The ABC's of Christmas - J

Christmas is that moment in time when God, in His unconditional love, stepped out of heaven and onto earth, in order that we might one day step out of earth into heaven. - Charles F Stanley

J - The ABC's of Christmas

Hello friends~ Today we are doing the letter J.

is for...
Jesus, Jingle Bells, Joy To The World.

Jesus is the Reason for the Season.

Eight hundred years before the birth of Jesus Christ, the prophet Isaiah prophesied the coming of the Messiah.

"And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. 

And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.

He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto Him the throne of his father David." - Luke 1:30-32

"Jingle Bells" is one of the best-known and commonly sung winter songs in the world. It was written by James Lord Pierpont (1822–1893) and published under the title "One Horse Open Sleigh" in the autumn of 1857. Even though it is commonly thought of as a Christmas song, it was actually written and sung for Thanksgiving.

"Joy to the World"  
The words are by English hymn writer Isaac Watts, based on Psalm 98 in the Bible. The song was first published in 1719 in Watts' collection; The Psalms of David: Imitated in the language of the New Testament, and applied to the Christian state and worship. Watts wrote the words of "Joy to the World" as a hymn glorifying Christ's triumphant return at the end of the age, rather than a Christmas song celebrating his first coming as a babe born in a stable. Only the second half of Watts' lyrics are still used today.
The music was adapted and arranged to Watts' lyrics by Lowell Mason in 1839 from an older melody which was then believed to have originated from Handel, not least because the theme of the refrain (And heaven and nature sing...) appears in the orchestra opening and accompaniment of the recitative Comfort ye from Handel's Messiah, and the first four notes match the beginning of the choruses Lift up your heads and Glory to God from the same oratorio. However, Handel did not compose the entire tune. The name "Antioch" is generally used for the tune.
As of the late 20th century, "Joy to the World" was the most-published Christmas hymn in North America.


Thank you for your visit and I hope you are enjoying the ABC's of Christmas. Monday I will do the letter K. Have a joyful weekend!

Sharing from my heart ~ Sandi

The ABC's of Christmas - I

 The ABC's Of Christmas  

From Home To Home, And From Heart To Heart, From One Place to Another, The Warmth And Joy Of Christmas Brings Us Closer To Each Other. - Emily Matthews

Hello everyone and welcome to the letter I of the ABC's of Christmas.

We had a snow storm Wednesday overnight into Thursday and it knocked out our power for twenty-three hours. I kept thinking it would be warmer living in an igloo! We have never gone this long in the wintertime without heat and lights. How thankful we were when they were restored again early this morning!

Before I get into our letter for today, I would like to extend a warm welcome to all of my Followers! Both my old and new blog buddies have made blogging so worth while and I just want to say Thank you for commenting and being the wonderful support that you are. It's simply lovely there are so many of you out there and some of you have been friends of mine for years. Now, on to the letter...

is for...
Icicles, ice skating, "It's A Wonderful Life," Immanuel.

Icicles can be both beautiful and harmful. This photo below is one example of how beautiful they can be.

Source

However, I do recall a time when my little brother and I were playing outdoors in the wintertime and we were knocking icicles off the eves of the house. The icicles were huge! We were about six and eight years old at the time. One huge icicle fell off the house and went through my brother's lip which then required stitches. It gave us all quite a scare at the time and needless to say, we found other things to do outside after that.

Ice skating has always been a popular pastime here on the Island in the wintertime.  

Internet

My father used to take my brother and me skating at the rink and on outdoor ponds when we were growing up. My hubby grew up playing hockey on outdoor ponds and has many a story to tell. Not only is it fun but it is wonderful exercise!

The 1945 movie, "It's A Wonderful Life," starring James Stewart and Donna Reed is a Christmas classic. It tells the story of George Bailey who is rescued by his guardian angel, Clarence, and shown what the world would look like if George had never existed. 
It is a movie which makes us all think about what we bring to the world and how we can make it better.


Immanuel is another name for our Saviour when He came to earth as a Babe in the stable. As most of you know, it means "God with us." 

Photo courtesy of The Nativity Story

Thank you for visiting today and please join me again tomorrow when I talk about the letter J.

Sharing from my heart ~ Sandi