Article December 8, 1986 Issue

Christmas: recollections and expectations

Virginia T. Guffin

It's December 24. We're on a semitropical island where I've just had a brisk walk on the beach. The beauty of the day, the brilliance of the sun, the blue of sky and ocean, the firm sand under my feet, and the freshness of the wind are remarkable. But the date has reminded me of something far more important. I recall with growing appreciation what the advent of Christ Jesus has meant to me individually and to all the world.

On my Christmas Eve walk I thought about how the Master was impelled by the power of God. I thought of the events of his birth; the way he drew disciples (Peter and Andrew, James and John, left their fishing nets at once to answer his call);^{See Mark 1:16–20 .} his marvelous ability to meet human needs in healing sickness, disability, and sin, stilling the storm at sea immediately, feeding thousands with just a few loaves and fishes, raising the dead, and even more.

Surely the Master's endowment with Christ, Truth, prepared him to do such wonderful works apparently effortlessly. Yet the Gospels record times when he faced fierce opposition. In fact, from the earliest days of his ministry there were those who tried to put him down.

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