Messiah

Messiah

The classic oratorio written by George Frederick Handel is perhaps the most recognized piece of classical music in existence.  Handel was born in Germany toward the end of the 17^th century – in 1685.  His father desired he enter the practice of law, but his early death freed his son to pursue music.  He moved to Italy to compose opera, but a prohibition of opera from the pope at the time caused him to compose less dramatic pieces and focus on music more spiritually uplifting.  There was a debate even over this at the time, with some considering it blasphemous that an oratorio dealing with spiritual matters could be performed in the same theater as a racy comedy the night prior.

Handel had some level of success in Italy, but eventually moved to England in 1712, becoming an English citizen in 1727.  He achieved some further level of success in England, but his star began to fade by 1841 at age 56 following a minor stroke, poor health, failing vision, and poor investments that threatened to put him in debtor’s prison.

In July of 1741, Charles Jennens, a Shakespearian scholar and friend of Handel’s, wrote him a lengthy letter full of Scripture he had been studying – prophecies of Christ as found mostly in the Old Testament, and some in the New Testament, mainly from the book of Revelation.

Handel spent a great deal of time reading and re-reading this letter, and in prayer.  In mid-August, he picked up pen and began to write.  He organized the verses into sections: Part I on the birth of Christ, Part II on the death of Christ, and Part III on the resurrection and coming reign of Christ.  He completed the entire 269-page oratorio in an astonishing 3 weeks!

One musical scholar has estimated there are a quarter million notes in Handel’s Messiah.  If we presume 21 days and 10 hours of composition per day, Handel would have written down an average of 15 notes per minute!

The first performance of his now-famous oratorio was in Dublin.  The public was invited to the rehearsal performance on April 8^th, 1842, intending an opening on April 13^th.  Word of how the rehearsal moved those in attendance spread rapidly – so much so that local promoters had to publish the request that ladies not wear ‘hoop’ dresses and that men leave their swords at home so as to accommodate the expected crowd.  The theater, with a capacity of 600, crammed 700 people inside before the doors were closed.

John Wesley was in one of the early performances of Messiah (not ‘The’ Messiah!) and wrote of it in his diary, “there were some parts that were affecting, but I doubt it has staying power.”  His brother, composer Charles Wesley (“Hark! The Herald Angels Sing”) was more sympathetic and ended up developing somewhat of a friendship with Handel.

Messiah was originally intended as an Easter performance.  Over the years, the relative dearth of classical music related to Christmas pushed Messiah into the tradition of being a Christmas staple.

One of Handel’s early patrons was George “The Elector of Hanover” prior to his becoming King of England – the same King of England that gave the British colonists of America so much trouble later.  As King, George attended a performance of Messiah and was so moved during the Hallelujah chorus that he spontaneously rose to his feet.  Protocol dictated that when the king stands, everyone stands – leading to the establishment of the tradition of rising during that fantastic chorus.

Handel lived another 17 years, enjoying the fantastic success that Messiah brought him.  In gratitude, he donated many of the royalties from the composition to orphanages, debtor’s prison relief, and other charities.  He attended a performance just a few days before his death.  On his deathbed, his final words were, “I want to die in the sweet hope of rejoining my good God, my sweet Lord and Savior on the day of His resurrection.”

https://www.bsomusic.org/stories/5-things-you-might-not-know-about-handels-messiah.aspx

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/the-glorious-history-of-handels-messiah-148168540/

https://www.gramophone.co.uk/feature/the-story-behind-the-triumphant-premiere-of-handels-messiah

Christmas Trivia

Christmas trivia

The Puritans in the 17^th Century banned Christmas, considering it ‘Popish’ (Catholic), and fined people five shillings for celebrating the holiday.  Christmas was not a popular holiday in New England until the mid-1800s.

In the East, Christmas is celebrated on January 6^th (end of the ’12 Days of Christmas’)

NORAD has been tracking Santa Claus since 1955, when a Colorado Springs newspaper ad for Sears misprinted the store’s “Santa” number and inadvertently gave children the number to the NORAD Operations Center.  The O-6 on duty that night answered the first call and instructed his staff to give a Santa status report to every child who called that evening.

‘Do You Hear What I Hear’ was written by Gloria Shayne Baker and her husband Noel Regney during the Cuban Missile Crisis and was intended as a plea for peace.  “…pray for peace, people everywhere…”

The ‘Twelve Days of Christmas’ has had a number of variations to its elements over the years, including: “Four Canary Birds,” “Four Ducks Quacking,” “Eight Hares a Running,” “Eight Hounds a Running,” “Nine Bulls a Roaring,” “Ten Men a Mowing,” “Ten Ships a Sailing,” “Eleven Ladies Spinning,” “Eleven Badgers Baiting,” “Twelve Bells Ringing.”

