%PDF-1.7 1 0 obj << /Type /Catalog /Outlines 2 0 R /Pages 3 0 R >> endobj 2 0 obj << /Type /Outlines /Count 0 >> endobj 3 0 obj << /Type /Pages /Kids [6 0 R ] /Count 1 /Resources << /ProcSet 4 0 R /Font << /F1 8 0 R /F2 9 0 R /F3 10 0 R /F4 11 0 R /F5 12 0 R /F6 14 0 R >> /ExtGState << /GS1 15 0 R /GS2 16 0 R /GS3 17 0 R /GS4 18 0 R >> >> /MediaBox [0.000 0.000 612.000 792.000] >> endobj 4 0 obj [/PDF /Text ] endobj 5 0 obj << /Producer (dompdf 3.1.0 + CPDF) /CreationDate (D:20250906071402+00'00') /ModDate (D:20250906071402+00'00') >> endobj 6 0 obj << /Type /Page /MediaBox [0.000 0.000 612.000 792.000] /Parent 3 0 R /Contents 7 0 R >> endobj 7 0 obj << /Filter /FlateDecode /Length 1520 >> stream xWˎ6+nv -;"3h^H3@MDKHℒp? =v$fDuι$Nm8uY8]mI W"-okEoTl麶ZGRt~]|[P" :s4a"R<ūL$x.O87Ko!)t&Y"=YCe9eǁcjqdnDD)1t-r:bWj$j#O-;{gu(qꃬ  ^X%<.QґIe3dF)ZߡE)R x^צU>SU\^%SQY&盝-UPMn*Uv4,#g/"MF[C ,BN~Н]T;Q 0., j2Jȃr϶'-+"37?ULwJg'΀Rv$Z+\67MOD$>2k0-kr5*SvosL ;jv1>!^5,fuVfV ;M0:=b6な]jS޸Q!ݫ#bϴ|lH׮\Ԟ)M9:eGrߞrgy:24(#fYBS4 U#*f6[teqSv;=%x53nG`/h$\y2^{hSdbne"ڐjz_u8sbŎw/ !4R vz8[Eb5T96LРޠK>9EN$I&"(1zWǣHDmW1nB6c{eé4^ʏCX/2).hy@yEpԧtg |v8?Yǘa_^^N;V׻G.SMa.xM0Xn'tKIx@W'{ Mqeӿt  endstream endobj 8 0 obj << /Type /Font /Subtype /Type1 /Name /F1 /BaseFont /Helvetica /Encoding /WinAnsiEncoding >> endobj 9 0 obj << /Type /Font /Subtype /Type1 /Name /F2 /BaseFont /Times-Bold /Encoding /WinAnsiEncoding >> endobj 10 0 obj << /Type /Font /Subtype /Type1 /Name /F3 /BaseFont /Times-Roman /Encoding /WinAnsiEncoding >> endobj 11 0 obj << /Type /Font /Subtype /Type1 /Name /F4 /BaseFont /Helvetica-Bold /Encoding /WinAnsiEncoding >> endobj 12 0 obj << /Type /Font /Subtype /Type1 /Name /F5 /BaseFont /Helvetica-Oblique /Encoding /WinAnsiEncoding >> endobj 13 0 obj [6 0 R /Fit] endobj 14 0 obj << /Type /Font /Subtype /Type1 /Name /F6 /BaseFont /Times-Roman /Encoding /WinAnsiEncoding >> endobj 15 0 obj << /Type /ExtGState /BM /Normal /CA 1 >> endobj 16 0 obj << /Type /ExtGState /BM /Normal /ca 1 >> endobj 17 0 obj << /Type /ExtGState /BM /Normal /CA 0.3 >> endobj 18 0 obj << /Type /ExtGState /BM /Normal /ca 0.3 >> endobj 19 0 obj [6 0 R /Fit] endobj xref 0 20 0000000000 65535 f 0000000009 00000 n 0000000074 00000 n 0000000120 00000 n 0000000394 00000 n 0000000423 00000 n 0000000572 00000 n 0000000675 00000 n 0000002268 00000 n 0000002375 00000 n 0000002483 00000 n 0000002593 00000 n 0000002706 00000 n 0000002822 00000 n 0000002851 00000 n 0000002961 00000 n 0000003018 00000 n 0000003075 00000 n 0000003134 00000 n 0000003193 00000 n trailer << /Size 20 /Root 1 0 R /Info 5 0 R /ID[<7bb91943b2418b912f3b3cc2c0a0307c><7bb91943b2418b912f3b3cc2c0a0307c>] >> startxref 3222 %%EOF The General's Christmas Message 2009 | Caring Magazine
Read Caring Magazine Volume 29

Vol. #29

Hope in Action

Read Issue

Latest Impact StoriesView All

Popular Topics

PopularView All

The General’s Christmas Message 2009

December 11, 2009
2 minute read
Total
0
Shares
0
0
0
Listen to this article

All my heart rejoices

by Shaw Clifton, General –

What a night! The night our Savior was born! A night to rejoice with all our hearts!

Sweet angel voices, sounding far and near, announced his birth: Christ is born! It was as though the entire sky announced this matchless message. Joy filled the air. Joy-bells still ring to hail his coming.

If we listen carefully, our ear attuned, we can still hear the holy baby’s first cry from the manger in Bethlehem. It is as though from birth he has been calling us, entreating, pleading with us to flee from the snares and dangers that await our souls. “Come to me,” he says. “Leave all that grieves and burdens you. I can offer freedom. I can give you all you need.”

So let us accept his divine invitation, you and I together. Let us do so without delay. He invites us all. He calls to the lowly and the great alike. We cannot impress him with our education or our income, so whoever we are we approach him together with awe and wonder as equals. He invites us to commit ourselves to him. He wants us to return the love he offers us all. The Christmas star, high and bright in the sky, is a hope-filled sign of divine love.

Coming to the newborn Christ-child is a signal that we have come to our senses. We come to him, deciding to live in obedience to him, and finding our hope of Heaven in him. He offers us the matchless prospect of living with him forever. Who else promises matchless joy both now and in all eternity?

For all these reasons my heart rejoices. Christ is born!

By General Shaw Clifton
with acknowledgements to Paulus Gerhardt (1607-76)
and The Song Book of The Salvation Army, No 73

Download this page as a PDF

You May Also Like