A Christmas Story

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A Christmas Story
William Branham

There was an old shoe cobbler, and I believe it was in Germany where he--he'd make their shoes. And one day while... In his spare time he used to pick up the Bible, and he would read It. He'd read the context and the text in the Scripture, and he got real deeply sincere. He said, "You know," he said, "I--I... When this Christmas comes around, I'm not going to light up any Christmas tree." But he said, "You know what?" He said, "I'm going to get a--a big dinner, and I'm going to cook my--roast my lamb, and I'm going to get my cranberries, and all my sauce and things." And he was just by himself. And he said, "I'm going to set it on the table. And I'm going to invite Jesus to come set across the table from me. I want to know God's Messiah and what I can do in respects." He said, "I--I'm going to do all this. And then I'm going to set down at the table, and I'm going to ask the blessing; and I'm going to thank God for what He's give me. And then I'm going to say, 'Lord Jesus, won't You come and set down across here, just for Christmas dinner with me?'"

The simplicity, God always hears that, sincerity. And the old cobbler saved up his money to get such a dinner, you know, and would be invited to the King of kings. And he set it down, and he had it cooked, and he set it out on a table. And he cleaned himself real good, and he groomed himself, and combed his hair. And he set down at the table, and set a chair for Jesus, and some more chairs setting around. "It might be for the apostles," he said, "if they might come in."
So the old fellow bowed his head, and he asked the blessing, and--and thanked God for the food. And he said, "Now, Jesus, won't You come and dine with me for this Christmas dinner? And he started eating and watching the chair. No one come. He eat a little bit more, and he said, "Lord God, I've invited You to my home. Won't You come and be with me?" And he started to reach over and get something to eat, and someone knocked at the door.
And he went to the door. He was an old man, stooped in shoulders, ragged. He said, "Kind sir, I'm cold, would you let me get warm?"
And he said, "Step in." And he came in, and he smelled that aroma of the food; his mouth kind of watered; he turned around. Will you set down?" Said, "I'm expecting company, but would you set down and just eat with me till the company comes?"
He said, "Thank you. I would be glad to." And he set down, and they had dinner. The old man thanked him, got up and went.

And the--the cobbler turned around; he said, "Lord God, why did You disappoint me?" Said, "I made everything so ready. I did all that I knowed how to do. (If you'll just do that...) I done all that I know how to do, and thought You would come in and dine with me." And he got to weeping; he run and fell across the bed. And he was laying there on the bed, weeping. "I--I--I done everything that I thought was right, Lord, and why didn't You come to dine with me?"
And a voice came to him, and he remembered the Scriptures, "Insomuch as you have done unto the least of these My little ones, you have done it unto Me."

The Falling Apart Of The World - 62-1216 - William Branham