80’s Metal band Twisted Sister took the tune of their hit song ‘We’re Not Gonna Take It’ from the Christmas Carol ‘O Come All Ye Faithful.’  Listen to the two songs side-by-side.  Your head will explode.

Santa Claus has his own zip code in Canada, H0H 0H0.  Every letter received for Santa at this zip code is personally answered in the language in which it was received, regardless of where in the world it comes from.

All the gifts in the ‘Twelve Days of Christmas’ total 364 gifts.

Per Facebook data analysis, two weeks before Christmas is one of the two most popular times for couples to break up.  Christmas Day is the least popular day.

Santa’s reindeer are all female, despite having male names.  Male reindeer grow antlers but shed them yearly before Christmas.  Female reindeer uniquely grow antlers and keep them year-round.

The best-selling song of all time is Irving Berlin’s ‘White Christmas’ – over 100 million copies sold.  That song reached #1 on the billboard charts on three separate occasions.

In WW2, Germany allowed Christmas care packages to be sent to American POWs.  These packages included playing cards manufactured by the Bicycle Playing Card Company which, when soaked in water, revealed escape routes.  The Nazis never caught on to this.

An artificial Christmas tree would have to be re-used for about 20 years to be ‘greener’ than a fresh-cut tree.

A very popular Christmas dinner in Japan, apparently, is KFC.  Customers must place their Christmas dinner orders 2 months in advance.

Seven out of ten dogs in England get a Christmas present from their owners.  The number is five out of ten in the United States.

The image of Santa flying in his sleigh first appeared in 1819, created by Washington Irving – creator of the Headless Horseman.

During Christmas, 2010, the Colombian government decorated trees in the jungle with lights and motion sensors.  When guerrillas would walk by, the trees would light up and banners would appear asking them to surrender their arms.  The campaign was successful in convincing 331 people to surrender and re-enter society.  They also won an award for strategic advertising excellence.

During the Christmas season, 28 Lego sets are sold very second.

The largest Christmas gift ever was the Statue of Liberty.  At 255 tons, it was gifted to the US by the French on Christmas Day, 1886.

Saint Nicholas of Myra, the namesake “Saint Nicholas,” was at the Council of Nicea in 325 AD.  During the back-and-forth, at one point he literally punched his debate opponent in the face!  So much for ‘jolly’…

‘Jingle Bells’ was the first song broadcast from space.  On December 16^th, 1965, the Gemini 6 crew serenaded Mission Control after reporting seeing a “red-suited astronaut in a low polar orbit."

Some consider the worst Christmas song ever to be Paul McCartney’s “Wonderful Christmastime”.  The song nets him nearly a half million dollars in royalties every year.

The famous "Christmas Truce" of World War 1 occurred in 1914, only about 5 months after the outbreak of war.  Soldiers on each side emerged from the tranches in various places, shook hands, retrieved and buried their dead, sang Christmas carols together, exchanged souvenirs, and even played soccer together.  In most cases, contact was initiated by the Germans.  Upon hearing of this Sir John French, one of the British Senior Officers, issued a general order stating that, "such unwarlike behavior must cease."  The Christmas Truce was never repeated during that war.
There are differing reasons for the tradition of putting oranges in Christmas stockings: 1) A representation of the gold the original St Nicholas (of Myra) left for the families he ministered to; 2) during the Great Depression, oranges were considered a luxury, one per year at Christmas; 3) a reminder to share what you have with others; or 4) a treat for children in northern climates, from a time when citrus fruits like oranges were difficult to get.
The Continental Army under General George Washington scored its first significant victory in Trenton, New Jersey, on December 26th, 1776 - many of the Hessian defenders still nursing hangovers from their celebrations on Christmas Day.
The movie 'A Charlie Brown Christmas' is cited as the event that killed aluminum Christmas tree sales in the 1970s.
The movie 'A Charlie Brown Christmas' was produced with a budget of $76,000.  The next year, the animated movie 'How the Grinch Stole Christmas' was produced with a $300,000 budget.
The French word 'Noel' originally comes from the Latin.  It means 'birth'.
"X-Mas" was an abbreviation for Christmas first used in the 1600s.  The 'X' comes from the Greek letter 'Chi' which is shaped like the letter 'X'.  Chi, in the Greek, is a common shorthand for writing 'Christ'.
Coca-Cola originally began using the image of Santa Claus in its commercials in the 1920s.
The world record for the largest snowman is held by the town of Bethel, Maine.  The town worked together in 2008 to build a 122' 1" snowman, actually, snow-woman, they named 'Olympia.'  The snow-woman was nearly 11 stories tall!
Placing a candle in the window is a Christmas tradition of showing the world that the home is a Christian home, and inviting other Christians to come in and celebrate.
"Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer" was created in 1939 for a holiday promotion for the store Montgomery Ward.  Years later, facing bankruptcy due to medical bills from his wife's terminal illness, as a gift to employee Robert May, the author, they gifted him the copyright to the story.
In some places in Mexico, wearing red underwear on New Years' Eve is said to bring love during the coming year.

