Memorizing Moments

Today is New Year's Eve. The weather is warm and ambiguous -- cloudy for a while and then clear and sunny. I can watch the clouds scurrying across the sky, moving as if they had a place to go and a certain time to be there. Perhaps for an important appointment for which they could not be late.

I am thinking of a song we sang many years ago. It was popular for a while.....My Cup Runneth Over With Love. It is romantic and poignant. It is a true love song. (I guess some people might call it a "girly song," but I just think of it as a wonderfully romantic 'til death do us part' kind of song).

Sometimes in the morning, when shadows are deep
I lie here beside you, just watching you sleep
And sometimes I whisper what I'm thinking of
My cup runneth over with love.

Sometimes in the evening when you do not see
I study the small things you do constantly
I memorize moments that I'm fondest of
My cup runneth over with love.

In only a moment we both will be old
We won't even notice the world turning cold
And so, in this moment, with sunlight above,
My cup runneth over with love.

I think often of the line I memorize moments that I'm fondest of.....and remind myself that the moments I should memorize are the good moments...

Summing it all up, friends, I'd say you'll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious--the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse....
Philippians 4:8 (The Message)

The moments I should NOT memorize?

I Corinthians 13: Love...keeps no record of wrongs.

So I guess that's it: my resolution for 2026...Keep good moments recorded and cherished in my memory.

Throw out the record of slights and insults and perceived misbehaviors of others, and remember all the goodnesses that have been--and are--shown to me, almost 100% of which I did not--and do not--deserve, but are graciously given to me by people who mercifully overlook my wrongs and misbehaviors....

friends and family who have not kept a record of my wrongs.

When God Speaks

 

When God Speaks

"In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, and through whom He made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God's glory, the exact representation of His being." (Hebrews 1:1-2)

Back in Genesis, before we even thought to speak to Him, He turned His Face toward us and spoke to us.

(Remember Adam and Eve, after they sinned, did it even occur to them to approach God and ask forgiveness? No, they hid and He sought them out!)

And then He continued to speak to us, through His prophets, and then through His Son, and now through His Word.

Yes, He spoke to us before we ever even thought to speak to Him.

If you have seen Me, you have seen the Father," Jesus told His disciples.

And from 1 John 4:19, "We love Him because He first loved us."

God's rescue plan to bring us back to Him always starts with God Himself.

And aren't you glad He didn't wait for us to begin the conversation?

What Do We Need Right Now

                                            

                        What Do We Need Right Now?

That's easy!

We need an army of soldiers  dedicated to Jesus Christ, who believe not only that He is God, but that He will fulfill every promise He ever made and there isn't anything too hard for Him.

That is the only way we can accomplish the thing that is  on His heart - getting the gospel to every creature.

So the need of this hour is to believe that our God controls the universe, and when He said, "The earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of God," (Habakkuk 2) He meant it.

We see in Revelation that this will someday all be fulfilled just as prophesied.  And right now, we need to start the battle for souls of mankind. 

Too often we look at the church as if it were a cruise ship, a Carnival for salvation. But it is more like a  battleship, not a holiday cruise ship, but a warship equipped for the battles we are facing against the enemy who wants so  desperately to retain  possession of his stronghold here on earth.  He is dedicated to keeping his kingdom in power, and we must be even more  dedicated to bringing  Christ's kingdom to earth. Every soul  saved right now will return with Jesus when He comes back to reign, and they will lead the celebration when the world bows in recognition at who Christ is and what He did.

And that is what is going to happen. "And every knee will bow and every tongue  confess that Jesus Christ is  Lord." (Philippians 2).

A Very Dark Chapter

 

I just read what I think is the darkest chapter of the Bible - Genesis 38.

Judah, the 4th son of Jacob, and Tamar, his daughter-in-law, are the main characters.

Life is messy, but sin makes it even messier. The record of Judah and Tamar is a complex narrative of failure, depravity and deceit, but, ultimately, redemption. Their story is of brokenness an ungodly behavior, yet, unknown to them, a part of a larger tapestry God was weaving. From Judah's deceitful union with Tamar, was born Perez, an ancestor of King David, and, later, our Savior, Jesus Christ!

It's part of that battle between good and evil that God prophesied to Eve, back in Genesis 3:15, when He told her one of her descendants would someday destroy Satan and all his evil works. (That's why Jesus came - see 1 John 3:8)

This messy story demonstrates that God can bring about His redemptive purpose, even through our flawed and sinful actions.  And it reminds us that no one is beyond the reach of God's grace and redemption. This record is not an attempt to excuse sin, but a reason to trust in Him to bring salvation and His glory, in spite of our sin.

