Over the many years Mr. Paul Harvey told thousands of stories. He claimed that they were all true. And to my knowledge he never repeated the same story twice, with one exception. There was one story that he told every Christmas. I believe that Mr. Harvey was Irish and the Irish have a philosophy that one should never let the truth get in the way of a good story. I leave it to you to decide if this story is true or not. It is my prayer that you will be touched by this story then copy it and pass it along this season to someone you care for.

The story takes place on a small farm here in the Midwest. It was bitter cold outside. One of those mornings that even the walls seemed to radiate the cold. It was early, very early, still dark outside. One of those kind of mornings that made you wish to pull the covers even tighter around yourself, roll over and go back to sleep. But the man of the house just could not do that. He still had livestock to take care of. That needed to be fed and hopefully to get them some shelter against the elements. But mostly, he had to take an ax and chop the ice from the water trough.

All in all it took the better part of two hours to finish the chores and he was chilled to the bone. In addition, heavy snow was forecast for later in the day. By the time he got back to the house the sun was up and the family was moving about getting ready for Church. The thought of getting back out in the cold was just too much. All he wanted to do was to warm himself by the fire then settle into a comfortable chair with the Sunday paper. So his family left for Church without him.

After a short while he noticed from his easy chair that it had begun to snow and he was grateful that he was finally warm. Not much later he observed that it was now snowing quite hard and was starting to accumulate. If it kept up at this pace there would be a driving hazard in short order. Now he began to worry about his wife and wished that he had gone with them. His attention was now focused on the building storm outside and his anxiety levels were growing over concern for his family as well as the livestock that had to endure such weather.

Just about then he noticed a bird had come to his window and was pressed up against the glass in order to feel the warmth. The bird was too cold to be scared of him. He could understand that as he had been out in that not long ago himself. He felt sorry for any of God’s creatures who had to endure these elements. It was out of this compassion that he raised the window just a crack in order to let some air out but it seemed to let more cold in than warm out. This would not work.

Then he had an idea. He got up, dressed warm and went out to the barn. There he opened a small door, not a lot, but just enough to let birds in and out. There, while it would not be much warmer at least they would be out of the wind and snow and could find small amounts of grain on the floor. Alas, no birds entered the barn. If only he could speak their language he would explain to them his plan; how they could survive this storm in peace and relative comfort. He would explain that they need not fear him as he meant them no harm. He wished to provide a place where they could congregate with others in safety. If only he could speak to them in their own language. If only…..

Do you suppose that God had the same idea? First he gave us the garden filled with perfection and we made a mess of that. Then he gave us six righteous families and eliminated all evil with Noah. He gave us Moses and the law, not to mention judge’s kings and prophets. Then he sent his son that spoke our language. His son, Jesus, taught us that there was a better way, the way of love. Are we not better to God than a bird?

If you are weary of the struggle against the cold winds of the world or tired of fighting against the elements of this world consider coming back to Church this Christmas. Come in out of the cold. Will all your troubles go away when you walk in the door to the Church? No, probably not. But at least you will find people who speak your language. You will find people that will listen. There are people there who would be happy to be your friend. You will find God’s word proclaimed every day. It’s even possible that you will find a new Church home and Church family. Then maybe the world’s problems will seem a little lighter.