A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day....12-25-02....Christmas Day

Billie and daisyscarlett

[daisyscarlett]

Click on Baby Jesus

THE CHRSTMAS STORY
As told by Matthew

THE NATIVITY

This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.

But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins."

All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"--which means, "God with us."

When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.

WISE MEN

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him."

When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. When he had called together all the people's chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born. "In Bethlehem in Judea," they replied, "for this is what the prophet has written: "'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.'" Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him."

After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.

GIFTS

On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. "Get up," he said, "take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him."

FLEEING TO EGYPT

So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: "Out of Egypt I called my son."

When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled: "A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more."

After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, "Get up, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who were trying to take the child's life are dead."

So he got up, took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning in Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Having been warned in a dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee, and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets: "He will be called a Nazarene."

--Matthew 1:18 - 2:23 New International Version

JESUS IS THE REASON
FOR THE SEASON

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JESUS

THIS WEEK'S THREADS 12-23-02 Christmas Music 12-24-02 Twas the Night Before Christmas

Opinions by our own 'King of Ping' The guy's good, folks!

Thanks, Mixer!

1) Click on the graphic to open the Calendar.
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5) If all else fails or simply if you want me to do this for you send me an FReepmail and I will gladly do it for you. ~Mixer

[ST.LOUIE1]

waiting 'til I was gone to make an appearance. : (

That'll teach you to leave without permission.

Yes ma'am, it did. : )

I now request permission to return to quarters before I turn into a number of quarters......

LOL! You have my permission to do anything you please....within reason of course. I know how you like to take advantage of me. : )

Good night, you sweet doll. Sweet dreams.

Thank you for waiting up for me. : )

[ST.LOUIE1]

OH, yes....do be careful around the lady with wings! :)

: ) Very pretty. Looks a tad stern, though....like maybe she's heard of Wolfie. : )

[ru4liberty]

Click on the pic and be blessed!

[MistyCA]

LOL...you must have been reading my mind. :)

[JohnHuang2]

Morning, my friend, and Merry Christmas to you and yours!

[JohnHuang2]

Morning, friend -- and Merry Christmas to you, too! =^)

[MinuteGal]

Christmas blessings to all our dear freeper family. So much to be thankful for.

Yep, I DID get a fruitcake this year courtesy of my freeper sister and per my own request. I sent her one of Carlo's Clinton Legacy cookbooks, so we're both happy as little clams.

I'm probably the last of the fruitcake lovers left in this world. This one was an apricot, golden raisins one, crammed on top with marvelous pecan halves! Eat your hearts out, Twinkie-lovers! LOL!

Leni

[daisyscarlett]

Your fruit cake sounds ever so good. And lots of us like fruit cake around here....well some of us, lol....Lodwick and Louie come to mind....Does have a ton of calories, though. But then so do most things I enjoy at Holiday time, like egg nog, mincemeat pie etc.

Good to see you posting regularly again....All recovered?...Hope so..

[daisyscarlett]

Good morning everyone.....

[daisyscarlett]

Good morning dear sistahs...Hope you all had a great Christmas...Wasn't it a joy to see and visit with dear whoever yesterday?...

My face is tired from eating and talking...Nice to be online again and talking with my fingers....

[daisyscarlett]

Good morning wolfie...Hope you are having fun frolicking in all that snow you have in your area.

Sorry I missed you over the last couple of days. Loved the stocking graphic and how you pushed John out of the picture, so to speak. And wasn't he a good sport about it, too.

Hope your Christmas was Merry. How could it not be with dear Whoever stopping by and chatting with us all yesterday?

[firewalk]

Good morning everyone

[daisyscarlett]

Just wanted you to know that sailors still "cut up" when they are away from home as Christmas, much as you related in your vignette last week..

Rick Pelliciotti, Warrant Officer, 33, from Follanshee, W. Va., poses in a Santa Claus outfit in front of an S-3B Viking, decorated with a painting of Santa Claus, on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Constellation in the Gulf region Tuesday, Dec. 24, 2002. With the threat of war with Iraq looming, the 5,000 sailors and airmen aboard this aircraft carrier celebrated Christmas a day early on Tuesday after receiving orders to conduct regular operations on Dec. 25. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)

[daisyscarlett]

President Bush took time out from his family holiday to call many, many servicemen and women....

President George W. Bush (news - web sites) makes Christmas Eve phone calls to members of the armed forces, December 24, 2002 at Camp David. U.S. Bush made a round of calls to soldiers in hot spots and other posts around the world, thanking them for their service 'in defense of freedom.' (The White House via Reuters)

[daisyscarlett]

Here are some of the young servicemen who were far, far away from home this Christmas.....God Bless them and keep them....

Cpt. John W. Miller, commanding officer of the USS Constellation, second right, cuts a cake with some unidentified members of his crew for Christmas dinner on the aircraft carrier Tuesday, Dec. 24, 2002. The 5,000 sailors and airmen aboard the carrier celebrated Christmas a day early, eating roast turkey, baked Virginia ham and cornbread and exchanging greetings with a soldier dressed as Santa who roamed the flight deck.They had received orders to conduct regular operations on Christmas.(AP Photo/Amr Nabil)

[FreeTheHostages]

Good morning!

I'm so excited -- this weekend I visit my relatives in Vermont and they say they snow up there is big, big, big. Oh goodie! I love big snow. I'm building snowmans with my niece and nephew this weekend for sure!

[daisyscarlett]

Sounds like fun...have a great weekend in Vermont. (And enjoy the Moonlight in Vermont, too!)

[daisyscarlett]

Special wishes to you today, dear FRiend...

[MeekOneGOP]

Mornin' !

Have a cup while you FReep !

For those who prefer hot chocolate.....

[Mixer]

Hope you all had a very Merry Christmas. We had a White Christmas here in NJ. I think they said it was the first in about 6 or 7 years. It made our travels home a little slow but well worth it for all the great views.

Have a great day!!!