Be it THANKSGIVING, CHRISTMAS DAY

¶ Having recently traveled through that most magnificent display of the year, the Lord’s Great Grand Finale, which, as I have said before, symbolically speaking, signals the final stages of Life, I found myself riding beneath the tattered remnants of what was once, only a week or two ago, the indescribable, ever-changing, artistry of the Lord, His Great Grant Finale, The Fall Of the Year. Each masterpiece above and all about me, of which there were myriads, were continually changing, and even though they faithfully tried to cling to the branches from which they sprang, descended from their lofty heights; some, one by one, some fifty to one hundred to thousands at a time  Some drifted down with all the grace of a butterfly to rest gently upon the earth, while some, in wild array did show their stuff in the whirling winds of Autumn. Others, relieved of all life while carrying out a very commendable, stubborn endurance to maintain their illustrious glory, were, in a most berated manner, stripped from the boughs from which they were born and driven to the bleak and barren ground of humility below by the unrelenting, stiff, and rakish winds of winter. Some found their appointed places in the fields and forests of the wilderness, while others blew aimlessly about until they were no more.

¶ Now I’m not sure where these thoughts come from, but they are indeed lovely to ponder.  I find it quite astonishing that the Joy of Spring, the Rich Abundance of Summer, and the Majesty of Fall are, like the Seasons of Our Lives, so neatly folded up and tucked away for the Winter to rest neath the silent tranquility of the hush of the Season by an Unseen Hand; not to be awakened again until that Lucky Old Sun, that Ain’t Got Nothin’ More T’ Do but Roll Around Heaven All Day, decides to draw near by crossing that Stellar Equatorial Line in the Great Celestial Expanse of the Heavens Above to beckon a Dozing Treasure asleep in the Earth below to awaken out of the serene solitude of a long winter’s night – to come forth and Show Her Stuff.

¶ Up ahead, however, it looks as though the fiery brilliance of God’s Great Grand Finale has given way to the harbingers of Old Man Winter. As the ominous weight of the End of Days does, day by day, descend upon the earth, and the golden rays of the Autumn sun are splintered into nothing more than razor-like slivers by the cold, grey steel of winter, there is a Peace that surpasses all understanding and a Joy unspeakable that has colonized my heart. Honestly, it is not me, but only this body that has grown old and is about to return to the dust, and at that, only for a season. For like the One Who is not ashamed to call me His brother¹, this old body will, like HIS, in that New and Eternal Spring of the Year, come out of the grave, be Fashioned in the Likeness of Christ, and live with Him forever throughout the Ages of Eternity. (1 Thessalonians 4:16,17, Hebrews 2:11, ¹wcv&²)

¶ Why, I can hear the earth as never before, moaning, groaning, and weeping for His Return. (Romans 8:22-30, ¹wcv)  Having come through the Joy of Spring, the Abundance of Summer, and the Courtilest, yet most Fiery Fall of My Years, I must now traverse the Last Leg of My Journey wherein lie the greatest tests and trials of all, for it is there that the stiff, cruel, and heartless Winds of Winter along with Satan’s Icy Leviathans, Hateful Harriers, Pulpit Bullys, False Prophets, False Brethren, and Fleecers of the Flock; Bushwhackers, one and all …must, in all finality, be overcome by the Warm Wisdom of God. Not only are the heavens lowering, and the days growing darker by the minute, but the neck-a-the-woods through which I must now pass seem to have become the rendezvous of every Icy Leviathan, Hateful Harrier, Pulpit Bully, Bushwhacker, and Fleecer of the Flock on the planet. Shadowy Figures they are; some lovely to look at, but in the Eyes of the Spirit, they are gaunt, lean, and fiercely bent; icy-hearted creatures you dare not trust and with whom you best not parley. (Revelation 18:4, 2 Corinthians 6:16,17, ¹wcv&²)

Oh, that I might come across, in that vast wilderness that lies out there before me, a Lodging Place for wayfaring men, such as myself, that I might get out from amongst these harriers and bushwhackers, for they are a treacherous bunch. (Jeremiah 9:2, ¹wcv&²)

…. Nonetheless, Be it THANKSGIVING or CHRISTMAS DAY,  I will, whether in the safety of a Lodge or in the perils of the wilderness, come hell and high water, the icey Leviathian of Winter, or a bright Son-Lit-Day, LIFT UP MY HANDS and PRAISE YOU, and WORSHIP YOU, and THANK YOU, O LORD, FOR YOU HAVE BEEN SO GOOD TO ME!!!

1 Oh, Lord, how amiable and pleasant is Your House.   

 

2 My soul does long and my heart does yearn for You, my LORD, even my flesh cries out for You! 

 

3 Yes, in Whose House even the sparrow has found a place of rest, and the swallow is allowed to build a nest, where even they may lay their young upon the alter of Your Great Love, O LORD of hosts, my King and my God.

 

5 Blessed is the man whose strength is in You. Whose heart is undeterred while traveling that Old Heartworn Highway that leads to the City of their God, that City Not Made By The Hands Of Man.

 

6 Blessed are those who, when passing through the Valley of Weeping make it a place of fresh water springs for the thirsty that follow, causing the Oak and the Sweet sugar Maple to spring up.

 

7 Yes, we who go from Strength to Strength (while travelling this Old Heartworn Highway, have, just like Enoch, stepped out of this Present Evil World, will soon and very soon), gaze upon Your Face, in the City of Our God, that City Not Made By The Hands Of Man.

 

10 Far better is one day in Your house than thousands elsewhere. Why, I would rather be a Keeper of Your Door than to rule in an earthly palace of the wicked.  (Psalm 84:2,3,5,6,7,10, ¹wcv & ²)

 

Summary

¶ On this long, yet oh so short, Adventure that we are all on, I have witnessed much. I have seen men spend their whole lives Beating a Dead Horse! I have seen men spend their entire lives chasing tumbleweeds through a land so dry and barren that they themselves became one! I have seen men spend their entire lives pursuing mirages until they die of thirst. I have seen men gain the whole world and lose their souls, all because they refused to “Look Up”!  This very “HOUR”, I see multitudes swallowed up in the “Christian Cultures” of this here Land of Ours who want Jesus Christ as their Savior but refuse His “Lordship”.  Christ Himself says in Luke 6:46, “Why do you call Me Lord and not do what I say?…Do you not know that FRIENDSHIP WITH THE WORLD is HOSTILITY TOWARDS GOD, THAT WHOEVER IS A FRIEND OF THE WORLD IS AN ENEMY OF GOD” (James 4:4). The water doesn’t get more clear than that!

Truly, I do Love ’em, well, some of ’em, but I ain’t of ’em! None of ’em!

You see, if JESUS CHRIST is truly our “LORD”, EVERY DAY is THANKSGIVING DAY!

Now AIN’T THAT SO!?

HANDS ON THE WHEEL  by Will Callery / Waylonson Pub. Co. ©1975 BMI

 

¹wcv / My Emphasis, My Version (always taken from the Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic, & Arabic translations, definitions, and connotations)

² / My Insert(s)

AIN’T IT SO is published by William & Cynthia Pub. Co. ©2023 {All Rights Reserved}

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