Jesus stood on the banks of the pure, crystal clear river as it flowed silently by Him in majesty. He knew these waters were His Father’s concentrated divine love that flowed from His throne on its course between heaven and earth.

The scenery around Him was radiant with the glory of His Presence. The trees shimmered with a life that glowed as if the sun had been captured within the very fibers of their trunks, branches and leaves. The colors were deep, rich, living colors that radiated the essence of life in the grass, the flowers and even the stones beneath His feet. The birds sang with a joyousness that was born of the symphony of angels. All was living beauty.

As Christ contemplated the waters of the River of Life, He could see all that transpired in the world of men, earth, as it was called by some. His world, which was His from the beginning of time, even before it was created. The same world which He had salvaged from sin’s complete destruction.

The radiant light of His countenance dimmed for a fleeting moment as the pain in His heart brought tears to His eyes. It was as though a cloud passed over the sun in the scenery around Him as it responded to His compassion for earth.

“Why? Why can you not believe My words and be free from the terrible suffering and darkness you bring upon yourselves? Why can you not remember that you are children of God and need not put yourselves in bondage to sin? Do you not hear My Father’s great love each time the birds sing? Have you not felt the love of My heart for you each time the rays of the sun fall warm upon your face? Do you not hear my yearning calls to you, as that which is a part of me buried deep within your souls, entreats you to return to your Father’s house? Have you not learned yet that sin is insanity?

“You say you want to live, but do all you can to die. You say you want to be happy, but spurn the laws of happiness. You claim you want the best for your children, but despoil their future by polluting and destroying their world, abusing their minds and their bodies, thus leaving them not even the dregs of a good life. All these things you do are sin. Sin is insanity.

“You take words like righteousness (the right use of all things) and charity (to love your fellow man) and twist them into ugly, belittling terms to give yourselves excuse for discarding them. But, having discarded them, you still expect their rewards to be your own. These things are sin. Sin is insanity.

“You inflict wounds upon yourselves with the weapons of hate, greed and self pity and wonder why you hurt. You corrupt yourselves with lust and wonder why you rot with disease and illness. These things are sin.  Sin is insanity.

“Do not stand in denial saying these things are not sin. That these things are being your ‘own person’. exercising your own ‘free will’. Do you not realize that in sin you are the ‘sin’s person’, and your will is ruled over by that sin? What you speak as truth is only deception, and the worst of deception because you inflict it upon yourselves.

“Even when you celebrate my coming to earth, you do not celebrate my gift of love which I gave you on the cross. Nor do you celebrate my power and victory over the darkness that would keep you in bondage, which I accomplished when I rose from death. Rather you focus on my weakest time, when I was a babe and subject to the care of others. Yet you would think it absurd to turn back the years and have your family and friends focus on you only as a baby for your birthday celebration.

“Telling the story of my birth is only the beginning. It was not the babe that died on the cross. Nor was it the babe who rose from the dead, victorious over all darkness. Let Christmas be focused on the ‘whole story’, from birth to resurrection, and who I am today.

“As I promised you, I am with you always. And I offer you the balm that will heal your sin-sickness and restore your sanity. Which balm is the Love of God from the River of Life.”

As Christ poured out His heart in love to those upon earth, slowly, here and there heads began to lift and look up toward Him in recognition. They had heard His words and felt His love and recognized their need for His healing balm.

In joyous response, Christ smiled and the heavens around Him became even more glorious than before. So wondrous was the expression of light in the trees, flowers and land they were almost lost in the glorious light as they sang with the birds, sounding forth a mighty symphony of majesty as they rejoiced with their King as He smiled upon the children of men.

Spreading His arms wide as He continued to look upon the upturned faces on earth, His voice thundered across the heavens and filled all of the earth as He said, “My Holy Spirit and those who are mine say come. And those of you who hear and understand, turn to your brothers and sisters and say come.  All who are thirsty, come.  And whoever desires and wants to, come. Come unto me all you that are weary and heavy laden with the burden of the sins of this world, and receive the balm of your healing. Drink of the waters of life freely.  And I will give you rest!”