Saint Patrick

Saint Patrick

Patrick was born in Roman-occupied Britain, at about 387 AD. His death was on March 17th, possibly in 461 AD. He was a member of a respected Roman family. His father was a civil magistrate and a deacon in his church. He learned to pray from his mother, but did not commit his life to Christ until he was in his late teens.

The Roman empire was in rapid decline, from within. Immorality was rampant. Outside nations made periodic raids within Roman territory. Children were abandoned to the elements rather than be raised in their homes. The legal system was corrupted in favor of those with money who could manipulate the courts. Taxes became very high, and tax collectors were corrupt. Welfare was rampant – “those who live at the expense of the public funds are more numerous than those who provide them.” There was a huge bureaucratic machinery within the empire, which did not govern efficiently and incurred a fantastic amount of debt. Boundaries of the nation were overextended, and the military was cut back. The raids of the outside nations diluted the predominance of the Latin language.

As a teenager, barbarian Irish raiders burned his town and took Patrick captive, along with a number of other people. Patrick wrote in his 'Confessions'
"I am Patrick, a sinner, most unlearned, the least of all the faithful, and utterly despised by many. My father was Calpornius, a deacon, son of Potitus, a priest of the village Bannavem Taburniae…and there I was taken captive. I was then about sixteen years of age. I did not know the true God. I was taken into captivity to Ireland with many thousands of people – and deservedly so, because we turned away from God, and did not keep his commandments."

Patrick was sold as a slave to a cruel warrior chief named Milchu, possibly a Druid High Priest. Patrick herded his master’s livestock, living as an animal, enduring long periods of hunger and thirst. He lived this way for six years. It was during this time of captivity that the prayers of his mother and the words of his father came back to him and he truly committed his life to Christ.
"And there the Lord opened the sense of my unbelief that I might at last remember my sins and be converted with all my heart to the Lord my God, who had regard for my abjection, and mercy on my youth and ignorance, and watched over me before I knew Him, and before I was able to distinguish between good and evil, and guarded me, and comforted me as a father his son."

Patrick says he began to pray fervently, as many as a hundred times per day. He sensed God’s speaking directly to him at times. One night, while asleep on frost-covered ground, he heard God’s voice saying “Soon you will go to your own country…See, your ship is ready.” Patrick took this as God’s direction to flee for the coast. He ran and hid for days, covering nearly 200 miles. He found a ship there which took him on, possibly hoping for a reward for his safe return.

The ship was blown off course, and landed in France. Not much is known about his time there, but he did spend several years there before finally being reunited with his family.

Some time after making it home, Patrick had a dream, very similar to Paul’s Macedonian Vision in Acts, of Irish boys pleading with him to come back. Patrick decided to leave his family and prepare for the ministry. He studied in France under a Bishop there, but received resistance when he asked for their blessing to go to Ireland. In AD 431, the Pope sent a bishop named Palladius to Ireland. He was never heard from again, presumably martyred. Eventually, the decision was made to allow Patrick to go back to Ireland.

In AD 432, at over 40 years old, Patrick sailed to Ireland with a small band of about a dozen monks. He immediately set out for the house of his old master, to extend forgiveness. When he got there, he found the site abandoned and burned. He learned that, not long after he left, Milchu was killed in battle, along with his household, when a neighboring tribe raided his village. Had Patrick stayed, he almost certainly would have been killed.

Patrick and his men began the practice of entering a village and speaking to the Chief. His ability to speak their language fluently was his open door. Most of the men in the village would be suspicious, and even hostile, but Patrick would nearly always win the soul of the Chief. From there, the rest of the village usually followed in faith.

The Druids had a very active cult life in Ireland. They mounted a fierce opposition to the Gospel, placing Patrick and his men in danger many times. At one point, he was bound in chains and sentence to die.

One story of Patrick, probably apocryphal, is that he was challenged by the Druids to demonstrate his ‘magic.’ The area they were in was infested with snakes. Patrick prayed, and the snakes were driven into the sea.

Patrick wrote letters very strongly condemning the institution of slavery. He had personal experience in this regard. Within his lifetime, Patrick had abolished the entire Irish slave trade.

