beating on his window. In the field near his=20
house he saw a flock of wild geese. Apparently they had been=20
flying south for the winter when they got caught in the snowstorm =20
and couldn't go on. They were lost and stranded on his farm, with no=20
food or shelter. They just flapped their wings and flew around the field=
=20
in low circles, blindly and aimlessly. A couple of them had flown into=20
his window, it seemed.=20
=20
The man felt sorry for the geese and wanted to help them. The barn=20
would be a great place for them to stay, he thought. It's warm and safe;=
=20
surely they could spend the night and wait out the storm. So he walked ove=
r to=20
the barn and opened the doors wide, then watched and waited, hoping they =
=20
would notice the open barn and go inside. But the geese just fluttered aro=
und=20
aimlessly and didn't seem to notice the barn or realize what it could mean=
=20
for them. The man tried to get their attention, but that just seemed to s=
care=20
them and they moved further away. He went into the house and came with so=
me=20
bread, broke it up, and made a breadcrumbs trail leading to the barn. The=
y=20
still didn't catch on.=20
=20
Now he was getting frustrated. He got behind them and tried to shoo them=
=20
toward the barn, but they only got more scared and scattered in every=20
direction except toward the barn. Nothing he did could get them to go into=
=20
the barn where they would be warm and safe. "Why don't they follow me?!" =
=20
he exclaimed. "Can't they see this is the only place where they can survi=
ve=20
the storm?" He thought for a moment and realized that they just wouldn't f=
ollow=20
a human. "If only I were a goose, then I could save them," he said out lou=
d. =20

Then he had an idea. He went into barn, got one of his own geese, and carr=
ied it in his arms as he circled around behind the flock of wild geese=
. He then released it. His goose flew through the flock and straight into=
the barn--and one by one the other geese followed it to safety. =20

He stood silently for a moment as the words he had spoken a few minutes ea=
rlier replayed in his mind: "If only I were a goose, then I could save th=
em!" Then he thought about what he had said to his wife earlier. =20
=20
"Why would God want to be like us? That's ridiculous!" =20
=20
Suddenly it all made sense. That is what God had done. We were like the=20
geese--blind, lost, perishing. God had His Son become like us so He could=
=20
show us the way and save us. That was the meaning of Christmas, he realize=
d. =20

As the winds and blinding snow died down, his soul became quiet =20
and pondered this wonderful thought. Suddenly he understood what Christmas=
was=20
all about, why Christ had come. Years of doubt and disbelief=20
vanished like the passing storm. He fell to his knees in the snow, and pra=
yed his first prayer: "Thank You, God, for coming in human form to get me=
out of the storm!"
=20
---Author unknown