"..And A Child Shall Lead Them..Or Children As The Case May Be...."

Tomorrow is Christmas Eve.

Traditionally, and theoretically, a time of joy and celebration, a time of peace and love, a time of differences set aside, sharing, giving, caring, worship.

And family gatherings.

The last of twenty family gatherings was held yesterday in Newtown, Connecticut.

Not the kind any of them could have even, in their wildest dreams, have ever expected.

Not the kind any of them will ever forget.

And, obviously, their Christmas is going to be a million miles from merry.

Earlier this week, I came upon this video, an excerpt from a syndicated radio show hosted by a pair known as Rick and Bubba.

And while they didn't promote the program as a Christmas edition, I couldn't help but think, while listening to this, that there was a Christmas message to be heard.






Scripture, legend or myth, depending on your particular belief system, tells us that Jesus Christ was born to Mary and Joseph in the little town of Bethlehem.

And that birth put into motion the means by which those who accept Christ as Lord and Saviour will find eternal life.

And all through the season, we hear and/or sing loving tributes, celebrations and/or acknowledgements of that little child.

Gotta admit, it's been a little tough to sing along this year while dealing with thoughts of twenty other little children whose families were burying them.

And, also, gotta admit that, in my own wildest dreams, it never occurred to me that I would ever find  a profound Christmas message delivered by a couple of ordinarily yuk yuk yee haw radio guys.

But I did.

And while it's maddeningly obvious that the thinking part of me will never begin to get a handle on the great scheme of things that God obviously has in mind, I realize that the spiritual part of me absolutely gets it.

Our humanness makes it excruciating to try and accept that, as Rick articulates here, God allowed Satan to inflict the carnage in Newtown by way of shaking us out of our stupor and turning us back in the right direction.

But just a little bit of thought on the matter would remind us that, again as Rick Burgess points out, this ain't God's first rodeo when it comes to getting the flock's attention by allowing pain, fear, suffering and mortal death.

Matter of fact, it happened two thousand or so years ago.

On a cross.

To a little child born to Mary and Joseph in the little town of Bethlehem,