Patrick did not have the opportunity for a longer period of education, as most entering the ministry would have had. As such, he had feelings of inferiority. From Confessions:
"Patrick the sinner, and unlearned man to be sure… I had long in mind to write, but up to now I have hesitated. I was afraid lest I should fall under the judgment of men’s tongues because I am not as well read as others…As a youth, nay, almost as a boy not able to speak, I was taken captive… Hence today I blush and fear exceedingly to reveal my lack of education; for I am unable to tell my story to those versed in the art of concise writing…"

Patrick used his lack of education as a strength in his ministry. As one example, he used the 3-leaved Irish clover as an illustration of the Trinity. This made the complex doctrine easier to understand, and easier to teach.

All in all, Patrick labored for over 30 years. Was he successful? He founded over 300 churches and baptized 120,000 converts. He implanted a missionary mindset among the Irish, to the point that in the 6th and 7th centuries, with the fall of Rome, it was Irish missionaries who traveled the former Roman Empire and re-evangelized Western Europe. Patrick is described as the man who “found Ireland all heathen and left it all Christian."

Patrick died on March 17th, possibly the year 461.

Saint Patrick. William J. Federer, Amerisearch, Inc. 2002.

Of Plymouth Plantation (excerpts) - William Bradford

Of Plymouth Plantation (excerpts)
From a reprint of Harold Paget’s 1909 translation from 17th Century English
By William Bradford

Book I: 1608-1620
Chapter I – the causes that led to their leaving England
“So, in the early days, Christians suffered as much from internal dissension as from persecution by the heathen and their Emperors, true and orthodox Christians being oppressed by the Arians and their heretical accomplices.”
“In order to cast contempt upon the sincere servants of God, they…gave them the name of ‘Puritans,’ which it is said the novations assumed out of pride. It is lamentable to see the effects which have followed. Religion has been disgraced, the godly grieved, afflicted, persecuted, and many exiled, while others have lost their lives in prisons and in other ways; on the other hand, sin has been countenanced, ignorance, profanity, and atheism have increased, and the papists have been encouraged to hope again for another day.”
“Thus, not profanity or wickedness, but Religion itself is a byword, a mocking stock, and a matter of reproach; so that in England at this day the man or woman who begins to profess religion and to serve God, must resolve within himself to sustain mocks and injuries as though he lived among the enemies of religion.”

Chapter II – flight to Holland (Amsterdam and Leyden): 1607-1608
Chapter III – Settlement at Leyden: 1609-1620
BH - They left Amsterdam over disputes with the church there. The full colony settled at Leyden.
BH – In Leyden, they had difficulties as well. There was a large university, and was a seafaring city with needs for many skilled laborers. Unfortunately, they were simple farmers.
“…they fell to such trades and employments as they best could, valuing peace and their spiritual comfort above any other riches whatever; and at length they came to raise a competent and comfortable living, though only by dint of hard and continual labor.
“Thus, after numerous difficulties, they continued many years in good circumstances, enjoying together much sweet and delightful intercourse and spiritual comfort in the ways of God… So they grew in knowledge and other gifts and graces of the spirit of God, and lived together in peace and love an holiness…”

Chapter IV – Reasons the congregation left Leyden to settle in America (1620)
BH – the “Twelve Years’ Truce” – aka the Dutch Revolt (a religious war against Spain) was almost at an end and war was on the horizon.
“First, they saw by experience that the hardships of the country were such that comparatively few others would join them, and fewer still would bide it out and remain with them…it was thought that if there could be found a better and easier place of living, it would attract many and remove this discouragement.
“Secondly…old age began to steal on many of them, and their great and continual labours, with other crosses and sorrows, hastened it before their time…
“Thirdly……their children…were often so oppressed with their labours, that though their minds were free and willing, their bodies bowed under the weight and became decrepit in early youth… But still more lamentable, and of all sorrows most heavy to be borne, was that many of the children, influenced by these conditions, and the great licentiousness of the young people of the country, and the many temptations of the city, were led by evil example into dangerous courses, getting the reins off their necks and leaving their parents. Some became soldiers, others embarked upon voyages by sea and others upon worse courses tending to dissoluteness and the danger of their souls, to the great grief of the parents and the dishonor of God. So they saw their posterity would be in danger to degenerate and become corrupt.
“Last and not least, they cherished a great hope and inward zeal of laying good foundations, or at least of making some way towards it, for the propagation and advance of the gospel of the kingdom of Christ in the remote parts of the world, even though they should be but stepping stones to others in the performance of so great a work.
[answering raised objections] “It was replied that all great and honorable actions are accompanied with great difficulties, and must be both met and overcome with answerable courage. It was granted the dangers were great, but not desperate; the difficulties were many, but not invincible. For, many of the things feared might never befall; others by provident care and the use of good means might in a great measure be prevented; and all of them, through the help of God, by fortitude and patience, might either be borne or overcome…their ends were good and honorable; their calling, lawful and urgent; therefore they might expect the blessing of God on their proceedings. Yea, though they should lose their lives in this action, yet might they have the comfort of knowing that their endeavor was worthy.”