As Joseph said to his cruel brothers "you meant to harm me, but God turned it to good" (Genesis 50:20)

One of my professors, an atheist, read the Old Testament and considered it reliable history. Why/ Because our God didn't try to cover His peoples' wrong-doing, but painted them accurately, warts and all!

And there are a lot of warts in this story! (And lots in my story, too!)

Praise God none of us are out of reach of His grace!

And praise God He thought we were worth the price!

What Is A Doxology?

What Is A Doxology?

 The word 'doxology' comes from 2 Greek words: 'dox', which means 'glory', and 'lolgia', which means 'speech.' Literal translation, then, is 'glory speech' or 'glorious speech.' 

   

  It is a short, formal statement of praise, glory, and thanksgiving to God, spoken or sung.

  Its traditional roots go back to the Jewish synagogues where often it was used to begin or conclude a worship service.

  Many doxologies are found in the Psalms, and Paul ended some of his letters in the New Testament with these short statements of praise.

  And Jude, the brother of Jesus, concludes his letter with an often-quoted, and very beautiful, doxology. We find this one in verses 24 and 25 in his book in the New Testament:

           To Him who is able to keep you from falling and to 

            present you before His glorious presence, without 

            fault and with great joy -- to the only God our Savior

            be glory, majesty, power and authority, through

            Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forever.

            Amen

  Today we often sing, in many churches,  what we refer to as "The Doxology" or "The Great Doxology":

           Praise God from whom all blessings flow!

           Praise Him, His creatures here below!

           Praise Him above, ye heavenly hosts!

           Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost!    

  An English cleric, Thomas Ken, (1637-1711), worded this one and the tune attached to it was found in a hymnal, called a Psalter,  dated 1551.

  So as we sing this Doxology today we are joining a large choir of brothers and sisters, from all over the world, singing praises to our God for the last 350 years!  

  I think that pleases Him!

  And find more in Revelation -- so we will continue this practice forever!

  And that will always please Him!

Christmas - Good King What's His Name

Good King Wenceslas...What does this strange carol mean? And what about the Feast of Stephen?

Good King Wenceslas looked out on the Feast of Stephen

When the snow lay round about, deep and crisp and even.

Brightly shone the moon that night, though the frost was cruel.

When a poor man came in sight, gathering winter fuel.

So this Good King is in his warm castle, and he looks out the window. So far, so good.

Feast of Stephen? This is a Feast Day celebrating the life and death of Stephen, the first Christian martyr. It is also Boxing Day in England and Canada, and some other countries -- December 26.

[Traditionally Boxing Day was the day after Christmas because the servants had to work so hard, and work longer hours, during the Christmas festival, that the wealthy British designated Boxing Day as a holiday for the workers. They also received special gifts -- food, money, and other gifts of appreciation for their hard work. (Sort of an old fashioned Christmas bonus!)]

So it is December 26, the night of the Feast of Stephen. The description of the snowy landscape is really beautiful...deep, and crisp and even...isn't that the way we see it in our minds...still and quiet ...

It was very cold, and then the Good King sees a poor man gathering winter fuel. That had to have been a hard task that cold night. Probably his family desperately needed warmth in their meager cottage. Did they have food?

Most carols we just sing a verse or two, but this carol is a story, and every verse is important.

The King calls his page. "What's that man doing?" he asks.

"Hither, page, and stand by me

If thou know'st it, telling

Yonder peasant, who is He?

Where and what his dwelling?"

The page answers:

"Sire, he lives a good league hence

Underneath the mountain

Right against the forest fence

By Saint Agnes' fountain."

Now the King tells the page:

"Bring me flesh and bring me wine

Bring me pine logs hither

Thou and I will see him dine

When we bear them thither."

(To us the "thithers" and "hithers" seem strange - but, after all, this story took place over 1000 years ago!)

Page and monarch forth they went

Forth they went together

Through the rude wind's wild lament

And the bitter weather

Aren't these words fascinating...rude wind's wild lament...easier to read than sing, though!

Now the page is having trouble:

"Sire, the night is darker now

And the wind blows stronger

Fails my heart, I know not how

I can go on longer."

