The last few hours of The Advent of Christ are before us. We can wait no longer and we don’t need to. Our hunger for hope, peace, joy, and love, is hard to bear; We prepare the meal we will eat tonight after church. We know we will be hungry for that food too,
but I want my hunger for Jesus to be foremost!
We can stay awake watching long into the night, or go to sleep and let Him be born in peace. Either is fine, for in the morning we will have the certainty of Jesus’ birth!
The birth that shook the earth!
About 2021 years ago, everything was in place to bring the astounding event into reality for humanity. God’s gracious, merciful plan was about to take a new turn and reach a new level.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And the Word became human. And the Word was named Jesus, He was born in a stable, wrapped in cloth, and placed in a manger to sleep . . .
Placed in a manger . . . Have you ever thought about that? A manger is a type of feed trough for animals. Here on the farm we call that a “feeder”.
It occurs to me that Jesus, lying in that feeder,
among all the other deep meaning and symbolism, seems to have made Himself a symbol
for our spiritual nourishment!
Both a symbol and a reality all at once! Is it any wonder that He told Peter, “Feed my sheep”? Is it any wonder that He called Himself “The Bread of Life”, or spoke over some bread, saying “This is my body“? He wants us to partake of Himself! To drink deeply of Him in a spiritual manner! “The Bread of Life”, and “The Water of Life”!
He, lying in that feeder, was already telling us, “I AM your nourishment, your sustenance,
your very life’s provision; Come to Me and be filled”!
The holy night of Jesus’ birth,
With shining glory and gleaming star, Was the brightest night on earth, so far. The sky was ethereal, with angels adorned, But ordained events passed, And soon it was morn, Daytime, burst forth,
He was called “Morning Star”! People saw glimmers and set out from afar. Now morning, midday, evening, and night, His glory outshines all, and He is our Light. Children and parents, husbands and wives, He’s The One Living Light for each of our lives! * * *
Lately, I find that the troubles of the “world”
are trying to get me down. It’s all, like, tryin’ to steal my groove, man!
Know what I mean?
People seem too serious about “things”, to the point where
“things” are stealing their time and energy;
taking over their lives,
making them like slaves to a cruel situational master.
There seems hardly any time left for the facets of life
which are most important,
but get pushed to the back burner. Lighten up! We need some fun. We need some whimsy! Does anybody remember the sixties?
Simon and Garfunkel? The Rascals? Groovin’?
I woke up feeling good this morning, and:
Arkansas Christmas Groovin’
The world is doin’ a stint in joovy, It doesn’t seem to have a cloovy,
Everyone’s viral antibody proovy, But I awoke all feelin’ groovy, Needed something fun to doovy, Decided to go and see a moovy, But halfway through, I had to poovy, Then met a girl outside the loovy, Walked in alone, came out with yoovy, Now we really feelin’ groovy,
At the stand, we bought a smoovy, Then she asked, “What shall we doovy?”, So we walked down to the zoovy, The folks were all like ahhs and oovy, Some peeps were yellin’ “Woo Pig Soovy“ They were sure all feelin’ groovy, Big flakes fell, we walked through snoovy, Christmastime is alwaysgroovy, Christ is born in Bethlehoovy, Presents ‘neath the lit-up troovy, Now, by the fire we feel, like, cooovy,
Eatin’ cookies with hot choovy, All is well, we feelin’ Merry Christmasgrooovy!
~ ~ ~
O, thank You Lord, for keeping us separate from the “world”
while living in the world.
Thank You for the spirit of playful joy that lifts us;
Gives us hope.
Thank You for the greater joy we find in Christmas!
I grin as I say – I will try to be more serious tomorrow . . .
~ *~* ~*~*~* ~
A fun little distraction while we wait.
Do you like prime numbers?
(Prime numbers are evenly divisable
only by themselves and 1)
To help you get started, the first three
prime numbers are 2, 3, and 5.
Remember, 1 is not a prime number.
Children of any age, look what can be done with them:
(One Star and five prime numbers . . . a Christmas tree of perfection!)
(Remember to turn your phone sideways or it won’t work right)
Can you decipher the pattern? Count up the stars (*s) or the words in each row.
Which numbers do you get?
Are they all prime numbers which make up the “trees”?
* ** *** ***** ******* *********** !
The
Star is
on top, sovereign
His light illuminates all life
below. All below Him, made in perfection.
