HE is the reason for the season!

Last night I had the opportunity to go to my friend's Women's Dessert Conference held by her church "Center point Church" It was beautiful! You walk in and all the women have decorated a table for Christmas. They each spent so much time on making wonderful desserts and cards for us. We chatted, and then we all sang Christmas Songs together. TO hear all the women sing so beautifully was amazing and would love to do that for our own Christmas sacrament! They had a couple ladies talk about the worth of women. I enjoyed a woman who came from the pregnancy hot line, she talked about how they always see girls who are pregnant and don't feel like they are worth anything. They enjoy telling them that God loves them, they are worth it, and you don't need to measure your worth by comparing with anyone else. She then said there was a girl she believes was in her teens, who was engaged and found herself pregnant, however the baby wasn't her fiancee's. Her fiancee decided to marry her anyways. Her name Was Mary and she brought the greatest gift of all- our savior. That really touched me when she put it like that. Then some of the highlights of the night was when they told the story of WWI when the Germans started singing "Sille Nacht" and were lighting candles outside of their frozen trenches. The British and French made truces that night and recognized the song as "Silent Night" http://www.snopes.com/holidays/christmas/truce.asp

Then one of the speakers talked about the meaning of putting candles in the window. The British were persecuting the Irish and their religion. IF the preachers were caught preaching they would under penalty of law- put to death. SO when they came walking through the streets, many homes would put three candles in the window to show them that their home was a place of refuge that they could come in and worship and enjoy a warm meal without worrying if they were going to die.
http://www.catholiceducation.org/articles/religion/re0055.html

We then were shown a video of "O Holy Night" and how a man was asked to write a poem that was sung for Mass.
"In 1847, Placide Cappeau de Roquemaure was the commissionaire of wines in a small French town. Known more for his poetry than his church attendance, it probably shocked Placide when his parish priest asked the commissionaire to pen a poem for Christmas mass. Nevertheless, the poet was honored to share his talents with the church.

Moved by his own work, Cappeau decided that his "Cantique de Noel" was not just a poem, but a song in need of a master musician's hand. Not musically inclined himself, the poet turned to one of his friends, Adolphe-Charles Adam, for help.

As a man of Jewish ancestry, for Adam the words of "Cantique de Noel" represented a day he didn't celebrate and a man he did not view as the son of God. Nevertheless, Adam quickly went to work, attempting to marry an original score to Cappeau's beautiful words. The finished work of Adam pleased both poet and priest. The song was performed just three weeks later at a Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve" Amazing that this man even though not a believer still found it in his heart to make it work.
http://www.findthepower.com/ChristmasPagesTheStoryOfOHolyNight.htm

This song also hit America- "Nt only did this American writer--John Sullivan Dwight--feel that this wonderful Christmas song needed to be introduced to America, he saw something else in the song that moved him beyond the story of the birth of Christ. An ardent abolitionist, Dwight strongly identified with the lines of the third verse: "Truly he taught us to love one another; his law is love and his gospel is peace. Chains shall he break, for the slave is our brother; and in his name all oppression shall cease." The text supported Dwight's own view of slavery in the South. Published in his magazine, Dwight's English translation of "O Holy Night" quickly found favor in America, especially in the North during the Civil War"

That gave me chills to hear about the " Chains shall he break, for the slave is our brother" And that it found favor during the Civil War! The lady giving the talk also went into it saying how many of us have had our " Chains " within broken, need breaking, or are breaking from our Savior Jesus Christ. I truly enjoyed this event it brought the Christmas spirit ALIVE!!! I am thankful for my friend Jenny for thinking of me, and I really loved how they were trying to bring "Jesus" Into the light of our Children for Christmas. I have been trying so hard to teach my kids the real reason of the season.

I saw this on my friend's facebook and thought I would share "He was pretty specific about feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, and being a friend to the friendless. Are you celebrating His birth by feeding the overfed, buying things you don't need, and thanking Him again and again for all the blessings that you keep all to yourself?"