Hello dear friend! Well, as you know, it's time for
my birthday again. Last year, they had a real big party for me and it seems
like they will again this year. After all, they've been shopping and preparing
for it for months now, and there have been announcements and advertisements
almost every day about how soon it's coming! They really do go overboard about
it, but it's nice to know that at least on one day of the year some people are
thinking about me a little. You know, it's been many years now since they first
started celebrating My birthday. Back then they seemed to realize and
appreciate how much fun it is for the little children. Just the same, it seems
that most folks are missing the point of it all. Like last year, for example:
When my birthday came around, they threw a big party, but can you believe
it?... I wasn't even invited! Imagine! The guest of honor, and they forgot all
about me! Here they had begun preparing for the festivities two months in
advance, but when the big day came I was left out in the cold! Well, it
happened so many times in recent years, I wasn't even surprised. Even though I
wasn't invited, I thought I'd just quietly slip anyway. So I came in and stood
off to the side. Everyone was drinking, laughing and having a grand time, when
all of a sudden, in came this fat fellow in a bright red suit, wearing a phony
white beard and shouting, Ho ho ho! He looked like he had more than enough to
drink, but he somehow managed to weave his way running the floor while everyone
cheered. When he collapsed into a big armchair, all the little children went
running over to him excitedly yelling, Santa! Santa! I mean, you'd have thought
he was the guest of honor and The whole holiday was in his honor! Then he began
telling them the most ridiculous stories you've ever heard!... that he lives at
the North Pole with a crew of dwarfs and that every year on my birthday he
rides in his sleigh pulled by a bunch of flying reindeers, delivering presents
to children all over the world! I mean there wasn't a word of truth in anything
he said! Imagine telling such poor, little, impressionable kids such
far-fetched fables! Finally I just had to leave, I walked out of the door, and
it was hardly surprising that no one even noticed that I had gone. As I walked
down the street afterward, I felt about as lonely and forlorn as a stray dogs!
I could hardly remember the last time I'd felt that low. Maybe you don't think
I cry......... That little manger seems you had put up in the corner of your
living room was really touching! It's sweet of people to commemorate my
birthday like that. But did you know that nowadays, in some countries, the
authorities won't even allow manger scenes to be placed in the parks, streets,
or public places anymore! Not to mention their schools! I'm not talking about
Communist countries! I'm talking about the good, ole USA, Imagine! What could
be more innocent that a manger scene to remind people of my birthday?...and yet
they ban it! They've actually passed laws against it and made it illegal! What's
this world coming to? Another thing that amazes me is how, on my birthday,
instead of giving Me presents, most people give gifts to each other! And to top
it all off, it's usually all kinds of stuff they don't even need! Let me ask
you, wouldn't you find it odd if when your birthday came along, all your
friends decided to celebrate it by giving each other presents and never given
you a thing? Someone once told me, Well, it's because you're not around like
other people are, so how can we give you a present? You know my answer to that
one: Then, give gifts of food and clothing to the poor, help those who need it.
Go visit the lonely! I said, Listen, any gift you give to your needy fellowmen,
I'll count as if you gave it to me personally! (See Matthew 25:34-40) Well sad
to say, things are getting worse each year. You can just imagine my shock a few
years ago when I began seeing them taking my name out of my birthday greeting
and replacing it with an X. What an Insult! Think of it! ...Xmas!... What if I
wrote you a birthday card and said Happy Birthday X! You'd probably never talk
to me again! And that's just about how I feel, I mean what more could they do
to push me right out of the picture on my own birthday? It reminds me of what
happened recently to a friend of mine, a sweet elderly fellow. He's from the
poorer side of town and he's been trying unsuccessfully for years to join the
church. But was a very exclusive church for the proper kind of folks, and they
just did not think he was good enough to be a member, I found him one day
sitting by the church steps with his head on his hands bowed and I asked him
what was wrong, he told me about it, I put my arm around his shoulder and told
him I knew just how he felt. I've been wanting to enter that same church for
twenty years and they've never let me in either! Well, there's an end even to
my patience. So I'm going to let you in on a secret............. Now this is
something I've been planning on doing for quite sometime, but the way things
are going, I think I'm planning of holding my own party! How about that? It's
going to be the biggest most fantastic feast you could possibly imagine! It
might not happen this year. But I'm sending out the invitations now anyway
because I know you'll want to come. There's going to be room for billions, for
everyone who wants to come! Some really famous old timers and celebrities are
going to be there and I'll reserve your seat of honor right with them! (Mat.
8:11) So hold on to your hat because when everything is ready, I'm going to
spring it as a big surprise! and a lot of people are going to be left out in
the cold because they didn't answer my invitation. Let me know right away if
you'd like to come, and I'll reserve you a place and, Write your name in large
golden letter in my great big Guest Book!