「人要稱祂的名為以馬內利。」－馬太福音1:23
卡片裡面記著一則故事：
某個聖誕早晨，牧師在書桌前打了小盹，魂遊象外到了一個耶穌未曾拜訪過的世界。
夢境裡出現了他自己的房子，而他發現壁爐旁的長襪不見了，鈴鐺和冬青花環也不翼而飛；基督的安慰、喜樂和救贖也蕩然無存。
他走出大街，看不見指引向天的教堂尖頂；他只好回到書房，卻竟也找不著一本關於救主的書。
門鈴忽然響起，一個孩子請他去探望他臨終的母親。
他匆匆忙忙隨著哭泣的孩子趕去。進入房裡，他坐了下來，向這位母親說：「這裡有一句安慰的話」。他在聖經裡東翻西找，試著翻出任何一節熟悉的應許；然而這本聖經只停在瑪拉基書，沒有福音，也沒有盼望和救恩的應許，他只能伏著臉和他們在深淵的絕望中啜泣。
兩天後，他站在棺木旁主持葬禮，卻找不到一篇安慰人心的信息，聖經裡既沒有主榮耀的復活，也沒有天國敞開的門，只有一句「塵歸於塵，土歸於土」，和無終的別離。
他才明白，原來「祂未曾來過」，他聲淚俱下，放聲而哭，終於從悲哀的惡夢中驚醒過來。
那一剎那，他的嘴唇情不自禁迸發出歡欣跳躍的呼喊，因為他聽到詩班在不遠處的教堂裡唱著：
「來吧！忠信的信徒，喜樂又得勝；來吧！一同上到伯利恆。
同來朝見我主，我的萬王之王，萬主之主；
同來朝拜我救主，耶穌基督。」
今天，我們理當歡喜快樂，因為「祂已降臨」。讓我們記住天使的宣報：
「看哪，我報給你們大喜的好信息，是關乎萬民的。因今天在大衛的城裡，為你們生了救主，就是主基督。」（路加福音2:10-11）
"His name shall be called Emmanuel . . . God with us." (Matt. 1:23) ."The Prince of Peace" (Isa. 9:6).
"There's a song in the air!
There's a star in the sky!
There's a mother's deep prayer,
And a baby's low cry!
And the star rains its fire
While the beautiful sing,
For the manger of Bethlehem cradles a King."
A few years ago a striking Christmas card was published, with the title, "If Christ had not come." It was founded upon our Saviour's words, "If I had not come." The card represented a clergyman falling into a short sleep in his study on Christmas morning and dreaming of a world into which Jesus had never come.
In his dream he found himself looking through his home, but there were no little stockings in the chimney corner, no Christmas bells or wreaths of holly, and no Christ to comfort, gladden and save. He walked out on the public street, but there was no church with its spire pointing to Heaven. He came back and sat down in his library, but every book about the Saviour had disappeared.
A ring at the door-bell, and a messenger asked him to visit a poor dying mother. He hastened with, the weeping child and as he reached the home he sat down and said, "I have something here that will comfort you." He opened his Bible to look for a familiar promise, but it ended at Malachi, and there was no gospel and no promise of hope and salvation, and he could only bow his head and weep with her in bitter despair.
Two days afterward he stood beside her coffin and conducted the funeral service, but there was no message of consolation, no word of a glorious resurrection, no open Heaven, but only "dust to dust, ashes to ashes," and one long eternal farewell. He realized at length that "He had not come," and burst into tears and bitter weeping in his sorrowful dream.
Suddenly he woke with a start, and a great shout of joy and praise burst from his lips as he heard his choir singing in his church close by:
"O come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant,
O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem;
Come and behold Him, born the King of Angels,
O come let us adore Him, Christ, the Lord."
Let us be glad and rejoice today, because "He has come." And let us remember the annunciation of the angel, "Behold I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people, for unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord." (Luke 2:10, 11).