Chapter VII –
[Sermon text used when the first wave of Pilgrims departed Leyden for Southampton, July, 1620] Ezra 7:21 “And there at the river, by Ahava, I proclaimed a fast that we might humble ourselves before our God, and seek of Him a right way for us and for our children, and for all our substance.”

Chapter VIII – Departure from Southampton, delay of both ships at Dartmouth and Plymouth: Aug- Sep 1620
BH – They originally set out in two ships. Twice, they had to turn back due to leaks in the smaller ship. After the second re-docking in Plymouth, they decided the smaller ship was not seaworthy. They had to make decisions as to who had to stay back.
“Those that sent back were mostly willing to do so, either from discontent or fear of the ill success of the voyage, seeing they had met with so many crosses and the year was so far spent. Others, owing to their weakness and having many young children, were thought least useful and most unfit to bear the brunt of this arduous adventure; to which work of God and the judgment of the brethren they were consented to submit. And thus, like Gideon’s army, this small number was divided, as if the Lord thought these few too many for the great work He had to do.”



Chapter IX – Mayflower sails from Plymouth to arrival at Cape Cod: Sep-Nov 1620
“I must not omit to mention here a special example of God’s providence. There was an insolent and very profane young man, one of the sailors, which made him the more overbearing, who was always harassing the poor people in their sickness, and cursing them daily with grievous execrations, and did not hesitate to tell them that he hoped to help throw half of them overboard before they came to their journey’s end. If he were gently reproved by any one, he would curse and swear most bitterly. But it pleased God, before they came half seas over, to smite the young man with a grievous disease, of which he died in a desperate manner, and so was himself the first to be thrown overboard. Thus his own curses fell upon his own head, which astonished all his mates for they saw it was the just hand of God upon him.”



Book II: 1620-1646 History of the Settlement at New Plymouth
Chapter I – (1620 to early 1621)
“But soon a most lamentable blow fell upon them. In two or three months’ time half of their company died, partly owing to the severity of the winter, especially during January and February, and the want of houses and other comforts; partly to scurvy and other diseases, which their long voyage and their incommodious quarters had brought upon them. Of all the hundred odd persons, scarcely fifty remained, and sometimes two or three persons died in a day. In the time of worst distress, there were but six or seven sound persons, who, to their great commendation be it spoken, spared no pains night or day, but with great toil and the risk of their own health, fetched wood, made fires, prepared food for the sick, made their beds, washed their infected clothes, dressed and undressed them; in a word did all the homely and necessary services for them…and all this they did willingly and cheerfully, without the least grudging, showing their love to the friends and brethren…”
“About the 16th of March [1620] a certain Indian came boldly among them, and spoke to them in broken English, which they could well understand, but were astonished at it... He became useful to them in acquainting them with many things concerning the state of the country in the east parts where he lived… he also told them also of another Indian, whose name was Squanto, a native of this part, who had been in England and could speak English better than himself.”
“…Squanto stayed with them, and was their interpreter, and became a special instrument sent of God for their good, beyond their expectation. He showed them how to plant corn, where to take fish and other commodities, and guided them to unknown places, and never left them till he died.”

Chapter II – the first year (1621)
“And thus they found the Lord to be with them in all their ways, and to bless their outgoings and incomings, for which let His holy name have the praise forever, to all posterity.”
“They now began to gather in the small harvest they had, and to prepare their houses for the winter, being well recovered in health and strength, and plentifully provisioned…[some] were occupied in fishing for cod, bass, and other fish, of which they caught a good quantity, every family having their portion. All the summer there was no want. And now, as winter approached, wild fowl began to arrive, of which there was plenty… As well as wild fowl, they got abundance of wild turkeys, besides venison, etc. Each person had about a peck of meal a week, or now, since harvest, Indian corn in that proportion; and afterwards many wrote at length about their plenty to their friends in England.”

“On Christmas Day, the Governor called the people out to work as usual; but most of the new company excused themselves, and said it went against their consciences to work on that day. So the Governor told them, if they made it a matter of conscience, he would spare them till they were better informed. So he went with the rest, and left them; but on returning from work at noon he found them at play in the street, some pitching the bar, some at stool-ball, and such like sports. So he went to them and took away their games, and told them that it was against his conscience that they should play and others work. If they made the keeping of the day a matter of devotion, let them remain in their houses; but there should be no gaming and reveling in the streets. Since then, nothing has been attempted in that way, at least openly.”