But the Monarch has the answer:

"Mark my footsteps, my good page

Tread thou in them boldly

Thou shalt find the winter's rage

Freeze thy blood less coldly."

And the end of the story: 

In the master's steps he trod

Where the snow lay dented

Heat was in the very sod

Which the Saint had printed

Therefore, Christian men be sure,

Wealth or rank possessing

Ye who now would bless the poor

Shall yourselves find blessing.

What a great song! We follow Christ's lead, and when the way gets rough, we just follow Him closely and step right in His footprints!

P.S. Yes, there was a Good King Wenceslas - He lived around 900 AD and he was the Duke of Bohemia (now part of the Czech Republic). And apparently he was a good king. He was raised by his godly grandmother. He wanted to rule his kingdom on Christian principles. He was known for his gift-giving and he wanted his subjects to learn to be generous with all their goods.

His story ends sadly, though, because his ungodly twin brother, Boleslav, murdered him and restored Bohemia to its pagan days. It was written that

Wenceslas' last words were, "Brother, may God forgive you."



Christmas - For Christmas Day - O Rest Beside the Weary Road

Yet with the woes of sin and strife

the world has suffered long.

Beneath the heavenly hymn have rolled

two thousand years of wrong.

And man at war with man hears not

the love song which they bring --

O hush the noise and cease your strife

And hear the angels sing!

And ye, beneath life's crushing load

whose forms are bending low,

Who toil along the climbing way

with painful steps and slow

Look now, for glad and golden hours

come swiftly on  the wing --

O rest beside the weary road

And hear the angels sing!

--- Edmund Hamilton Sears



Be still...listen...hear the angels sing!

The Christmas Present - Past and Future

                    The Christmas Present - Past and Future

       

       1 Peter 1:10-12 

This salvation was something the prophets wanted to know more about. They prophesied about this gracious salvation prepared for you, even though they had many questions as to what it could all mean.

They wondered what the Spirit of Christ within them was talking about when He told them in advance about Christ's suffering and His great glory afterward. They wondered when and to whom all this would happen.

They were told that these things would not happen during their lifetime, but many years later, during yours. And now this good news has been announced by those who preached to you in the power of the Holy Spirit sent from heaven.

It is all so wonderful that even the angels are eagerly watching these things happen.

      Revelation 5

Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders....the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song:

You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals,

because you were slain and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God and they will reign on the earth.

Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!

Holiday Harmony

 

                                                        Holiday Harmony 

"Live in harmony with one another...as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone." (Romans 12:16, 18)

Sometimes the stress and busyness of the holidays bring out conflict, instead of the peace the season promises. We can feel discouraged and disappointed, feeling hurt and maybe even exaggerating the ways people hurt us or let us down.

Even family conflicts sometimes seem to accelerate. I know a family who has to have an exact seating chart to separate those who have difficulty getting along!

But on Christmas Day we can remember that we have peace with God.

Family peace, as well as international peace, always begins with God. When we are confident that we have eternal peace with the all-powerful Creator and Ruler of the Universe, it's easier to bear the heartache, insults, and criticism that others might display toward us.

Our natural state is frightened self-preservation, fueled by self-centered concerns. But when we know we are in the right relationship with God Himself, it's easier to handle our disappointments and discouragement.

Jesus paid the ultimate cost to give us the most valuable Christmas gift ever! If we have peace with God through faith in Christ, even when at odds with people around us, we can demonstrate to them the peace of God. Let's live in harmony with those around us today! This probably is a really good day to start spreading peace!

A Song of Hope and Joy - The Magnificat

"And Mary said, 'My soul magnifies the Lord. My spirit has rejoiced in God, my Savior.'" (Luke 1:46-47).

Have you ever felt overwhelmed and yet honored by something God has call you to do? Maybe humbled? Perhaps even scared and nervous?

Consider Mary - a humble young woman selected by God to carry and give birth to (and then to parent!) the Savior of the world!

She could have been consumed by fear and doubt. Instead her response to the angel was, "I am the Lord's servant. May your word to me be fulfilled."

The angel also told her that her cousin Elizabeth was miraculously pregnant, too, and Mary hurried to visit her.

When she greeted Elizabeth she told Mary, "As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears the baby in my womb leaped for joy!"

Mary's response was a beautiful declaration of God's faithfulness and redemptive plan.

History records this response as "The Magnificat" (Latin for 'My soul magnifies the Lord'). It became a canticle, hymn, of the early church and is still sung or chanted today in many churches throughout the world.

