Trans-South Wrestling's video: The Pirate of Winyah Bay a Christmas story by Kirk H Neely

This was recorded on Dec. 23, 2012 at Morningside Baptist Church in Spartanburg, South Carolina. Music performed by the church choir, Freddie Vanderford, Fayssoux McLean, and David Ezell. http://kirkhneely.com/2013/12/15/christmas-stories/ kirkhneely.com "The season of Advent presents many challenges to a pastor. One is to tell the old, old story of Jesus' birth to people who have heard it over and over again, as well as to those for whom it is only vaguely familiar. The preaching task is to retain and restore the mystery and wonder of the original story. We have the responsibility of liberating Mary and Joseph, the shepherds, and the magi from their confinement as stained-glass icons; we must free them to be real people again. The second challenge is to remember that Christmas is a time of sharp emotional contrasts. Many people have little difficulty finding joy in the season, but December brings sadness to others. For those who are hurting, the coming of Christmas may be filled with dread, despair, bitterness, and anger. Some are freshly wounded; others carry deep scars from years gone by. For them, Christmas is anything but "the season to be jolly." They suffer while others celebrate. In forty-seven years of pastoral ministry, I have learned that the best way to present the message of hope and love that is at the heart of Christmas is through stories that parallel and perhaps merge with the original story. My first year as pastor at Morningside Baptist Church, I told a Christmas story as the sermon on the last Sunday of Advent. I recounted my role as Joseph in a children's Christmas play long ago at Croft Baptist Church. The story of that pageant is included in my book Santa Almost Got Caught. Several friends encouraged me to present a new story every Christmas. In subsequent years, on the Sunday before December 25, we have replaced the pulpit with an easy chair. There I can sit and share an original Christmas story. The Morningside congregation has been delighted with the change in format. Nine of those stories have been collected in the book Comfort and Joy, published in 2005 by Hub City Writers Project. The premise of these original stories is that the holidays do not necessarily bring cheer for everyone, but the season does offer comfort and joy."