Gathered, enfolded, protected – like a mother hen does – under His wings.
!!!
!!!
Is this tree upside-down? Wrong? Distressing? Let it not be so! It
is made in perfection, for He is still supreme and sovereign.
All lives supported upon His shoulders. Kept
by His strength. Maintained by
His goodness. Lit
by His
Love. * * *
~ ~ ~
Always remember Who created the prime numbers,
and all numbers, and how to count
things, and math, and music, and rhythm,
and orderliness, and the dance of the
moons around planets, planets around stars, and
stars inside galaxies! God created all those for our use
and our enjoyment!
Merry Merry Christmas! Happy Happy Christbirth! How many days left? Is it a prime number? : >) * * *
The Fourth Sunday of Advent Today, December 20, 2020, is the fourth Sunday of Advent.
Already!
We light the fourth candle – the love candle,
in my book, the easiest one to light in the heart,
for Father God lovedus first and sent His Jesus
to enable us to love Him in a completely new way, and
interact, and have a real relationship with Him. Love rescued, and love reconciled!
This candle also signifies His imminent presence.
The Advent season is all about expectant waiting;
excited, hopeful, waiting for the Baby’s presence!
We want Him to be born soon!
We want to see Him!
He seems so close;
the air is charged!
We can almost feel angels in the air.
The Spirit of God certainly presides over our village.
In a few nights, everything will be poised,
miraculously in position,
as it was around 2021 years ago!
Mary, her Baby, Joseph, shepherds,
angels – lots of angels!
The heavens were filled with the glory of God’s love!
Peace and joy are closing in.
Thursday night is the Holy Night – Jesus Christ’s night. The Advent of Christ is all but complete!
Are preparations perfect? Is my heart ready for His arrival? I find myself wishing that I could be less imperfect; better prepared, And more ready. Yet, hope in Him, the peace and joy He brings, His love, and all His magnificent light, uphold and uplift my soul. I am ready as I can be for Jesus’ arrival! Soon, incarnation! Soon, adoration! Soon, celebration!
Yesterday’s post used birds prominently in a poignant allegory that alluded to why Jesus was, and had to be, incarnated. This next uses birds prominently to make another important allusion:
This piece explores the concept of how, at Jesus’ birth, all Heaven and “Earth”
(the created universe) was aware of the sacred event and couldn’t help but rejoice in awe.
In tribute to the people of his native country, Catalonia, (at the time of this writing in 2017, embroiled in issues with independence from Spain) ninety-four-year-old Pablo Casals, famed cellist, composer, and conductor, had often ended his concerts with “El Cant Dels Ocells” (“The Song of the Birds”), a Catalonian Christmas carol.
“It is so beautiful,” he said, “And it is also the soul of my country, Catalonia.” “The birds in the sky, in the space, sing: “Peace! Peace! Peace!””
Song of The Birds, or, Carol of the Birds, isn’t as widely known as many of the more traditional carols, but I wish it were. (please note that there are two or three songs which have the same name, but different lyrics and tunes.) (and even this Catalonian song has several different versions)
I am fascinated by the idea that the birds might represent nature, or the created universe, when it first becomes “aware”of The Creator’s arrival inside His creation. What happiness, and joy, and awe, and peacefulness, is expressed by these quiet, gentle, “voices of nature”.
This may be frivolous speculation on my part, wondering how nature “perceives” its Creator. Is Creation somehow “conscious” or “aware” of Him in a way we cannot understand, we aren’t conscious of, and can’t have much knowledge of? And maybe not “individual” awareness like that of one rock or mountain, but a collective awareness with the whole of Creationgiving glory and being glory for our mighty God. And since our triune God is present everywhere in space and time, my thought is, “How can all Creation not be aware of Him?” This is a deep subject, and is part of the deep mysterysurrounding The Creation, Jesus’ part in it, and what happened when He entered into it as a human. I really like thinking about it, pondering it, and wondering of the truth within it. What is the fullness of its purpose? What meaning can be gleaned? Faith says there will be a day when we will be enlightened by the Creator, Himself!
Perhaps you are not one to ponder such things. Still, there may be something here for you:
I know a few people who hear this music
as haunting, morose, even depressing. Not me!
I hear bright awe and respect; deep and joyous, sacred mystery;
gentle, peaceful, yet glorious and ecstatic, worship,
in reverence for the Christ-child.