Mary's song is a model for us. She rejoiced in God's mercy and power to fulfill all His promises. We can, too. When we face uncertainty or doubt or just feel small and incapable in following God's purpose for us, we can choose to magnify Him and focus on His glory instead of our own limitations!

Take a few minutes and read her song -- recorded in Luke1:46-55. 

You'll be so blessed!

Reflect on how you can magnify God in your life today -- pray for a heart that rejoices in his faithfulness, letting your life become a song for others to hear!

The Man and the Birds - Paul Harvey's Christmas Story

Maybe you remember this........


This is a transcription of Paul Harvey's classic original verbal presentation of this commentary just as he spoke it on the radio.

                                                                             * * * * *

Unable to trace its proper parentage, I have designated this as My Christmas Story  - "The Man and the Birds."

You know, "The" Christmas story, "God born in a manger," and all that, escapes some moderns. Mostly, I think because they seek complex answers to their questions, and this one is so utterly simple. So for the cynics and skeptics and the unconvinced, I submit a modern parable.

Now the man to whom I'm going to introduce you was not a scrooge. He was kind, decent, mostly a good man. Generous to his family, upright in his dealings with other men, but he just didn't believe all that incarnation stuff which churches proclaim at Christmas time.

It just didn't make sense, and he was too honest to pretend otherwise. He just couldn't swallow the Jesus story about God coming to earth as a man.

"I'm truly sorry to distress you," he told his wife, "But I'm not going with you to church this Christmas eve." He said he'd feel like a hypocrite, that he'd much rather just stay at home, but that he would wait up for them. So he stayed and they went to the midnight service.

Shortly after the family drove away in the car, snow began to fall.

He went to the windows to watch the flurries getting heavier and heavier and then went back to his fireside chair and began to read his newspaper.

Minutes later, he was startled by a thudding sound. Then another. And then another - sort of a thump or a thud.

At first he thought someone must be throwing snowballs against his living room window. But when he went to the front door to investigate, he found a flock of birds huddled miserably in the snow. They had been caught in the storm and in a desperate search for shelter, had tried to fly through his large landscape window.


Well, he couldn't let the poor creatures lie there and freeze, so he remembered the barn where his children stabled their pony. That would provide a warm shelter if he could direct the birds to it. 

Quickly, he put on a coat and galoshes and tramped through the deepening snow to the barn.

He opened the doors wide and turned on a light. But the birds did not come in. He figured food would entice them in. So he hurried back to the house, fetched bread crumbs, sprinkled them on the snow, making a trail to the yellow-lighted, wide open door to the stable.

But to his dismay, the birds ignored the bread crumbs and continued to flop around helplessly in the snow. He tried catching them. He tried "shooing" them into the barn by walking among them waving his arms. Instead, they scattered in every direction - except the warm-lighted barn.

Then he realized that they were afraid of him. To them, he reasoned, "I am a strange and terrifying creature. If only I could let them know that they can trust me." But how? Because any move he made tended to frighten them...confuse them. They just would not follow. They would not be led, or "shooed" because they feared him.

"If only I could be a bird," he thought to himself, "and mingle with them and speak their language. Then I could tell them not to be afraid. Then I could show them the way to the safe, warm .....

....to the safe, warm barn......but I would have to be one of them so they could see and hear and understand."

Suddenly he realized exactly what he was thinking. And at that moment the church bells began to ring. He stood there listening to the bells ringing  "O Come All Ye Faithful." Listening to the bells pealing the glad tidings of Christmas....

And he sank to his knees in the snow.

                                              ``````

Christmas - Simeon and Anna Understand!

                           Simeon and Anna Understand!

Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, and this man was just and devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him.

And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ.

So he came by the Spirit into the temple. And when the parents brought in the Child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of the law, he took Him up in his arms and blessed God and said:

     Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, according to Your Word; For my eyes have seen Your salvation which You have prepared before the face of all peoples, a light to bring revelation for the Gentiles, and the glory of Your people Israel.
      -- Luke 2:25-32



Here's an old man holding baby Jesus and making some bold claims....Your salvation which You have prepared before the face of all peoples...a light for the Gentiles...and a glory for Your people Israel....

(But, Simeon, it's only a baby!)

Notice "all peoples" and "Gentiles" are mentioned before Israel. Simeon understood Jesus' rescue mission better than most.

Then a prophetess, Anna, appears on the scene.


Coming up on them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.

