"And he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end." Luke 1:33

As presented on *The Lutheran Hour® by the Rev. Armin Oldsen, 1952

Christmas is about to make its annual journey around the world. Soon the sheet marked December 24th will fall from the calendar at the International Date Line out in the Pacific Ocean and it will be Christmas in New Zealand, in Eastern Asia, and in many islands.

Like a great ray of warm and cheery light, Christmas will move westward in 24 giant steps until it has encircled the earth. It will brighten Japan where hundreds of new converts to Christianity will for the first time experience a blessed Christmas. It will shine on the battlefields of Korea and many a soldier will think of home and long for it more tenderly than he ever has in his life.

The light of Christmas will become rather dim as it passes behind the Iron Curtain and the Bamboo curtain. It will not be as bright in China as it has been in former years, where many Christian missionaries have been sent home, or imprisoned, or murdered by wicked men who insist that they do not believe in God but who are as much afraid of Him as Herod was afraid of the Christ Child when he ruthlessly slaughtered the innocent babes at Bethlehem. But there will be hearts in China and in Russia where the light of Christmas will shine.

It is becoming increasingly clear that the whole history of humanity finds in Christ its center, its direction, and the solution to the sin that is fundamental to all our problems: Christ is the Son of God and the Savior of the world.

Jesus, may the whole world find peace in You this Christmas. Amen.

Taken from A Message of Hope: Proclaiming the Promise (selections from messages broadcast on *The Lutheran Hour, celebrating 75 years of proclaiming the promise).

Copyright © 2005 by Lutheran Hour Ministries

*The Lutheran Hour is the longest-running Christian radio broadcast in the world. It is a production of Lutheran Hour Ministries. For more information, visit www.lutheranhour.org.

Today's Bible Readings: Haggai 1-2    2 John

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