Editorial note: There are no planned meetings locally this week as far as I can tell, believe me I looked. So today's edition I am sharing with you news stories of the holiday. I want to wish all of my readership all over the globe, a Merry Christmas, and hopefully a happy new year.
WEEKLY ADDRESS: Merry Christmas from the President and the First Lady
In this week’s address, the President and the First Lady wished all Americans a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. They reflected on the honor of serving the American people as President and First Lady over the past eight years and the progress that has been made. The President and the First Lady recognized our troops and their families for their service, and they encouraged everyone to visit JoiningForces.gov to find out how to support service members, veterans, and military families in your community.
The White House December 24, 2016
REF: https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2016/12/24/weekly-address-merry-christmas-president-and-first-lady
THE PRESIDENT: Merry Christmas everybody! One of the best parts of the holiday season is spending time with the special people in your life. And for me, that means getting some help from my best friend for our annual Christmas Weekly Address.
THE FIRST LADY: Given how our first Christmas Weekly Address went, I realized that Barack needed all the help he could get.
THE FIRST LADY: Celebrating the holidays in the White House over these past eight years has been a true privilege. We’ve been able to welcome over half a million guests… our outstanding pastry chefs have baked 200,000 holiday cookies… and Barack has treated the American people to countless dad jokes.
THE PRESIDENT: Although a few got a…Frosty reception.
THE FIRST LADY: This year’s White House holiday theme is “The Gift of the Holidays,” and our decorations reflect some of our greatest gifts as a nation: from our incredible military families, to the life-changing impact of a great education.
THE PRESIDENT: And the greatest gift that Michelle and I have received over the last eight years has been the honor of serving as your President and First Lady. Together, we fought our way back from the worst recession in 80 years, and got unemployment to a nine-year low. We secured health insurance for another twenty million Americans, and new protections for folks who already had insurance. We made America more respected around the world, took on the mantle of leadership in the fight to protect this planet for our kids, and much, much more.
By so many measures, our country is stronger and more prosperous than it was when we first got here. And I’m hopeful we’ll build on the progress we’ve made in the years to come.
Tomorrow, for the final time as the First Family, we will join our fellow Christians around the world to rejoice in the birth of our Savior. And as we retell His story from that Holy Night, we’ll also remember His eternal message, one of boundless love, compassion and hope.
THE FIRST LADY: The idea that we are our brother’s keeper and our sister’s keeper. That we should treat others as we would want to be treated. And that we care for the sick… feed the hungry… and welcome the stranger… no matter where they come from, or how they practice their faith.
THE PRESIDENT: Those are values that help guide not just my family’s Christian faith, but that of Jewish Americans, and Muslim Americans; nonbelievers and Americans of all backgrounds. And no one better embodies that spirit of service than the men and women who wear our country’s uniform and their families.
THE FIRST LADY: As always, many of our troops are far from home this time of year, and their families are serving and sacrificing right along with them. Their courage and dedication allow the rest of us to enjoy this season. That’s why we’ve tried to serve them as well as they’ve served this country. Go to JoiningForces.gov to see how you can honor and support the service members, veterans and military families in your community – not just during the holidays, but all year round.
THE PRESIDENT: So as we look forward to the New Year, let’s resolve to recommit ourselves to the values we share. And on behalf of the all the Obamas – Michelle, Malia, Sasha, Bo, and that troublemaker Sunny – Merry Christmas, everybody.
THE FIRST LADY: And we wish you and your family a happy and healthy 2017… thanks, and God bless.
Christmas time related stories and commentaries
Merry Christmas From Bibi Netanyahu--PJ MEDIA
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu posted a splendid Christmas message for his "Christian brothers and sisters" on Facebook Friday. From the courtyard of Jerusalem's International Christian Embassy Netanyahu said, "To all of our Christian friends around the world, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!"
https://pjmedia.com/video/merry-christmas-from-bibi-netanyahu/
Patriot Post: The Islamic Terrorists Wage Real War on Christmas
2016 hasn’t been a hot year for discussions of a rhetorical war on Christmas in our malls or public schools. Maybe we’ve tuned out the secular hostility in our culture. We’ve gone from banning Linus reading from the Gospel of Luke to banning Christmas to banning Santa Claus to banning even the thought of a holiday, since it might not be for others.
https://patriotpost.us/opinion/46608
CS MONITOR: Looking beyond the holidays
DECEMBER 22, 2016 —A news photo Dec. 21 shows a line of 25 buses packed with evacuees crawling away from embattled Aleppo, Syria, through heavy snow. About 3,000 people, both rebel fighters and civilians, were among the last to flee the advancing troops of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
http://www.csmonitor.com/Commentary/the-monitors-view/2016/1222/Looking-beyond-the-holidays
CNSNEWS: Christmas with the Presidents, from Washington to Reagan
Christmas is a time of celebration and coming together, of letting go of old—and not so old—hurts and looking forward to a new day and a new year.
http://www.cnsnews.com/commentary/lee-edwards/christmas-presidents-washington-reagan
DAILY SIGNAL: 5 Ways the Feds Might Trip Up Santa Claus This Year
While most people know Jolly Old Saint Nick as a friendly figure, he too is not immune from the perils of administrative overreach and overcriminalization.
