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Previous Challenge Entry
Topic: Service (12/21/03)
TITLE: Joeys Christmas
By Kenneth Franklin
12/24/03
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Christmas Eve Service ended with the Pastor telling a story about a little boy named Joey, He was a hard to deal with boy who always was in trouble, and never well behaved. The boy had no friends for the meanest in him kept the other children away. One Christmas Eve morning as he and his family left Church and headed home, as they drove in the car, Joey looked out the window and watch the beautiful snow fall, his mined drifted off into a trance of a few days earlier in the playground at school, as he watch the other kids talk about all the Christmas gifts that they were going to receive, all but the new boy at school; he had started school there a few days earlier. He just hung his head and walked away and sat by himself at the edge of the playground. Joey walked up to him “Hey, what’s the matter , don’t you want to brag to the other kids about your Christmas surprise” as the boy looked up with tears in his eyes “ no I don’t, all the other kids will get great toys and cool stuff” “SO!”, Joey snapped back at him, “you won’t understand” the boy went on to say, “My father is in the army and he got call to service in the war , and mom cannot work she needs to stay home with my little bother, and cares for his sickness. With the little pay that my father receives from the army we cannot afford many things that’s why we moved from our house to here to live in the cheaper apartments, and we will not have a Christmas this year, what money we have left from the bills needs to go to the doctor and medicine for my bother. So I won’t have any surprises for Christmas, and the boy just jumped up and ran away. Joey watch as the boy ran down the street. That night as Joey laid in bed he tried to think all the many things under the tree for him but his mind kept going back to early in the week when he talked to the new boy. No Christmas, how can he have no Christmas . So as he laid there he started to pray “ God I know that I don’t pray or talk to you much, but the new boy needs help, can you see to it that they have a wonderful Christmas?” And just then an idea came to Joey, he jumped up out of bed got dressed and snuck to the Christmas tree, found three presents with his name on them grabbed his coat and he ran the several blocks to the apartments and looked on the mail boxes and found the number of the new boy, he laid the gifts at the door, ran home, laid down in bed and said “Thank you Lord for the help!” and quickly feel to sleep. The next week when they were back in school Joey stood and watch the children talk and brag on the toys they had received, the new boy jumped up said loudly that he had the greatest Christmas ever and he now truly knows that there is a Santa Claus and Joey again looked up to the sky and said “Thank you God I know that there is a God now,.” as he turned and walked away . Joey was never the same after this experience.
As the Pastor’s congregation left the church, one of his parishioners walked up and shook his hand said wonderful sermon and touching story Pastor Joseph.

Rev. Kenneth R. Franklin