Isaiah 35:10
“…and those the LORD has rescued will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away.”
Peter Marshall, the great theologian who originated from Scotland, was US Senate Chaplain from 1947-49. He offered this prayer to lawmakers almost seventy-five years ago to the day, on December 19, 1947, and it still resonates. May it be our prayer today.
“We thank Thee, O God, for the return of the wondrous spell of this Christmas season that brings its own sweet Joy into our jaded and troubled hearts. Forbid it, Lord, that we should celebrate without understanding what we celebrate or, like our counterparts so long ago, fail to see the star or to hear the song of glorious promise. As our hearts yield to the spirit of Christmas, may we discover that it is Thy Holy Spirit who comes—not a sentiment, but a power—to remind us of the only way by which there may be peace on earth and good will among men. May we not spend Christmas, but keep it, that we may be kept in its hope, through Him Who emptied Himself in coming to us that we might be filled with peace and joy in returning to God. Amen. “