How do you perceive it?
Below are four different lyrical versions of “Carol of the Birds”. There may be more, I’m not certain, but these are poetic, and deep, compelling, and emotional. One could almost imagine that nature, or Creation, is praying to, and worshiping, our all knowing, all encompassing, Creator-God;
Our Christ-child, our Jesus. The version directly below
contains the verses used in the video.
If you don’t have time to read the different
versions, please skip down to my commentary
to find some of the things allthe versions have in common.
~ ~ ~
The words given below are as most commonly sung in the English version;
A star rose in the sky and glory from on high did fill the night with splendor. Came birds with joyful voice to carol and rejoice with songs so sweet and tender.
The eagle then did rise, went flying through the skies, to tell the wondrous story, sang: Jesus, born is he, who comes to set us free, he brings us joy and glory.
The sparrow with delight said: This is Christmas night, our happiness revealing. The sky with praises rang, as finch and robin sang their songs of glad rejoicing.
The lark upon the wing said: Now it seems like spring, no more is winter pressing; for now a flower is born whose fragrance on this morn to earth brings heaven’s blessing.
Sang magpie, thrush, and jay, It seems the month of May in answer to our yearning. The trees again are green and blossoms now are seen, it is the spring returning!
The cuckoo sang: Come, come, And celebrate the dawn this glorious aurora. The raven from his throat then trilled a festive note to the unexcelled Señora.
The partridge then confessed, I want to build my nest beneath that very gable where I may see the Child and watch whene’er he smiles with Mary in that stable.
~ ~ ~
A more literal translation from the Catalonian:
In seeing emerge The greatest light During the most celebrated of nights, The little birds sing. They go to celebrate Him With their delicate voices.
The imperial eagle flies high in the sky, singing melodically, saying, “Jesus is born To save us all from sin And to give us joy.”
The sparrow responds, Today, this Christmas Eve, Is a night of good cheer!” The greenfinch and the siskin Say in singing, too, “Oh, what joy I feel!”
The linnet sang, “Oh, how lovely and beautiful Is the child of Mary!” The thrush answers: “Death is conquered, My life now begins!”
The nightingale twitters, “He is more beautiful than the sun, More brilliant than a star!” The redstart and the stonechat Celebrate the infant And his virgin Mother.
The wren sang For the glory of the Lord, Inflating with fantasy; The canary follows: Its music sounds like A great song from Heaven.
Now comes the woodlark Saying, “Come birds To celebrate the dawn!” And the big blackbird, whistling, Went celebrating The greatest Lady.
The tit says, “It is neither winter nor summer But rather springtime; A flower is born That gives a sweet smell all around And fills the whole world.”
The francolin sang, “Birds, who wants to come Today at daybreak To see the good Lord With all of his splendor Within a stable?”
The hoopoe goes singing, “This night has come the greatest of Kings!” The turtle dove and rock dove Admire, and to all Sing without sadness.
The partridge sang, “I am going to make my nest Inside of that stable, To look upon the Infant; How he trembles In the arms of Mary.”
The magpie, mistle thrush, and jay Say, “May is coming!” The goldfinch responds, “All the trees become green again, All the branches flower As if it were the spring.”
The chaffinch whispers, “Glory today and tomorrow; I feel great joy To see the diamond So handsome and brilliant In the arms of Mary.”
The scops owl and little owl Seeing the sunrise Leave confused. The tawny owl and eagle-owl Say, “I cannot look; Such splendors are in front of me!”
~ ~ ~
The Joan Baez version:
When rose the eastern star, the birds came from a-far,
in that full might of glory. With one melodious voice, they sweetly did rejoice,
and sang the wondrous story. Sang, praising God on high, enthroned above the sky,
and his fair mother Mary.
The eagle left his lair, came winging through the air,
his message loud arising.
And to his joyous cry, the sparrow made reply,
his answer sweetly voicing.
“O’ercome are death and strife, this night is born new life”,
the robin sang rejoicing.
When rose the eastern star, the birds came from a-far.
~ ~ ~
Beautiful lyrics of unknown origin:
1. Upon this holy night, When God’s great star appears, And floods the earth with brightness Birds’ voices rise in song And warbling all night long Express their glad heart’s lightness Birds’ voices rise in song And warbling all night long Express their glad heart’s lightness
2. The Nightingale is first To bring his song of cheer, And tell us of His glad – ness: Jesus, our Lord, is born To free us from all sin And banish ev’ry sadness! Jesus, our Lord is born To free us from all sin And banish ev’ry sadness!