To get you in the Christmas spirit, here is a list of some of the potential crimes and violations of federal law Saint Nick as he prepares to take flight for 2016.
http://dailysignal.com/2016/12/22/5-ways-the-irs-might-trip-up-santa-claus-this-year/
AMERICAN SPECTATOR: Will Palestinian Christians Survive Another Christmas?
Christmas is supposed to be a happy time of rejoicing and being together with the ones you love. But in the city where it all began, it is coming dangerously close to being celebrated for the last time. In Bethlehem, along with the rest of the Palestinian-controlled territories, the Christian population is dwindling rapidly as it lives under the threat of extinction.
https://spectator.org/will-palestinian-christians-survive-another-christmas/
Sean Hannity: Read Putin's 'Christmas Letter' To President-Elect Trump
In the letter, which is dated December 15th, President Putin expressed his hopes that Trump's presidency will see an increase in cooperation between the United States and Russia.
http://www.hannity.com/articles/hanpr-election-493995/read-putins-christmas-letter-to-presidentelect-15416739/
WP: Where is God?
It is one of the common questions of eighth-grade theology (which is generally more insightful and useful than post-doctoral theology): If God really exists, why doesn’t he show himself in some dramatic, undeniable way?
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/where-is-god/2016/12/23/495ebfca-c881-11e6-85b5-76616a33048d_story.html?utm_term=.859c38e0353e
NY TIMES: Humanizing Jesus
Early in my Christian pilgrimage, as a young man struggling to understand the implications of a story I had only a surface knowledge of, I stumbled onto a theological insight.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/23/opinion/humanizing-jesus.html?ref=opinion&_r=0
WASHINGTON TIMES: Obama’s Hawaii Christmas vacations cost taxpayers $35 million over 8 years
For the last time, taxpayers are paying for a Hawaiian Christmas vacation for President Obama and his family, an annual luxury getaway that has cost the Treasury easily more than $35 million over eight years.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/dec/22/obamas-hawaii-christmas-vacations-cost-taxpayers-3/
CBS NEWS: 5,000-year-old "nativity scene" reportedly found in Egypt
Italian researchers may have discovered the oldest nativity scene ever found, predating Christian nativity art by about three millennia, according to the travel and exploration website Seeker.
http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/5000-year-old-nativity-scene-reportedly-found-in-egypt/ar-BBxv6b3?li=BBnbfcL
Winter weather may be a bummer for jolly holiday travelers (AP)
CHICAGO — It'll be a white Christmas for the northern Plains and some Western states, but it's likely to cause troublesome travel.
http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/winter-weather-may-be-a-bummer-for-jolly-holiday-travelers/ar-BBxwNAG
Christmas cards get holy touch with Bethlehem postmark (AP)
BETHLEHEM, N.H. — Instead of mailing her Christmas cards from her local post office, Sherry Wareing drove 20 miles roundtrip to a small post office in a White Mountains town of about 2,500.
http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/christmas-cards-get-holy-touch-with-bethlehem-postmark/ar-BBxuImm
A Struggling Theme Park Asks: Do You Still Believe in Santa?---NY TIMES
NORTH POLE, N.Y. — On a snowy shoulder of Whiteface Mountain in the Adirondacks, beyond hand-painted signs advertising “North Pole, N.Y.” and “Rides, Shops, Shows,” several parking attendants pushed a sedan, its tires spinning, into a packed lot. The car’s occupants spilled out, joining other families who high-stepped through snowdrifts — just about everyone smiling, some tossing snowballs — toward the entrance to Santa’s Workshop, a theme park from another era.
http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/a-struggling-theme-park-asks-do-you-still-believe-in-santa/ar-BBxuNhp
NY DAILY NEWS: O, little lamb, who made thee? A Christmas tale
It was cold in the stable that night, and the animals were huddled together for warmth. The cows and the oxen and the donkeys.
http://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/o-lamb-made-thee-christmas-tale-article-1.2921538
NY POST: US warns of possible attacks on churches, holiday gatherings
WASHINGTON — Federal authorities warned law enforcement authorities across the nation Friday that Islamic State sympathizers are continuing to call for attacks on churches and other holiday gathering sites.
http://nypost.com/2016/12/24/us-warns-of-possible-attacks-on-churches-holiday-gatherings/
DAILY DEVOTIONAL:
Is Christmas the Birthday of Jesus?--Truth for the World