Chapter IV – (1623)
BH – After having to rescue a rival settlement led by an advisor who took advantage of them:
“All this while no supplies were heard of, nor did they know when they might expect any. So they began to consider how to raise more corn, and obtain a better crop than they had done, so that they might not continue to endure the misery of want. At length after much debate, the Governor, with the advice of the chief among them, allowed each man to plant corn for his own household, and to trust to themselves for that; in all other things to go on in the general way as before. So every family was assigned a parcel of land, according to the proportion of their number with that in view…all boys and children being included under some family. This was very successful. It made all hands industrious, so that much more corn was planted than otherwise would have been by any means the Governor or any other could devise, and saved him a great deal of trouble, and gave far better satisfaction. The women now went willingly into the field, and took their little ones with them to plant corn, while before they would allege weakness and inability; and to have compelled them would have been thought great tyranny and oppression.
“The failure of this experiment of communal service, which was tried for several years, and by good and honest men proves the emptiness of the theory of Plato and other ancients, applauded by some of later times – that the taking away of private property, and the possession of it in a community, by a commonwealth, would make a state happy and flourishing; as if they were wiser than God. For in this case, community of property (so far as it went) was found to breed much confusion and discontent, and retard much employment which would have been to the general benefit and comfort. For the young men who were most able and fit for service objected to being forced to spend their time and strength in working for other men’s wives and children, without any recompense.”

BH – Later in the year, a new, unexpected wave of settlers came. This put their new system to the test – what to do with and how to feed the newcomers?
“Now the original settlers were afraid that their corn, when it was ripe, would have to be shared with the new-comers, and that the provisions which the latter had brought with them would give out before the year was over – as indeed they did. So they went to the Governor and begged him that as it had been agreed that they should sow their corn for their own use, and accordingly they had taken extraordinary pains about it, they might be left to enjoy it. They would rather do that than have a bit of the food just come in with the ship. They would wait till harvest for their own and let the new-comers enjoy what they had brought; they would have none of it, except what they could purchase by bargain or exchange. The request was granted them and it satisfied both sides; for the newcomers were much afraid the hungry settlers would eat up the provisions they had brought, and then that they would fall into like conditions of want.
“…harvest time had not come, and then instead of famine, God gave them plenty, and the face of things was changed, to the rejoicing of the hearts of many for which they blessed God. And the effect of their particular planting was well seen, for all had, one way or another, pretty well to bring the year about, and some of the abler sort and more industrious had to spare, and sell to others – in fact, no general want or famine has been amongst them since, to this day.”

 
There is only one other first-hand account of the Thanksgiving feast of 1621. Fellow colonist (later Governor) Edward Winslow wrote a letter to a friend in England that describes the meal shared by the Pilgrims with the Indians:
"Our harvest being gotten in, our governor sent four men on fowling, that so we might after a special manner rejoice together after we had gathered the fruit of our labors. They four in one day killed as much fowl as, with a little help beside, served the company almost a week. At which time, among other recreations, we exercised our arms, many of the Indians coming amongst us, and among the rest their greatest king Massasoit, with some ninety men, whom for three days we entertained and feasted, and they went out and killed five deer, which they brought to the plantation and bestowed upon our governor, and upon the captain, and others. And although it be not always so plentiful as it was at this time with us, yet by the goodness of God, we are so far from want that we often wish you partakers of our plenty."
http://www.chron.com/life/article/Edward-Winslow-s-1621-Thanksgiving-letter-1477900.php

I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day

I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day

Near Christmas, 1861, as the Civil War raged through its first year, author Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was napping in his study in Cambridge, MA. His wife Fannie was playing with the second of their three young daughters, Edith, when she decided to snip a lock of curly hair from one daughter and preserve it in wax.

Somehow, in melting the wax with a candle, Fannie's dress caught on fire. She immediately dropped the child and ran into the study. Henry tried to extinguish the flames with a small rug, then used his own body to smother the fire. He succeeded only in prolonging her life a short while – time spent in agony. Henry, recovering from his own burns to the face, arms, and hands, had to miss her funeral. The burns scarred his face so badly, he had to grow a beard to cover the disfigurement, and because shaving became painful.

Henry sank into what some would, in his day, call “melancholy” – today we might call “depression.” Christmas of 1861, he wrote in his diary, “How inexpressibly sad are all holidays. I can make no record of these days. Better leave them wrapped in silence. Perhaps someday God will give me peace.” The diary entry of Christmas, 1862 reads, “’A merry Christmas’ say the children, but that is no more for me.”

