God’s Perfect Plan

God’s Perfect Plan?

Scripture: John 1:6-8, 19-28

Scripture Reading: Matthew 1:18-25

There’s something special about Christmas pageants, even those in which everything seems to go wrong.

I think you’ll like this story:

A church tried to outdo the previous years Christmas pageants, so they decided to rent a donkey for Mary to ride on. It seemed like a great idea at the time.

Have you ever noticed that a lot of things "sound like a good idea at the time?" The day of Christmas pageant arrived.

The congregation sang beautifully some Christmas carols and the angel choir, complete with haloes, got through their first big number "almost on key and in unison." The time came for the grand entrance of Joseph and Mary, with Mary riding on the donkey.

She was "carrying what later proved to be a Raggedy Andy doll." Then it happened.

The donkey made two hesitant steps through the door of the church sanctuary. He took a look at the whole scene and then locked his legs. The donkey would not move and the entire procession came to a halt. Jerking on the halter had no effect on the locked legged donkey. The donkey would not move.

Just then the Trustee chairman seated in the front row and dressed in his Sundays best, came to the rescue. The floor of the sanctuary was polished cement. With another man pulling on the halter, the trustee chairman got behind the donkey, now picture this in your mind. Crouched and the behind the donkey and pushed. Slowly sliding the rigid donkey across the floor, inch by inch. They moved towards the front.

The Choir director chose at that moment to turn on a tape recorder, which blared forth the Hallelujah Chorus sung by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.

This scared the already bewildered donkey. The donkey wanted out of the church and unseated Mary onto the floor.

By this time the whole congregation was in a uproar of laughter. And the Organizers of the Christmas pageant decided never again to put on a Christmas play.

They had what they thought to be a perfect plan, not anticipating things to go wrong. I certainly hope the church didn’t keep their decision not to put on another Christmas play.

Let me tell you another story about a little town in South Dakota. Cliff Thomas says it is the custom in their town to give a Christmas gift of a few dollars to the trash collector.

Just this last week I received a "Holiday" card inside my Dispatch and I asked my wife if that was a signal that we were suppose to respond in some way. We’re still trying to decide.

Well, back to my story, "Some collectors," Cliff says in his town remind their customers by taping a card to the trash can: It would say something like this: "Seasons Greetings from your trash collector."

He said, "Last year I forgot to respond to the first greeting card and just a day or two before Christmas, there appeared a second card on my trash can that said, "Seasons Greetings from your trash collector. SECOND NOTICE."

Now - that’s funny!

Let me share one more:

One of the members invited his brother’s family to their church for a special Christmas service. During the service, a 4 year old boy began to squirm in the pew and whispered to his dad that he had to go to the potty. The father took the boy’s hand and led him out of his seat into the aisle toward the rest room. About halfway down the aisle, the little 4 year old boy stopped, turned around and said loud and clear: "I have go to the potty, God, but I’ll be right back."

Introduction:

Hey guy’s, do you remember the days of your engagement? You had fallen in love with the dream of your life. And what was even better, SHE HAD FALLEN IN LOVE WITH YOU TOO!

There came that time when you made up your mind to ask her to marry you. You were nervous and wondered if she would say "Yes." What if she said, "No?"

And then you thought it through and said, "She’ll say "Yes." And you popped the question, "Will you marry me?" And she said "Yes, I’ll marry you."

Just this morning, my neighbor knocked on my door and she had a poinsettia for my wife and me for Christmas.

Then Julie showed me her engagement ring. I had talked to Matt about getting married and what a good "catch" he had in Julie. It was just a few weeks later I learned of their engagement to be married.

Julie said, "Matt called me home and asked me to turn around and close my eyes. And then he asked me to turn towards him and Matt was on his knees with an engagement ring." She told me she ran around the inside of the house so happy and she said, "Yes, I’ll marry you. I’ll be your wife."