3. The answ’ring Sparrow cries: “God comes to earth this day Amid the angels flying.” Trilling in sweetest tones, The Finch his Lord now owns: “To Him be all thanksgiving.” Trilling in sweetest tones, The Finch his Lord now owns: “To Him be all thanksgiving.”
4. The Partridge adds his note: “To Bethlehem I’ll fly, Where in the stall He’s lying. There, near the manger blest, I’ll build myself a nest, And sing my love undying. There, near the manger blest, I’ll build myself a nest, And sing my love undying.
~ ~ ~
What are some of the things these different versions have in common?
The most celebrated holy night
in which a great light appears.
The heavens are filled with God’s glory!
The earth is flooded with brightness. That illumination allows birds to awake, fly and sing, when most do not do so in darkness.
From eagle to sparrow, all kinds of birds sing of Jesus’ birth. They extol the virtues of Him and His mother. They praise the Highest Lord with voices both loud and sweet.
The birds come from near and far away, and sing of how He will set them, and all creation free. They joyfully sing of how Heaven’s blessing has come to earth, and of how He will overcome darkness, sin, and death.
The birds sing of the dawn of new life; eternal springtime blooming; they sound thankful and hopeful. They worship and adore Him! They want to stay near Him; They pledge loyalty.
Best of all, the multitude of birds rejoice!
And who do these birds represent? Nature?
All of creation?
Yes, all of that, and maybe me.
And you.
And all of us.
~ ~ ~ Merry Christmas! Sing loudly and sweetly!
Do you remember Paul Harvey? Have you even ever heard of him? He was an American radio broadcaster for nearly six decades. His soft-spoken telling of current events and “the rest of the story” with that gentle voice of his kept me company over many a lonely lunchtime sandwich. This next brings back floods of good memories.
This is a perennial favorite of mine.
The metaphor is so spot-on,
So full of pure wisdom and insight
That I can’t help but apply it
To my Christbirth celebration.
This whole broadcast is good, but if you want to skip ahead to the central story, it begins at about 5:10. May you and yours have a joyous Christmas!
We remain steadfast, O Emmanuel. We, oh so patiently, (or not so), await the day
of the celebration of Your miraculous birth. We eagerly await Your final arrival even more!
For we are in the season of hope amid worldly despair. We have political upheaval. Truth trampled in the dust. We have riots in the streets. Murder Mayhem Tyranny masked as benevolence. Unborn children being slaughtered. Unspeakable persecution. Violation in every form. Betrayal Blasphemy and Mockery Treason Injustice Brutality and Cruelty Diseases and one of the worst pandemics in history destroying lives and also sapping the health and strength of of our country.
I could go on and on, and, though this situation is nothing new in the world, it seems much worse, I guess because it is happening to us right now.
It can all be summed up thus: Evil is running rampant through the world . . . And thus we need you, Our Emmanuel, more than ever!
I dislike bringing this all up at my beloved Christmastime, But it all seems to be the exact motive, reason, and purpose for Christmas – to save us from ourselves! So bring on Christmas, And God, please come quickly, we desperately need you!
O come, O come, Emmanuel And ransom captive Israel That mourns in lonely exile here Until the Son of God appear Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel Shall come to thee, O Israel.
O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free Thine own from Satan’s tyranny From depths of Hell Thy people save And give them victory o’er the grave Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel Shall come to thee, O Israel.
O come, Thou Day-Spring, come and cheer Our spirits by Thine advent here Disperse the gloomy clouds of night And death’s dark shadows put to flight. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel Shall come to thee, O Israel.
O come, Thou Key of David, come, And open wide our heavenly home; Make safe the way that leads on high, And close the path to misery. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel Shall come to thee, O Israel.
O come, O come, Thou Lord of might, Who to Thy tribes, on Sinai’s height, In ancient times did’st give the Law, In cloud, and majesty and awe. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel Shall come to thee, O Israel.
