Lisa Barry: Do you remember the story of the Grinch who stole Christmas? He did everything he could to take the joy and celebration out of Christmas for the people of Whoville. He stuffed their trees and gifts in his sack and made his way back home.

Well, you're about to hear the second part of a story we began yesterday about some robbers whose personalities were similar. So what happens when they stumble upon a monk with a righteous attitude? That's what you'll find out today as we continue our holiday celebration on Gateway to Joy. Let's join Elisabeth Elliot now as she brings us up to date on this delightful story. Here she is.

Elisabeth Elliot: "You are loved with an everlasting love." That's what the Bible says. "And underneath are the everlasting arms." This is your friend Elisabeth Elliot, continuing today with the second half of a Christmas story that I began yesterday. The story is entitled "Brother Robber." Now that is not "Brother Robert"; it's "Brother Robber." It's about a young monk named Brother Angelo and an older monk named Brother Francis.

It's Christmas Eve and Brother Angelo has been preparing for the visit of Brother Francis. When the older monk arrives, he asked him how the day went. Brother Angelo tells him that he had a great fright. Three robbers from the mountains came and asked him for food.

"And what did you do?" asked the older monk.

"I sent them away and scolded them well for their bad ways. I told them God would be very displeased with them."

"You said that and sent them away?"

"Their hands were red with blood!"

"They stretched them out for help and you left them unfilled?"

"They were robbers, Brother Francis!"

"They were brothers, Brother Angelo."

"Brothers? The robbers?"

Francis looked at him severely and his great eyes blazed. "Yes, the robbers."

And the older monk gave to Brother Angelo an assignment. He said, "If you want to make it good, take this sack with bread and the pitcher with wine and go out into the mountains and find the robbers. Take the food to them and ask their forgiveness for your hardness. Then return so that we may celebrate Christmas together with a pure heart."

So off goes the young monk, Brother Angelo, up through the snow, climbing the mountain, all alone. He saw a deer and fox tracks and footprints. There was fog and there was a snow flurry and there was wind. Suddenly a black, disheveled head appeared behind a rock, staring at the approaching friar-a friar is a monk-with sinister, burning eyes.

"The young man's step faltered. Horror gripped his heart. He turned pale.

'Ho, there!' the robber shouted, rising to his feet in anger. Slowly another figure rose and threatened the frightened monk with his hairy fist. A third was plucking a crow he was about to roast over a small, smoldering fire.

'It seems you want to share our Christmas treat, pious brother,' he mocked. 'I can't promise you more than a leg.'"

Now can you imagine eating the leg of a crow for your Christmas dinner?

"'What do you want, monk?' the first one bellowed at him, making Angelo tremble. 'To give us a penitential sermon as you did this morning? It's hard preaching to empty stomachs. Look out!'

'No,' said Brother Angelo humbly, stepping close. He laid down the sack of bread and placed the pitcher of wine carefully on a ledge. Then he knelt down in the snow and said pleadingly, 'Dear robbers, forgive me for sending you away from the threshold today with such hard words. I have come now to bring you some bread and wine and to ask your forgiveness for my sin.'

He remained on his knees with head bowed. The wild men looked at the delicate, aristocratic figure, at the youthful, sensitive face. The oldest of the robbers turned pale, bit his stubborn lips and turned away. As for the second, the hot blood rose to the black tufts of hair above his brow. He covered his eyes with his hands like a child who feels ashamed.

But the third, the youngest, laughed a little, embarrassed, and said, 'We'll gladly forgive you, because you're a good man. We felt very hungry today.'

'Why don't you get up?' asked the pale one. 'Stay and eat with us,' said the other.

Brother Angelo stood up and shook the snow from his habit." His habit is his long robe that a monk wore in those days.

"'I cannot stay and eat with you,' he said timorously. 'Brother Francis expects me for midnight mass down at the monastery, and I must hurry for it will soon be night. But perhaps you can visit us in the monastery some time when you are in need of something.'

'And Brother Francis? Will he not scold us?'

The face of the young man lit up. 'He calls you brothers.'

'Brothers?' said all three as with one voice, and then kept an uneasy silence.