In March of 1863, his oldest son Charles, age 18, left home against his fathers’ wishes to join the Union Army. He joined the First Massachusetts Calvary, Company ‘G’, as an artilleryman. He quickly won the respect of his superiors and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant.

Charles participated in the Battle of Chancellorsville (May), and was too ill to participate in Gettysburg (July), having Typhoid Fever. He rejoined his unit on August 15, 1863.

On November 27th, 1863, Charles was severely wounded during the Battle of New Hope Church, in Orange County, VA, during the Mine Run Campaign. He was shot through the left shoulder, with the bullet exiting under his right shoulder blade, hitting his spine along the way. Doctors gave him a bleak prognosis.

Henry and his other son, Ernest, came to Washington, DC, to retrieve Charles and bring him home to Massachusetts. Charles stubbornly refused to die and, by Christmas, things were looking better for Charles. He eventually recovered and lived a long, full life.

Christmas Day, 1863, Henry heard the bells of the churches and heard carolers singing “Peace on Earth.” The fog of melancholy began to lift from him, and he penned the words to a poem he called “Christmas Bells.” There are a couple of verses in here directly related to the Civil War which round out what he was trying to communicate to his readers.
 

I heard the bells on Christmas Day
Their old, familiar carols play,
and wild and sweet
The words repeat
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

And thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along
The unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

Till ringing, singing on its way,
The world revolved from night to day,
A voice, a chime,
A chant sublime
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

Then from each black, accursed mouth
The cannon thundered in the South,
And with the sound
The carols drowned
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

It was as if an earthquake rent
The hearth-stones of a continent,
And made forlorn
The households born
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

And in despair I bowed my head;
“There is no peace on earth,” I said;
“For hate is strong,
And mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!”

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
“God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
The Wrong shall fail,
The Right prevail,
With peace on earth, good-will to men


http://www.whatsaiththescripture.com/Fellowship/Edit_I.Heard.the.Bells.html

http://civilwartalk.com/threads/the-true-story-of-pain-and-hope-behind-i-heard-the-bells-on-christmas-day.129288/

Mothers

Mothers

The mother of Nero was a murderer. The English Poet, Lord Byron, had a club foot. His memory of his mother was a single instance of her screaming at him, ‘Get out of my way, you lame brat!’ No wonder he turned out the way he did.

In sharp contrast, Paul wrote to Timothy, “For I am mindful of the sincere faith within you, which first dwelt in your grandmother Lois, and your mother Eunice, and I am sure that it is in you as well.” (2 Timothy 1:4). Believing mothers are a blessing! Timothy had that. Samuel had that in Hannah. John the Baptist had that in Elizabeth. Moses had that in Jochebed. Issac had that in Sarah.

In the later years of the fourth century, a believing woman named Monica had three sons and an unbelieving Roman husband, a product of an arranged marriage. She earnestly prayed for these four men. Her husband was converted on his deathbed and two of her sons shortly after. She pursued her third son, literally to the other end of the Roman Empire, praying for him. It was largely through her influence that Augustine came to faith.

Susanna Wesley had nineteen children, and a husband who was largely absent from his family. She made it a rule to attend to her personal devotions daily and devoted an hour per week one-on-one with each child. Two of those children were John and Charles Wesley, who turned the Christian world in England and America on its head.

George Washington was the oldest of five children when, at age 11, his mother was widowed. She committed her life to raising and educating her children. She restrained him as a young man from entering the British Royal Navy, sensing he had some greater purpose. At a reception after the Revolutionary War, in her advanced age, she was introduced to the visiting French dignitaries. At first they were shocked by her simple dress at such an occasion. After getting to know her, though, one French General remarked, “It is not surprising that America should produce great men, since she can produce such great mothers.”

Benjamin Franklin wrote to his mother often, and always referred to her tenderly. In one surviving letter to her, he sent her a gold piece ‘that you may ride warm to (church) meetings during the winter.’

A gray-haired, crippled mother in England prayed earnestly for years for her runaway, wayward son. As a sailor on a slave-trading ship, her son, John Newton, the author of the hymn Amazing Grace, came to faith. John touched many lives, including many who became missionaries and William Wilberforce, largely responsible for the abolition of the slave trade in England.

James Madison was orphaned as a small boy, his mother raised him alone. Alexander Hamilton never know his father. Andrew Jackson once said, “The memory of my mother and her teachings were the only capital I had to start life with; and on that capital I have made my way.”

John Quincy Adams said of his mother Abigail, “My mother was a minister of blessing to all human beings within her sphere of action. Her heart was the abode of heavenly purity. She had no feeling but of kindness and beneficence, yet her mind was as firm as her temper was mild and gentle.”