At Christmastime when I was a boy, my dad understood the relative poverty of his children, so he would give us each a small amount of money to be spent on gifts for the other family members. That was after Mom had bought all the presents for each of us, spending, most likely, “too much” money already. What was a small amount to him was a small fortune to us, as we received no “allowances”, so we each felt rich as we happily shopped with Mom and picked out trinkets and treasures for our siblings and parents. Wrapping the gifts was fun, but the best part was the excited anticipation we had for Christmas morning when the family would partake in what we children had built in our minds to be the Olympics of giving and receiving. It was as good as it gets, and after all the unwrapping, and showing, and laughing, and modeling, and playing, and cheering, and thanking, we all felt richer and more blessed than we were before. But it was Dad and Mom, I think, who felt the most blessed, for having given to us so that we could bless each other with gifts. The money they gave us came back to them, multiplied, in seeing generosity, unselfishness, and brotherly love instilled into us and put into action. And so it is with God. He began giving early. In fact, long before mankind was even here to receive it, He gave us light! He gave us water and land – a nice place to live. In the water and on the land, He provided good things for us to eat – a perfect garden containing everything we would need. And if that were not enough, He gave us His love. He gave us His Spirit presence. All He asked was that we love Him from our hearts, and display a small amount of obedience. Mankind had a hard time with that, so later, He gave us a baby – His physical presence – our Savior and Redeemer, Jesus. In that tiny presence was contained an unfathomable amount of love and light!
We celebrate His birth extravagantly on a day we name Christmas. because He is our everything! He provides all we need! He left His abundance and took on our poverty in order to bless us with abundant life! He gives lavishly out of His abundance, into our poverty, that we may graciously bless others.
Whether the gift of writing, of singing, of making music, of delivering a message, of healing, of encouraging, of hospitality, of giving time or treasures, of working or helping, of giving testimony, of sowing evangelistic seeds, of doing a kindness, of giving a hug, or a simple smile, you do have one gift – or more – that you can share with others who might be destitute until they receive your unique offering.
Remember: God gives to us out of His riches, The gifts we receive are to bless others, When we thus bless others, we gift back to Him A richly amplified Love Offering, Which is one of the greatest Christmas gifts The Father could unwrap.
All these good things were, and are, from God. Shouldn’t we make sure our gratitude gets back to Him through the proper channels? * * * * * * * * * * * *
(To my German-speaking friends in Austria, Switzerland, Germany, the Netherlands, and everywhere, I wish you a Merry Christmas and a happy 2021. May God bless you and your loved ones.)
I’m not thrilled about the word Christmas. I’m not crazy about the word Easter either. But I very much love the events those two words represent.
Words are only symbols that we use to convey, or identify, things, events, or ideas. Often, the words we devise (or, in this case, that are devised for us) are less than ideal, or appropriate, or even accurately descriptive in representing the actual thing being described.
I believe that “Christmas” is such a word. I’ll leave it to you, dear reader, to delve into the origins, meanings, and protests concerning the word “Christmas”. I have been through it, and it’s not pretty. Some say it’s downright blasphemy, wickedness, and sin to use it.
However, Nevertheless, and, Be That As It May, the event that has come to be known to us as “Christmas” is the event that shook the earth. It is the truth of the event that is important, not necessarily the word we have adopted to describe it. To my way of thinking, the birth of Jesus was, and is, the most momentous occurrence in history. It is to be celebrated – its story told and retold in truth to the ends of the earth. So ( Blast semantics!) I do say both “Merry Christmas”
as well as “Happy Christbirth”, and I do say “Happy Easter” although “Happy Resurrection Sunday” is much more descriptive, because I know I will be understood by the general public
when I use the common language, and also by Christians, in general. And by any of those greetings, I mean Hallelujah! Rejoice! Celebrate enthusiastically! For, unto us a child is born! Our Savior lives! He has come to live with us!
– And –
In the Spring, I mean He is risen! Our Savior lives! And in His glory He will come down again!
So, here’s the thing – here’s my point: Instead of the term “Christmas”,
I prefer the much more descriptive word, “Christbirth” (which I think I have invented, haha,) (but someone may have beaten me to it, I really don’t know) to represent this wondrous, marvelous event, but, no matter what word we use in reference, at Jesus’ birth, the very Word of God came to live among us, with us, and, in time, in us, so that we, despite our inclination to sin, might have the right to be “born” into a new world – a world of saving grace, faith, hope, and of love, into God’s presence; born and reborn in a new, a wondrous, a marvelous, and a miraculous way, Just as Jesus was, before us!