               -- Luke 2:38



Luke does not give any more of her speech.

But it is interesting that Luke relates the story of a man and a woman here, dual threads of the story he is weaving for Theophilus.

This is typical of Luke's writing. In his gospel he makes it clear that Christ came for all -- Jew and Gentile - men and women.

There are at least twenty-seven "sets" of stories in his book that focus on both men and women.

In Luke 15 - the parable of the shepherd who lost his sheep and then the good woman who lost her coin.
In Luke 13 the farmer who plants a mustard seed in his garden and the woman who kneads some yeast into her bread dough.

In Luke 7 we see the story of the faithful centurion whose servant was sick, and then the raising of the widow's son at Nain.

Even the mother of John the Baptist is singled out: I tell you of those born of women there is no one greater than John....Luke 7:28

And here in the story of His miraculous birth we read that Gabriel visited two people: Zechariah and Mary. Two hymns of praise are written: Zechariah's and Mary's. Two witnesses in the temple: Simeon and Anna.

When Luke looked back over the ministry of Jesus,
he must have found Christ's attention to women and the particular needs of their world rather extraordinary. Certainly nothing like this exists in any other literature of the ancient world.

[The reactions of Zechariah and Mary to the message of Gabriel are quite different. Zechariah hesitated and chose to doubt - he was struck dumb until the child was born.

Mary, however, humbly received the gift of costly discipleship. "Let it be done to me according to thy word," she said. And so she was able to witness a second miracle, the news that her cousin would also have a miracle baby.

Zachariah's response of doubt brought him also a second miracle, but one of judgment (his temporary dumbness), not one of blessing.]


Luke tells us that Mary and Joseph marveled at Simeon's words to them about Jesus. Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, His mother: 'This child is destined to cause the falling and the rising of many in Israel ..... And a sword will pierce your own soul also.'

Your own soul also....A prophecy for two. 

Faithful Jews realized from the "suffering servant" prophecies that the Messiah would be wounded.
Now Simeon included Mary in the suffering of God's Anointed One.

Thirty-three years later she chose to stand at the foot of the cross, witnessing the cruel punishment of her Son, and she felt the sword pierce her own soul also.

She was not under arrest. She could have left. She could not have saved Him. She could not have convinced the soldiers to take her Son down and give Him to her so should could take Him home and take care of Him.

She made the free choice to stand by and enter into His suffering and feel the sword pierce through her heart. A memory she would never forget.

It's the cost of discipleship.


[I remember reading about the assassination of President Garfield in 1881. When officials went to visit his mother and give the harsh news to her, she  responded in shock, "But who would kill my baby?"
That's the hard burden of love.]

Robert Cottrill - Who are the Merry Gentlemen?

One of the chapters in Robert Cottrill's book, Discovering the Songs of Christmas, is about the old carol, "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen."

[This is such a delightful book, and if the author had not responded to one of these blogs, I would never have known about the book --  and I would have missed a real treasure!]

Anyway, here's the story about that carol.

It was written about 500 years ago.

Our wonderful English language, with its vibrant words and phrases, is in constant change, and this carol is an example of how the meaning of many words changes through the years.

The text does not refer to  "merry gentlemen," as though they were some giddy revelers. Nor is the word "rest" used as it is today. Five centuries ago it meant "make" or "keep."  A modern paraphrase of the words might read, "May God keep you joyful, gentlemen. May He fill your hearts with gladness!"  -- Robert Cottrill

[Also, there should be a comma between "Merry" and "Gentlemen" and many publishers forget to put that important punctuation in place.]

The poem then reminds us of the words of the angel in Luke 2:10: Do not be afraid, for I bring you good tidings of great joy. And then in verse 11 we find the reason for that great joy: For there is born to you...a Savior....

So let's all sing it -- like Anna would have sung it -- sing it loudly and joyfully --  (Remember God loves to hear us sing -- He must, because He keeps reminding us to sing to Him and about Him!)

God rest ye merry, Gentlemen

Let nothing you dismay

Remember Christ our Savior

Was born upon this day

To save us all from Satan's power

When we were gone astray

O tidings of comfort and joy

O tidings of comfort and joy!

P.S. During the time of the Reformation (1500's) carols were very popular among the people. They were not sung in church, but were sort of folk songs -- expressing the joy of the common people during the Christmas season, and, in fact, they were sung throughout the year. (Maybe they understood the Gospel message better than most of the churchmen and religious leaders in those days.)