Sir Walter Scott, inventor of the historical novel and author of Ivanhoe, was influenced strongly by the artistic and literary bent of his mother.

Nancy Lincoln, mother of Abraham Lincoln, set him every Sunday on her knee and read to him from the Bible. She focused often on the Ten Commandments. She died when Abe was nine years old. Her last words to him were, ‘Abe, I’m going to leave you now, and I shall not return. I want you to be kind to your father and live as I have taught you. Love your Heavenly Father and keep his commandments.’ Much later in his life, when asked why he was so honest, he said he could still clearly hear his mother’s voice as she read to him from Exodus 20. He remembered not only that she prayed for him, but the words of her prayers and even the inflection of her voice when she prayed. He said another time, “All that I am or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother.”

When Ulysses Grant, as President, attended his mother’s funeral, he instructed the preacher, “Make no reference to me: she gained nothing by any position I have filled or honors that may have been paid me. I owe all this and all I am to her earnest, modest, and sincere piety.”

Presidents Rutherford B. Hayes, Grover Cleveland, John Tyler, and James Garfield all lost their fathers in the early years of their lives and depended on their widowed mothers for their life training. When President Garfield was sworn in as President, he broke tradition in that the first thing he did after being sworn in was to walk over and kiss his mother saying, “Mother, you have brought me to this.”

Charles Spurgeon said this about his mother, “I cannot tell how much I owe to the solemn words and prayers of my Christian mother…Some of the words of our mother’s prayers we shall never forget, even when our heads are gray.”

Presidents Woodrow Wilson and Theodore Roosevelt were both very affectionate with their mothers. Wilson had a mind to become a clergyman – until his mother’s discernment prompted him to become a teacher.

Edith Roosevelt, wife of Theodore, greatly expanded the role of First Lady. She entertained dignitaries, answered much of his mail, and advised her husband daily while he was president – all while raising five young children. Late in their lives, during World War I, their youngest son, Quentin, as an aviator was shot down and killed over Germany. The Germans, hoping to put a damper on American morale, photographed the wreck with Quentin’s body and made it into a postcard. Edith honored her son by acquiring one of the postcards, mounting it in a frame, and had it placed it above her fireplace mantle.

President Calvin Coolidge only ever kept one picture on his desk, that of his mother. It was the last item removed from the White House at the conclusion of his term, and was found in his pocket watch, next to his heart, after he died. Winston Churchill’s biographer compiled a list of people who had taught him over the course of his life. When the list was given to him, Churchill instructed the biographer to place his mother’s name at the top of the list. General Douglas MacArthur said this, “It was my sainted mother who taught me a devotion to God and a love of country which have ever sustained me in many lonely and bitter moments of decision in distant lands. To her I yield anew a son’s reverent thanks for her guidance on a path of duty as God gave me light to see that duty.”

Over the course of his life, as lawyer, Congressman, Governor of Ohio, and as President of the United States, on days when William McKinley did not see his mother, he either wrote or telegraphed her – every single day. In October, 1897, the President slipped out of the White House and took a train to Canton, Ohio, for the sole purpose of walking his 87-year-old mother to church. When she became ill later that winter, he had a telegraph hotline set up between her home and the White House. He kept a special train standing by. One night, the telegraph came for him to come. He telegraphed back, “Tell Mother I’ll be there.” That December 12th, she died in his arms. For a full hour after she died, he did not move from her bedside. Less that four years later, when he was dying from an assassin’s bullet, he forgave his assassin as his mother would have expected. He than asked those present to sing his mother’s favorite hymn, “Nearer, my God to Thee.” His body was laid to rest beside his mother’s in Ohio.

Businessman Henry John Heinz, founder of the great food business empire, was greatly influenced by his mother.  At the end of his life, reminiscing on what shaped the person he became, he said, “This legacy was left by my consecrated mother, who was a woman of strong faith and to it I attribute any success I may have attained during my life.” The main source of her teachings centered around the Bible where she tried to make it clear to young Henry, “to not make your religion so narrow that it will be unattractive to others and don’t make it so broad that you leave yourself no foundation on which to stand.”

Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, in giving the eulogy for his mother, former First Lady Barbara Bush, said this, “Barbara Bush filled our lives with laughter and joy and in the case of her family, she was our teacher and role model on how to live a life of purpose and meaning…You see, our mom was our first and most important teacher…Finally, the last time I was with her, I asked her about dying. Was she ready to go? Was she sad? Without missing a beat, she said, ‘Jeb, I believe in Jesus and he is my savior. I don’t want to leave your dad, but I know I will be in a beautiful place.’”

The influence of godly mothers is incredible and should not be underestimated.


Great Preaching on Mothers, Hudson, Curtis, Sword of the Lord, 1988.