Today, the third and final full week of Advent begins, preceding the joy-filled celebration day! It is getting closer! We can hardly wait! Light three candles today! We are actively waiting now! Intensity grows, as does the magnitude of the hope we have, and that of the peace which is coming! This week we savor the JOY surrounding His coming to live with us! Emmanuel – is coming here because of The Father’s love for all people.
In this third week, we also remember all the proclamations made about our coming Christ-child, our Messiah, our glorious Savior; proclamations by Isaiah, by angels, by Elizabeth, by Mary, by Zechariah, by more angels, and by many others.
Luke 2:9 Just then, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid! For behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people!
He is coming, not to condemn the lost, but to give them a saving light. What joy it is to know Him, having been one of those lost, now bathed in His light. And what a joy it is to know the astounding love of The Father, Who sent this generous gift of His Son!
I, the least of believers, proclaim this joy, proclaim His glory, (like it says in the header at the top) And like so many believers, so many bloggers, I repeat the sounding JOY!
Joy To the World, and Peace to ALL mankind! Let every heart prepare Him room!
Joy to the World, the Lord has come! Let earth receive her King; Let every heart prepare Him room, And Heaven and nature sing, And Heaven and nature sing, And Heaven, and Heaven, and nature sing!
Joy to the World, the Savior reigns! Let men their songs employ; While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains Repeat the sounding joy, Repeat the sounding joy, Repeat, repeat, the sounding joy!
No more let sins and sorrows grow, Nor thorns infest the ground; He comes to make His blessings flow Far as the curse is found, Far as the curse is found, Far as, far as, the curse is found!
He rules the world with truth and grace, And makes the nations prove The glories of His righteousness, And wonders of His love, And wonders of His love, And wonders, wonders, of His love! ~ ~ ~
May God bless your joyous preparations, your happy, yet serious, contemplations, your thankful remembrance of His purpose for coming down, And of His all- encompassing love. He is coming, He is here, He is coming again! REJOICE!
This is the absolutely beautiful poem That our beautiful Kristyn recites As a prelude to the beautiful song, Thou Who Wast Rich Beyond All Splendour you’ll find below:
Into the Darkest Hour By the amazing Madeleine L’Engle
“It was a time like this, war & tumult of war, a horror in the air. Hungry yawned the abyss – and yet there came the star, and the child most wonderfully there.
It was a time like this of fear & lust for power, license & greed and blight – and yet the Prince of bliss came into the darkest hour in quiet & silent light.
And in a time like this how celebrate his birth when all things fall apart? Ah! Wonderful it is: with no room on the earth, the stable is our heart.”
~ ~ ~
“Thou who wast rich beyond all splendour, All for love’s sake becamest poor; Thrones for a manger didst surrender, Sapphire-paved courts for stable floor. Thou who wast rich beyond all splendour, All for love’s sake becamest poor.
Thou who art God beyond all praising, All for love’s sake becamest man; Stooping so low, but sinners raising Heavenwards by thine eternal plan. Thou who art God beyond all praising, All for love’s sake becamest man.
Thou who art love beyond all telling, Saviour and King, we worship thee. Emmanuel, within us dwelling, Make us what thou wouldst have us be. Thou who art love beyond all telling, Saviour and King, we worship thee.”
Thanks again, to Keith and Kristyn Getty for a brilliant rendering of this song which is highly appropriate to the Advent season, or any season of a Christian’s life.
Violin played beautifully by Deborah Klemme (Music copyright 2015 Paul Campbell (BMI) (Admin. by Arlon Songs Ltd.) * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
He was born in an obscure village,
the child of a young peasant woman.
He grew up in another obscure village,
where He worked in a carpenter shop until He was thirty,
and then for three years He was an itinerant preacher.
He never wrote a book.
He never held an office.
He never had a family or owned a home.
He never went to college.
He never visited a metropolis.
He never traveled more than two hundred miles
from the place where He was born.
He never did any of the things that usually accompany greatness.
He had no credentials but Himself.
In His early thirties, the tide of public opinion turned against Him. His friends ran away. One of them denied Him. Another betrayed Him. He was turned over to His enemies. He went through the mockery of a trial. He was nailed to a cross between two thieves. While He was dying, His executioners gambled for His clothing,
the only property He had on earth. When he was dead, He was taken down
and laid in a borrowed grave through the pity of a friend. More than twenty wide centuries have come and gone,
yet today He remains the central figure of the human race,
and the leader of mankind’s progress. I am well within the mark when I say
that all the armies that ever marched, and all the navies that ever were built, and all the parliaments that ever sat, and all the kings that ever reigned, put together, have not affected the life of mankind
upon this earth as significantly as has that One Solitary Life.
