THE STORY IS TOLD OF A PERSIAN KING who loved his people very much. To know and understand them better, he would occasionally mingle with his subjects in various disguises. One day he went as a poor man to the public baths and in a tiny cellar sat beside the fireman who tended the furnace. When it was mealtime the king shared his food and talked to his lonely subject as a friend.

Again and again he visited and the man grew to love him. One day the king told the fireman who he was. He expected the man to ask him for a gift of some sort, but to his amazement that did not happen. Instead, the man sat gazing at his ruler with love and wonder and at last he said, “You left your palace and your glory to sit with me in this dark place, to eat of my coarse food, to care whether my heart is glad or sad. On others you may bestow presents, but to me you have given yourself, and it only remains for me to pray that you never withdraw the gift of your friendship.”

This beautiful story reminds us that Christ, whose birth we celebrate at Christmas, left the glories of heaven in order to share himself with us. That gift of his love and friendship will never be withdrawn from us. He chose to be our friend forever. Doesn't that make your heart leap with joy? To be a friend of God! What an awesome thought. The Lord of Glory wants to know us personally--to sit with us in our dark and light moments and love us right where we are. No wonder we sing, "Joy to the world, the LORD has come."