This event occurred during my tenure as a Letter Carrier for the U.S.P.S. To set the scene: the President of my Letter Carrier Union asked if I would lead the prayer at their Christmas Banquet. I agreed, on the condition that I could speak for five minutes. He replied, "Take as long as you need; Lord knows we all need it."
Our Local Postal Union encompasses the entire 609 zip code area, which includes several cities, so a significant number of Carriers attend.
Just five minutes before I was due to speak, a fellow Letter Carrier approached me, pointed his finger, and said, "I heard you're going to pray and speak. Don't mention the name Jesus, or I'll heckle you." The Union President, who was standing nearby, intervened, warning the man that he would be removed if he caused a disturbance. Then he assured me, "I've got your back."
When it was time for me to speak, I began by declaring that Jesus was the reason for the season. Following that, I posed a question to the audience: "What does Christmas mean to you?" The answer is in this poem, a poem written by my wife Gleneva.
There is More to Christmas Than a Tree
Christmas is a time of caring,
Laughing, giving, and also sharing.
Christ came as a babe in the night,
So we could learn how to fight.
Each day as His celebration draws near,
It's as if I could almost hear.
The Angels proclaim His birth to all,
Saying for each of us to heed the call.
Christ is coming for all men,
That's why His blood covers all our sins.
The manger, the Hay, the Lights the Star,
Which on that night came from afar.
Leading, guiding, and directing wise men,
Which took them places they had not been.
There is more to Christmas than just a tree,
Tensile and garland won't set me free.
Then the day came He gave His life,
So all men would know life.
He gave His all for me and you,
He then instructed us to go and do.
So don't forget the reason He came,
Without Christ in Christmas,
It would never be the same.
written by: Gleneva Lundmark
I spoke a few more words before proceeding to pray. After the prayer, we joined the buffet line. Two ladies from two separate Post Offices came up to me that evening and stated that what I said spoke to them. One revealed that she had planned for this to be her last meal before committing suicide, but she had reconsidered. She now realized that Jesus was her hope. She now sees, Jesus was her hope. Another Carrier came over to me and mentioned that what I spoke has made a difference and has changed her thinking.
I praise God for His Word for it is truly alive and active and can change us and turn us around.
Testimony by Paul V. Lundmark
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