After some last-minute Christmas shopping with her grandchildren, my friend was rushing them into the car when four-year-old Jason said, "Grandma, Susie has something in her pocket." He reached in and pulled out a new red barrette.

"The first Christmas was pretty simple. It's okay if yours is too."

- Amy Weatherly

Put Christ back into Christianity

Love God

Love Your Neighbour As Yourself

Take Up Your Cross And Follow Me

Forgive 70 X 7

Whoever Is Without Sin Cast the First Stone

Treat Others The Way You Want To Be Treated

Love Your Enemies

Let Your Light Shine

Feed The Hungry

Don't Return Evil for Evil

Visit Those In Prison

Clothe The Naked

House The Homeless

Welcome The Foreigner

Care For The Sick

Love One Another As I Have Loved You

Make Disciples

Take Heart, I Have Overcome The World

This evening I want to look at the very famous and familiar text "'Twas the Night Before Christmas". What we want to see is that this text is presenting to us a declaration of Santa Claus, and in this declaration there are three movements. There is: first of all, Preparation for the coming of Santa Claus; second of all, There is the coming of Santa Claus; and finally, The description of Santa Claus. So please, listen very carefully as I convey to you how the writer presents this declaration of Santa Claus to us.

'Twas the night before Christmas. Now look what the writer has said here. We are informed right at the very beginning that it was the night before Christmas-a very special holiday. You see, it will not do that this was the night before Thanksgiving, or the night before Dominion Day, or even the night before Mother's Day. No, this was the night before Christmas.