It's Christmas day at last! And what can one write or say that hasn't been said "many times, many ways" -  but merry Christmas to you?

I hope you're surrounded by loved ones-- family and friends, 'cause that's what really makes this holiday special, but even if you're not, I hope that the "reason for the season" will touch your heart and fill you with a "comfort and joy" as never before! That reason is, of course, that the Creator of the universe loves us so much that He has given us Jesus.

In Hebrew the word Yeshua means "salvation." That is what "Jesus" was actually named and in that place and time He would have been known as "Yeshua Ben Yosef." The definition of salvation is: "Preservation or deliverance from destruction, difficulty, or evil." In Christianity, salvation generally means deliverance or redemption from the power or penalty of sin.

Jesus is also called the "Messiah" or, in the Hebrew, "Mashiah," which means "anointed." In the biblical usage it means the One anointed by God. My favorite references to Jesus are those found in the prophecies given by the prophet Isaiah who lived 700 years before the Messiah was born.

Isaiah 7:14: "Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign. Behold a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son and his name shall be called Emmanuel." Emmanuel means, "God with us." Isaiah 9:8: "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace."

There was a time in years past when it seemed that I would have to spend Christmas alone. I didn't like it. As a matter of fact, I was terribly depressed! I had grown up in a home where our parents made Christmas a warm, lovely time filled with music, fellowship and, most important, focused on God's greatest gift to mankind: the Messiah.

It was during this loneliest of times that I prayed most fervently that I wouldn't have to spend Christmas alone and that I would feel the presence of the Messiah. I am so very thankful that those prayers were answered more awesomely than I could have imagined!

On Christmas Eve, I left work and drove slowly and despondently to my cold, dark, lonely house. But when I arrived home, there was a car in the drive and the house was brightly lit. There were lovely decorations in the windows and on the doors, and when I opened the door I was met by warmth and the delicious odors of cooking food. A bea.jpgully decorated Christmas tree was sparkling merrily in the living room.

I stood there overwhelmed and speechless. Then my sister, Mary Ida, and her three teenaged boys jumped out laughing and yelling, "Surprise!" What a wonderful surprise it was! They had given up the comfort of their own warm, comfortable home to drive many, many miles to bring joy - to dispel my loneliness. On Christmas morning, my mother and younger sister, Milly, joined the celebration. What a happy time! They gave me the most memorable Christmas I have ever known -  a gift of love.

It is my Christmas wish that you all are blessed with not so much stuff, but loving, caring people all around you. Except for that one most wonderful, matchless gift -- the Messiah -- this is the very best the world has to offer! Merry Christmas!

T&D Columnist Rush Button can be reached by e-mail at buttonrl@aol.com or by phone at 803-534-3724. His column appears every Tuesday.

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