Elisabeth Elliot: "O little town of Bethlehem, how still we see the lie! Above thy deep and dreamless sleep the silent stars go by; yet in thy dark streets shineth the everlasting Light--the hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight."

Lisa Barry: Do you have a Christmas carol that's especially meaningful to you? If so, why is it special? Is it the tune, maybe the words are important to you? Today, Elisabeth Elliot is going to talk about one of her favorite Christmas songs and tell you why it is significant in her life. Take a few minutes to change your focus, next, on Gateway To Joy.

Elisabeth Elliot: "You are loved with an ever lasting love." That's what the Bible says, "and underneath are the everlasting arms." This is your friend, Elisabeth Elliot, talking with you again today about Christmas. And I want to begin by reading the words of a very familiar Christmas carol. One of the most beautiful, written by Phillips Brooks, who was the rector of Boston's famous Trinity Church, a writer of books and poetry. These are his words:

And let me pause there as we sort of try to picture that little town of Bethlehem. You have all seen it on Christmas cards. And the modern town of Bethlehem does have some real similarity to those Christmas cards. At least it did about 20 years ago when I was there visiting.

It's just a little town and in the middle of the night, above thy deep and dreamless sleep, the silent stars go by. But on one particular night in the history of the world, in those dark streets, there shone the everlasting Light. And the hopes and fears of all the years were met in Him that night.

The second stanza says,

Almost everybody was asleep we suppose, except the shepherds. They were the ones who were awake in the fields watching their flocks. And so it was to them that the angels came. But while the rest of mortals were sleeping, the angels kept their watch of wondering love.

O morning stars, together
Proclaim the holy birth,
And praises sing to God our King,
And peace to men on earth.

Think about those last four lines. "No ear may hear His coming, but, in this world of sin," this same world, just as sinful, maybe more sinful then back when Jesus was born--wherever "meek souls will receive Him, the dear Christ enters in."

Meek is a word we don't use very much today, isn't it? It doesn't mean weak. It just means humble. Now who in that little town of Bethlehem imagined the great star, recognized by the Eastern Astrologers and followed, given to guide those mysterious kings from nowhere back into obscurity. "In the dark streets shineth the everlasting Light--the hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight."

Why not with trumpet blasts? Wouldn't you expect that the coming of the King of kings would be with trumpet blasts, with royal proclamations and fanfare and maybe camel trains and pomp and ceremony--and who knows what other kinds of ceremony, celebration? It was a strange method for God to choose.

But God is in the business of doing things in ways we never imagine. He moves in what seems to us, twilight. In the dimness we have to make our decisions. We would like to have a star of Bethlehem to guide us, wouldn't we? Oh, how many times I've wished that God would give me something as unequivocal as a star of Bethlehem, or handwriting on the wall, or a pillar of fire to guide me.

But God doesn't do it that way, does He? Most of the time, walking by faith means walking in a certain degree of dimness where we have to make our decisions and act and obey. And it's only the next morning that we can look back and understand.

We can run up a familiar staircase in the dark, can't we? We don't have to see it. But there are certain things about that familiar staircase that we know. I know where the landing is on our stairs. We have wooden stairs, but there is carpet on the landing, so it's very easy to know when you hit the landing. But that's the way the life of faith is. There are just certain things that we know--certain guidelines.

We know, for example, "that all things work together for good to them that love God" (Rom. 8:28). Now the Bible says we know that. The Bible does not say God is going to show us how all things work together for good, here and now. He's not going to show us that, here and now. We have to take His word for it. But that's what it means to take His word. You just read the verse and as my friend Catherine Morgan said, "I don't have faith, I just know how to read."

So if you know how to read, open your Bible, read Romans 8:28 and 29. It says there, "Everything that happens, fits into a pattern for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose." It is all we know, but it is enough. He will prove it in His time.

