My friend, Pastor and Chaplain Ed Donnally, who used to minister at Dream Center in Los Angeles sent this to me. I asked him if I could post it today for anyone who ventured by here on Christmas Day. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
“One of my favorite stories surrounding Christ’s birth is the story of Simeon. When Jesus was barely over a month old, Mary and Joseph brought their two humble doves to the temple to offer as a sacrifice. A man approached, asking if he could hold the baby. Simeon, who the Bible says was not a priest but simply a ‘just and devout man’, had received a revelation that before he died he would see the ‘Consolation of Israel’ or the Messiah. Simeon was likely the first Jew to recognize Jesus as the awaited Christ.
It is my prayer and I hope the prayer of all who have already encountered the Messiah that on the day we celebrate God becoming flesh and living among us, we ask the Lord that those who see Christmas as only a day to enjoy family and exchange presents will share Simeon’s revelation. That on this day many others will recognize the Messiah as the Anointed One, the only begotten of the Father. And as Simeon put so well, ‘A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, And the Glory of Your people Israel.’ Once they have the same understanding as Simeon, the lives of those who do not know the real meaning of Christmas will, like this just and devout man, have eternal fulfillment.
Joy to the world. The Lord has come. Merry Christmas to You and Yours.”
Ed Donnally was a jockey for 19 years and wrote for the Dallas Morning News for eight years where he won an Eclipse Award for Outstanding Feature Writing. He has been an ordained Foursquare Minister and Chaplain since 2001 and has published at least 70 articles with a variety of magazines. Today, he is the associate pastor at Venice Beach Foursquare, speaks in many venues, writes for Christian publications and is a chaplain for Victim Relief Ministries and the Los Angeles Mayor’s Crisis Response Team.
Into the Fire 
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