'Farewell, Brother Robbers,' said Angelo, extending his delicate fingers to take the bloodstained hand. 'Good-bye.'

Without answering a word, the three wild fellows stared after the young monk as he disappeared rapidly from their sight, nor did any one of them reach for the wine or bread. Each avoided the glance of his companions.

Now the fog had swallowed up the figure of the young man and the desolate countryside lay silent and white. Then clear notes could be heard in the distance, sounding now like the deep ringing of bells; now like the chanting of a priest at the altar; and then again like the jubilant song of a skylark. So the old Christmas song was carried up to the three lost men, Adeste Fideles."

Some of you are Latin students and you know what those words mean. The words are very familiar to most of us in English: "O come, all ye faithful; joyful and triumphant, come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem."

"There's a legend that at a later time these same three robbers came down and joined the brotherhood of Franciscans and led a blessed life until their peaceful end."

Now that's the end of the story about Brother Robber. I know for some of you, you might be thinking, "That's nothing but a fairy story. That's just a legend. Why in the world does Elisabeth Elliot tell us stories that don't have anything to do with the Bible?"

But you know, legends often illustrate some truths that we learn in the Bible. There's a very important truth learned from this. We must all learn to see in other people, even if they seem to be evil people, even if they hate us, even if they're robbers, we must learn to see Jesus Christ in them.

Does that make any sense? Many of you would say that doesn't make any sense at all. Jesus Christ in wicked people? But Jesus told His disciples how they are supposed to treat all people, not just the ones we love or the ones we may think are Christians. Jesus has told us to love our enemies. Wasn't that what Brother Angelo was told to do by the old brother Francis? Brother Francis was giving to Brother Angelo a very important lesson. You must not turn away people who come to you for help. You must not only be willing to help them, but you must be willing to go the second mile, to give them more than they asked.

Jesus said, "Inasmuch as you've done it to one of the least of these My brothers, you have done it for Me." Jesus is not going to forget.

Do you remember the Christmas story in the Book of Luke? It tells that in the days of Caesar Augustus, there was a decree issued that a census was to be taken of the entire Roman world. The story says, "So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married."

And do you know what else? She was expecting a child. "While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born. She gave birth to her firstborn, a son, and wrapped Him in cloths and placed Him in a manger."

You children who live on farms probably know very well what a manger is, but lots of city children wouldn't have any idea. It's just a sort of a box, out of which the animals ate their food. So Mary put the baby in that box. She wrapped Him in cloths and placed Him in a manger because there was no room for them in the inn.

The robbers must have gone away very sad from that little hut when Brother Angelo turned them away so angrily. There was no room for them in that little house, because there was no room for them in Angelo's heart.

But then when Brother Francis explained to him what he must do, he went out with the bread and the wine on a long journey through the snow until he found those robbers. What did he do? He gave them the food that the two monks were planning to have for their Christmas supper.

That is what Jesus is talking about--going way beyond what you would normally do for someone you don't like or someone you're afraid of. "Inasmuch as you have done it to one of the least of these My brothers, you have done it for Me." "O come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant. O come ye, come ye to Bethlehem."

Are you willing to learn this lesson at this Christmastime? I hope so.

Lisa Barry: What a terrific story. It doesn't matter how old I get, I'm mesmerized by stories. And the more ancient the tale, the better it seems. Before we say good-bye today, I want to tell you about a great Christmas book you're going to want to get. It's called THE CHRISTMAS MIRACLE OF JONATHAN TOOMEY. It's a beautiful story that Elisabeth will be reading next week, but this is an advanced opportunity to get it for yourself. We have only a limited number available.

The cost is $21.50. If you'd like a speedy way to order that, let me suggest visiting our website. The address is gatewaytojoy.org. When you're there, you can also order any of our other products, including our limited anniversary edition of the book GATEWAY TO JOY. It's a must-add to your Elisabeth Elliot library of treasures.

Another way to order is by writing us at Gateway to Joy, Box 82500, Lincoln, Nebraska, 68501. Or call toll-free: 1-800-759-4JOY. Today's program has been a production of Back to the Bible and is listener-supported.

Tomorrow Elisabeth begins a new story about the "Forest Bear," so be along then for another Gateway to Joy.