Then in the 1640's the Puritans took over the government of England and the Puritan Parliament outlawed the celebration of Christmas and all festivals -- saying they were all too pagan and worldly. Christmas carols could not be sung anytime. (My ancestors came to the New World from London in the 1640s -- I don't know exactly what prompted their voyage to this wilderness, but maybe they just wanted to keep singing Christmas carols!)

About 175 years later Queen Victoria came to the throne (1837) and she revived the practice of carol singing. She loved the carols herself and urged the clergy to begin teaching them to the congregations, and "God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen" was one of the first!

That's why much of our Christmas imagery today has a "Victorian touch" - a reminder that Queen Victoria restored Christmas! And what a celebration it became!

P.P.S. Remember the White Witch in Narnia? While she ruled, it was "always winter and never Christmas." What a sad state of affairs....always winter...but never Christmas....

For those of us who have received the Gospel message -- it is always Christmas!

Christmas - An unsentimental and realistic holiday? - from Timothy Keller

The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned....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. Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end.

                       -- Isaiah 9:2, 5-7

Christmas ... is the most unsentimental, realistic way of looking at life.

It does not say, "Cheer up! If we all pull together we can make the world a better place."

The Bible never counsels indifference to the forces of darkness, only resistance, but it supports no illusions that we can ever defeat them.

Christianity does not agree with the optimistic thinkers who say, "We can fix things if we try hard enough." Nor does Christianity agree with the pessimist who see only a dystopian future.

The message of Christianity is, instead, "Things really are this bad, and we can't heal or save ourselves; things really are this dark--nevertheless, there is hope."

The Christmas message is that "on those living in the land of the shadow a light has dawned."

Notice that it does not say, "from the world a light has sprung," but "upon the world a light has dawned."

It has come from outside. There is light outside of this world, and Jesus has come from it to save us.

   From Timothy Keller's amazing book, Hidden Christmas, Chapter 1. Read it this month - you'll be so glad you did.

Christmas - God is with us!

The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and call him Immanuel (Isaiah 7:14).

Six hundred years later.....

The angel said to Joseph:

Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sin.

All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 'The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel' -- which means, 'God with us' (Matthew 1:22-23).



At the beginning of Matthew's Gospel - Immanuel - God with us -- and in the closing verses:

And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age (Matthew 28:20).


God is with us. God is with us always.

So many wonderful Names of God are given to us in Scripture:

Messiah,
Redeemer,
Priest,
King,
Alpha and Omega,
Beginning and End,
Wonderful Counselor,
Savior,
the Only Wise God,
Ancient of Days,
the Lamb Slain from the Foundation of the World,
the Lion of Judah,
Almighty,
Good Shepherd,
Anointed One,
Everlasting Father,
Prince of Peace,
Resurrection and the Life,
Light of the World,
Door,
Bread of Life,
King of Kings,
Faithful and True, 
Lord of Lords...
and so many more...

My favorite? IMMANUEL!

God is with us! Always!

From John's Revelation of the future new Jerusalem:

Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people and God himself will be with them and be their God (Revelation 21:3).


God is with us.

God is with us always.

God will be with us forever!

What's your favorite?

Not too early to begin to reflect - James Montgomery Boice

....If you make room for Christ, then from this day on, the world will have no room for you.

We see this in Luke 2:7. For, notice, it does not say "because there was no room for him in the inn." It says "for them." That includes Mary and Joseph as well as the infant Jesus.

And who are Christ's mother and father and sister and brother today? Are they not those who do the will of Christ's Father, as He told us in Matthew 12:48-50?

He replied to him, "who is my mother, and who are are my brothers?" Pointing to his disciples he said, "Here are my mother and brothers. For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.

Are they not those who open their hearts to Him and follow Him?

Well, then, if you have followed Him, the world will have no more room for you than it had for Him.

You must not think that if you follow Jesus you will be praised for doing so. The "angels will rejoice over every sinner who repents," no matter how insignificant in the world's eyes.

But the world will not rejoice.

The world will scorn your decision. The world will seek to put you down. Then, if it cannot get you to renounce your decision or compromise your stand, it will turn its back on you and go its own way, shutting you out.

That is what Jesus foretold. It was He who said, "If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you" (John 15:19).

Jesus said, "Woe to you when men speak well of you" (Luke 6:26).

Jesus said to His disciples, "In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world" (John 16:33).