I think she knew, don’t you? A Mother Just Knows . . .
And, after all it is Mary!
In these advent days,
the story is all about the Love between
– Mary, – her Baby inside, Emmanuel,
– Father God,
– the Holy Spirit, – her husband, Joseph,
– and everyone who would believe and come to know them.
. . . The Love that swirls around them all,
radiating downward from the Highest; at once, mysteriously enveloping,
and joyously abiding in the innermost depths, of those below.
Those were some very moving scenes from Roma Downey’s epic miniseries THE BIBLE. I hope they will move you a little closer to the One who once lay in the manger.
(Though it looks odd here, lay is correct. It’s the past tense of to lie. Jesus was placed in a manger to lie there, but ironically, never told a lie in His life. I hope that made you smile.)
Blessings this Christmas season from your Gloryteller!
He came down. Mary said YES, then He came down. Born like us. Born with us. Born for us. Born to us. Born unto us. Born into us.
He came down from His Glory, Leaving Holy Home and Father,
to become a creation, in a real sense, just like us . . . To be born most humbly into the broken,
reeking mess that we, mankind, had made of the world. To be born into the shameful, smelly mess that
I had made of my own wretched heart . . .
The holy, defenseless egg of God, having scarcely a shell. A tender shoot, a tiny lamb, he came down naked, to be born covered with another’s blood, mother’s blood. Born to be pierced, and poured out, and to ‘cover’ all others with His pure, holy blood. He came down with only Love as a defense. Double-sided love. He came down to the dung heap, the lowest, the basest of places, a place of no honor; of ignobility, because that’s where we were, I and my neighbors, hiding under the layers of earthly dirt. He could have said “No, not again”. He could have said “To hell with this” . . . He didn’t have to rise from His manger to knock on my heart’s door. To come in and clean it all, just like new, Every room, from ceiling to floor, window, to wall, and spend His life, His all, for me, to bear away my sin. Yet, He would be the first to admit, if He weren’t so humble, that He did have to do it. Someone had to do something. But no-one could, except Himself. I didn’t deserve His coming down, this Wonderful Counselor, this Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. This Immanuel. Savior Lord. JESUS CHRIST! But, He came down, out of love, bearing light, carrying forgiveness, sowing grace like seeds, ready with a cool drink, gentle hands to wash our feet, with tears of compassion, where sin and mercy meet, and I’m so glad, so happy, so joyously thankful that He did, that my meager glory goes up. I send it up. I glorify His name, Who was born into many names, and into ONE name, and that name is The-Name-Above-All-Names. He came down, and now He reigns
King of My Heart. Glory to God in the Highest Heaven!
That He. Came. Down! * ** *** * * * * *
I lift up Keith and Kristyn Getty and I thank them for this beautiful song.
And I thank Him for them!
And I thank Him for you, my dear reader!
This Baby, making His first sounds, learning His first words, taking His first steps, becoming self-aware. Just like us in every way. Yet, in every way, different.
“Come to turn me, a stranger, into a child of God.”
Remember, JESUS is the subject of Christmas,
and the object of Christmas is US.
He came down so that we could live – really live – with Him and our loved-ones in Heaven. Forever together. We need that hope more with each passing day . . .
The theme of hope continues with this song:
Thank you, Kari Jobe for singing, and Bob Marshall for the upload.
Waiting becomes slightly more intense as we add the expectancy of hopeandpeace in preparation for our Savior’s arrival.
Of course it is a passive intensity of expectation
as we actively wait!
We light the second candle, If not on our tables, Then in our hearts. And light increases. It doubles!
We can hardly wait until the full light of His glorious presence shines upon the world, and also upon each of us!
“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6).
Jesus is the only One that can bring us to peace with Father God.
“Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1).
And suddenly there appeared with the angel a great multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to all mankind upon which His favor rests!” Luke 2: 13-14
Here’s a song that is full of hope and peace, And light too!
Come to us, Child of Glory, We can hardly wait. Come to us quickly, Your hands hold our fate.
LS<
A happy and blessed Advent season to you from your Gloryteller.
Alone in the Rockies.
Gloryteller 