A Personal Christmas: Celebrating the Season through the Stories of Others

By Suellen Richardson

The timeless truths of Christmas are made personal as God intercedes on behalf of His people.

Hope. Love. Joy. Peace. These are truths of our Lord and Savior celebrated during the Christmas season. A Personal Chri

• Language: English
• Publisher: Trilogy Christian Publishing
• Release date: Jun 2, 2021
• ISBN: 9781637692851

Book preview

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A

Personal

Christmas

Celebrating the Season

through the Stories of Others

by Suellen Richardson

A Personal Christmas

Trilogy Christian Publishers

A Wholly Owned Subsidiary of Trinity Broadcasting Network

2442 Michelle Drive, Tustin, CA 92780

Copyright © 2021 by Suellen Richardson

Scripture quotations marked amp are taken from the Amplified® Bible (AMP), Copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. www.Lockman.org.

Scripture quotations marked nkjv are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked nlt are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked BSB are taken from The Holy Bible, Berean Study Bible, BSB. Copyright ©2016 by Bible Hub. Used by Permission. All Rights Reserved Worldwide. www.berean.bible

Scripture quotations marked niv are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com.

Scripture quotations marked cev are taken from the Contemporary English Version®. Copyright © 1995 American Bible Society. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked HCSB®, are taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. HCSB® is a federally registered trademark of Holman Bible Publishers

Scripture quotations marked kjv are taken from the King James Version of the Bible. Public domain.

Scripture quotations marked csb are taken from the Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible, and CSB®, are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information, address Trilogy Christian Publishing Rights Department, 2442 Michelle Drive, Tustin, CA 92780.

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For information about special discounts for bulk purchases, please contact Trilogy Christian Publishing.

Manufactured in the United States of America

Trilogy Disclaimer: The views and content expressed in this book are those of the author and may not necessarily reflect the views and doctrine of Trilogy Christian Publishing or the Trinity Broadcasting Network.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available.

B-ISBN#: 978-1-63769-284-4

E-ISBN#: 978-1-63769-285-1

Dedication

In memory of my beloved husband, Jesse Richardson:

My pastor, my partner, my soulmate, my hero.

Thank you for always believing in me.

Foreword

When having a discussion about Christmas with Charlotte, a German friend, I discovered for the first time that others regarded the season not as a joyous occasion—that I had always thought—but a somber time of reflection. Charlotte’s face grimaced when I spoke of the festivity of the Christmas season, and she corrected me, noting it was a time of serious thought.

Suellen Richardson’s work here, an amalgam of her personal feelings, remembrances, and vignettes, beautifully shares the treatments that Christmas can be an amalgam of both: There is a joy of God’s gift, the Messiah, along with the serious reflection of what the Messiah means to humankind. One excellent similar example is Georg Frederick Handel’s Christmas portion of his great oratorio, The Messiah. Comfort, ye my people, is solemn while his Hallelujah Chorus expresses joy so great it sent the stogy King George II from his seat in his enthusiasm.

Here Suellen introduces her personal experiences, vignettes of others, and the skillful use of Scripture to show how the occasion of God’s great gift to humankind can be treated with both the dignity it deserves, yet at the same time, the joy it brings God’s followers.

—Jamie Cockfield, PhD

Professor Emeritus

Mercer University

Macon, Georgia

Acknowledgments

There are many to thank for the development of this book. As I wrote things over the years only to stuff them in a file cabinet, my wonderful husband always encouraged me to seek to publish something. He was my greatest fan and faithful editor. From important letters to devotionals posted on social media to my doctoral capstone, he would listen as I read them to him, giving me advice on how to improve my literary renderings. Oh, how I have missed him during this process.

I must give thanks to my sister Julie, who has been my best friend, my rock and supporter/encourager extraordinaire. Thank you to my heart, my precious niece Olivia, who always brings me joy, gladness, and perspective. She is an ever-present source of sunshine in whatever darkness I may find myself. I am blessed to have an incredible support system of forever friends and new acquaintances. Special thanks to our ministry group, EZ37 Ministries, Inc., who were my first readers. Your love, support, and comments have guided me through the process of getting to this point in my writing. I am incredibly appreciative of Dr. Jamie Cockfield, under whose tutelage years ago, I learned to love history as he brought the characters to light and produced unforgettable snippets of information. I am humbly thankful to Trilogy Christian Publishing for giving me this opportunity.

I praise God for this journey. Nothing in this book is my own; it is only by the grace of God and the indwelling of His Spirit that I can write a word. All praise goes to my Lord and Savior for my salvation and for every step I have taken since that day.

Preface

The loss of my husband was the most devastating event of my sixty-five years of life. I have lost other family members and friends, but nothing can possibly equate to the loss of one who was my other half. I have felt less-than-whole. When Jesse went to heaven, he took part of me with him—a part that will never be filled until I reach that glorious place one day. The love that we shared was indescribable. We were two who made one. We completed each other’s sentences, read each other’s minds, and fulfilled each other’s needs. We ministered together, prayed together, studied together.

And now, he’s gone. I have struggled mightily with what my next step should be. Jesse always has been there to guide me. This time, I had to seek the answer from God without my intermediary here. I have prayed, studied, agonized, and cried. What did God want me to do? I seemed to find no answer. Then, in a sweeping set of revelations, I have found it.

This book is my first venture into sharing the Gospel in my own way through the written word. May these words inspire you to seek out God’s particular calling and purpose for your own life.

Table of Contents

Dedication

Foreword

Acknowledgments

Preface

Chapter One: Celebrate Hope

Chapter Two: Celebrate Love

Chapter Three: Celebrate Joy

Chapter Four: Celebrate Peace

Chapter Five: Celebrate the Nativity

Endnotes

Bibliography

About the Author

Chapter OnE

Celebrate Hope

"The Christmas message is that there is hope for a ruined humanity—hope of pardon, hope of peace with God, hope of glory—because at the Father’s will, Jesus became poor, and was born in a stable so