To be Christ's follower is to be a person without a country. A displaced person. It is to follow Him into the poverty of the early years at Nazareth, the loneliness of the itinerant ministry, eventually to the cross, all the time knowing that the disciple, like the Master, has no place to lay his head.

Taken from The Christ of Christmas, by James Montgomery Boice

Christmas - No more myrrh...

No more myrrh...

On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh (Matthew 2:11).



We don't know much about the wise men. How many were there? (There were 3 gifts mentioned, but no mention of how many "wise men" brought them.)

Were they from the area of Babylon? Many think so. Others say, "No, because Babylon was a well-known location and would have been given as their homeland and so China, or some other exotic place is most likely." 

Kenneth Bailey reminds us that "from the east" was an expression used for many centuries, even today, to mean "across the Jordan," and so likely they were from Arabia, where frankincense and myrrh were found.

How long did it take them to get to Jerusalem?

We don't know. Maybe up to 2 years. We know Jesus was no longer a new-born baby, and He was in a house by the time of their arrival. Why did Herod ask that children under the age of 2 years be killed? Did he calculate that the little baby was now a small child? (It appears from the record that he did.) Did it take them that long to travel to Jerusalem?

And I have another question: Why did the wise men come to worship the child? Were they accustomed to worshipping Kings? Did they worship Herod? Or they could have gone all the way to Rome if they wanted to worship a famous king.

Who were these mysterious men and who gave them all the information? Maybe they had read the available Greek translation of the Old Testament and knew all the prophecies.

I guess all those answers are locked in a great safe somewhere awaiting a later time to be opened for us.

Anyway, I think about the gifts. We have all heard the symbolism: gold for the King; incense for worship; myrrh for burial needs.



Gold is easy. It's the precious metal of kings and has been for centuries.

Incense is significant because it was used in Temple worship. It was mixed with the oil that was used to anoint the priests. It was part of the meal offerings that were given for thanksgiving and praise to God. It gave the offering its pleasant odor.

Paul compared the gifts he received from the Philippians and praised them because  "they are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasant to God" (Philippians 4:18).

It was most important that incense was never mixed with sin offerings, which were meat and wine. Sin offerings never included incense. Only the offerings of thanks and praise were to have incense. Christ would never need to appear at the Temple with a sin offering. His offerings would always include incense.

What about myrrh? Much is made of this gift since it was used primarily for embalming. It was very costly. It was not  a typical baby gift. But for the wise men it was a gift of faith, just like their hazardous journey from the "east" to Jerusalem was a journey of faith.

We don't know what they knew about Christ's suffering. Probably they had the Old Testament scrolls and were familiar with the passages about the suffering Messiah.

Were they Jews who had been dispersed during the times of the Babylonians?

Or were they Gentiles who perhaps possessed some documents, oral and written,  that had been handed down from one generation to the next after the fall of Babel? Did their information predate Babel?

We don't know, but the ideas are certainly fascinating.

But what we do know is that myrrh was for embalming, not a gift for an ordinary baby.

What else do we know? Isaiah 60 foretells the second coming of Christ and His reign from Mount Zion. The text tells us...."The LORD rises upon you and His glory appears over you. Nations will come to your light and kings to the brightness of your dawn...and all from Sheba will come, bearing gold and incense and proclaiming the  praise of the LORD."

Gold and incense....no myrrh.....because the future coming of the Messiah will be a King reigning in glory....no suffering..no death...no need for myrrh.

WOW....DOXOLOGY!!!!

How We Come to the Manger

 

                                              How We Come to the Manger

"And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks by night. And the angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of the  Lord shone around them and they were terrified...'Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you. He is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.'" (Luke 2)

Sometimes we forget that those words of good news of great joy that came for all mankind were delivered to individuals. The word "you" appears four times  in these few verses.

God loves all mankind because He loves each! Don't ever think you are unimportant individually in God's great rescue plan.

Don't let yourself get lost in the crowd.

Remember Jesus tells us that He call us individually by name.

We come to the manger as we come to the cross......one by one!

Christmas - Emmanuel - Sally Lloyd-Jones

Mary and Joseph had to take a trip to Bethlehem, the town King David was from.

But when they reached the little town, they found every room was full. Every bed had been taken.

"Go away!" the innkeepers told them. "There isn't any place for you."

They couldn't find anywhere except an old, tumbledown stable

So they stayed where the cows and the donkeys and the horses stayed.

In there, in the stable, among the chickens and the donkeys and the cows, in the quiet of the night, God gave the world His wonderful gift.

