Peace, love, hope, strength and faith 

“For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And his name will be called
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of His government and peace
There will be no end.”

The New King James passage from the Old Testament book of Isaiah, Chapter 9, verses 6-7 provides the prophecy of the coming of a Messiah.

The New King James passage from the New Testament in the book of Luke, Chapter 2, verses 8-14 unveils the prophecy coming to fruition for Christian believers.

“Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid.

Then the angel said to them, Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:

Glory to God in the highest,

And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”

Christmas is a special time.

For Christians around the world, it provides hope—the hope of a joyous, eternal future devoid of pain, sickness, suffering and difficulty.

Regardless of your persuasion, the concepts which Jesus represented of peace, love, hope, strength and faith are universal.

Increasingly, we live in a world where those characteristics are dwindling daily, disappearing disappointingly, evaporating entirely.

As Sandi Patty once sang, “there is strength in the name of the Lord, there is power in the name of the Lord, there is hope in the name of the Lord. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.”

Some, if not many of us, lack the strength necessary to forge forward on a daily basis. That weakness comes in the form of physical malaise, mental anguish, workplace struggles or personal tragedy.

That results is us lacking power as the powerful seemingly grow more powerful daily while many struggle to survive.

The lack of hope is evident in those situations, prevalent for all to see.

So many are in need of a blessing.

While those who are fortunate will find plentiful presents underneath the tree today, others will remain barren, without the presence of hope, in need of a Savior.

Those of us who claim Christ feel that need being filled. We live with the hope of His word being true, awaiting rescue from sin and a world gone astray, a world run amok.

The time with family is truly wonderful, heartwarming.

The time in Christmas Eve service or Midnight Mass is moving, inspiring.

The food prepared by relatives is appreciated, delicious.

We also salute our brothers and sisters who celebrate Hannukah, commemorating the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem as Jewish brethren rose up against oppressors in the Maccabean Revolt against the Seleucid Empire.

We admire and salute our brothers and sisters who celebrate Kwanzaa, honoring African heritage, including in our own African-American culture which stresses unity.

We offer respect and love to all persons of all faiths, regardless of difference or culture. May we truly embrace the tenets of loving thy neighbor, respecting each other and maintaining honest dialogue to bridge the gap between a lack of trust and simple misunderstanding.

As God gave of Himself, we must give of ourselves to one another.

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and Happy Kwanzaa to all from Crescent City Sports. May today be merry and bright as we delight in what we experience this day and night.