How silently the wondrous gift is given. Are you drawn, as I am, to hidden things? I've always been fascinated, ever since I was a little girl, with hidden things. I loved playing hide the thimble when I was two or three or four years old. I was always called "the snooper" in our family, because I was always going into closets and drawers and places where it really was not my business to go.

And I remember in our summer place in New Hampshire, which really didn't belong to us, it belonged to my grandparents, I went snooping through all the things in a certain closet and I found what I thought were some empty boxes. And in one of these supposedly empty boxes I found a pair of glasses. Well, it turned out to be a pair that my grandfather had lost and he had been looking for, for years, and he gave me a quarter for finding those. So I triumphantly showed my quarter to my parents and said, "Look, I earned this by snooping."

I always loved little sandy roads in the New Jersey pines. I didn't have a chance to follow them. We would be driving by on a highway and I would always be fascinated to think, I wonder where that road goes? I always loved footpaths in the woods in New Hampshire where we spent our summers. And I loved the games that involved either hiding, like hide-n-seek or kick the can or hide the thimble.

I was always drawn to weak things--babies, little animals, tiny crabs, lowly things. What about painful things, silent things? In the spiritual life the instinct of faith hints that God is there, in hidden things--weak, lowly, painful, silent. God's Book, the Bible, is just loaded with instances of this fact. God is there, the mighty God. The everlasting Father is silently and in hidden ways at work in those very unlikely circumstances and events.

So what difference does this make in our life during this week? Let's meet everything that comes, as people who know, trusting and submitting to the authority of the eternal Word--Who does not reveal the end or the outcome or the meaning, but only Himself. And this has been my prayer lately. I have been really having quite a struggle over certain things in my life and in the life of some people I love. And I've been saying, "Lord, just make Yourself real to me." And I've thought of that poem that I think maybe Hudson Taylor wrote or at least Hudson Taylor was one who quoted it often and Amy Carmichael also quotes it:

What is your condition today? Are there things that you don't understand, you don't know the meaning of them, you have no idea what the outcome is going to be? Maybe you are really afraid. Come to Him who came to us. Ask Him to make Himself known to you. He is Emmanuel, which means God with us.

Maybe there is someone, and I'm not sure whether the Lord is just reminding me to say this to you, but I have a feeling that there may be somebody out there who is pregnant and doesn't want to be--somebody who is dying a thousand deaths over the prospect of yet another child. You're afraid. You can't handle it. You know your husband doesn't make enough money for it. You don't have room in the house. You are already exhausted, tired, desperate. Remember that Mary also had an unexpected pregnancy and her response was, "Behold, the handmaid of the Lord. Let it happen as you say."

Lisa Barry: Motherhood has a lot of unexpected twists and turns, doesn't it? Some of the bends in the road are harder to manage than others. That's why we at Gateway To Joy are committed to providing resources that will help you fulfill your highest calling. We have been telling you about our Christmas packet for the last two weeks. Since Christmas is just a couple of weeks away, I want to take another opportunity to tell you about it.

The first thing you'll notice when you open it, is a beautiful flip calendar. It's not something you will throw out next December because it's good for any year. Not only that, but the verses chosen for each day give you that spiritual shot in the arm that busy people need. You will also get Elisabeth's brand-new book, The Music of His Promises, which is a collection of short, bite-size readings that give you an important thought to ponder as you read the Scriptures. We have also included a week of Christmas story favorites.

Whether you get the packet for yourself or as a gift for a friend, this is sure to be an encouragement each day. The suggested donation amount for this packet is $25.00. Here's where to reach us 24 hours a day, 1-800-759-4JOY. That's 1-800-759-4569. Or, you can find us on the Internet at gatewaytojoy.org. And there's always the old post office, that address is:

Gateway To Joy, Box 82500, Lincoln, NE 68501. Gateway To Joy is a listener-supported production of Back to the Bible.

Tomorrow, Elisabeth reveals more wisdom from the words of Christian hymns. So I hope you will join us then for another Gateway To Joy.