The baby that would change the world was born -- His baby Son.

Mary and Joseph wrapped him up to keep Him warm. They made a soft bed of straw and used the animals' feeding trough as his cradle. And they gazed in wonder at God's Great Gift, wrapped in swaddling clothes, and lying in a manger.

Mary and Joseph named him, Jesus, "Emmanuel" -- which means "God has come to live with us."

Because, of course, He had.

     --From The Jesus Storybook Bible
                      by Sally Lloyd-Jones

Wise Men Still Seek Him!

After the shepherds and the wise men received their summons to meet the Christ Child, they obeyed.

They journeyed to Bethlehem. They found the Savior.


They discovered that the words of the angel and the message of the star were not misleading. It was not a hoax!

God's Son had been born. Immanuel had arrived!

He was there for all who would leave what they were doing and come to Him.

That is also true today.

In our day people talk as if it were hard to find Christ, or act as if it were hard to find their way through the superstitions of religion to the truth about God.

What a terrible misunderstanding!

To talk like that is to suggest that God is lost and that it is up to us to find Him.

He is not lost nor is the truth lost.

We are the ones who are lost, and the difficulties are in us and not in either God or His gospel.

Do not say the truth cannot be found.

Jesus said, "I am the....truth" (John 14:6).

Jesus is presented in Scripture.

If you want to find Him, you must search the Scriptures.

As you do, pray:"God, I am not certain what the truth is concerning religious things. But I believe that if You exist and if Jesus Christ is truly Your Son and the Savior You have sent into the world, then You should be able to show this to me as I study the Bible.

If Jesus is the Savior, I want to find Him. If I do find Him, I promise to be His disciple and serve Him all my days."

Christmas - 0 Holy Night - Thoughts from Ace Collins

                                     O Holy Night

Declared 'unfit for church services' in France and later embraced by US abolitionists, the song continues to inspire......

O holy night! The stars are brightly shining,

It is the night of the dear Savior's birth.

Long lay the world in sin and error pining

Till He appeared and the world felt its worth

A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices

For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn

Fall on your knees! Oh, hear the angel voices!

O night divine, the night when Christ was born

O night, O holy night, O night! O night divine!

Led by the light of faith serenely beaming

With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand

O'er all the world a star is sweetly gleaming

Now come the wise men from out of the Orient land.

The King of Kings lay in a lowly manger

In all our trials born to be our Friend.

He knows our need, our weakness is no stranger

Behold your King! Before Him lowly bend

Behold your King! Before Him lowly bend!

The story begins in France, in 1847, when a parish priest of a small town asked the local commissionaire of wine to compose a poem for Christmas mass.

The commissionaire, Palcide Cappeau de Roquemaure, was surprised by the request. He rarely attended services but was well-known for his accomplishments as a local poet.

He was honored at the request from the priest and
and began thinking about what he should compose.

While riding in a dusty coach down a bumpy road to Paris, he considered the words of the Christmas story as recorded in the Gospel of Luke.

He imagined being there and witnessing the miraculous events.  By the time he arrived in Paris, "Cantique de Noel" was completed.

As he re-read the lines he sensed the words were not just a poem, but worthy of a master musician's hand.
He turned to his friend, Adolphe Charles Adams, for help.

Adolphe was the son of a well-known classical musician and had studied music in Paris, filling numerous requests for orchestras and ballets all over the world.

But the words Placide had given him were a different kind of challenge - he was a Jew and didn't celebrate Christmas or worship the Christ Child!

But he loved Palcide's beautiful words and set about to compose a worthy musical score.

His finished work pleased both the poet and the priest. And the song was performed just three weeks later at a Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve.

Initially "Cantique de Noel" was wholeheartedly accepted by the French church and was heard often throughout the country.

Then Placide, in the philosophical change of heart, left the Catholic church and united himself with the socialist movement. And church leaders found out that Adolphe was a Jew.

So the leaders of the French Catholic Church declared the moving "Cantique de Noel" to be unfit for church services and would not allow it to be sung.

Yet, as the Catholic Church tried to discredit and bury
the popular Christmas song, the French people continued to sing it, and a decade later a unknown American writer brought it to the United States to a new audience halfway around the world....

The Rest of the Story ...

The American writer -- John Sullivan Dwight -- saw another vision for the great carol.

An ardent abolitionist, he took note of the message in verse 3 and his English translation fell on eager ears, especially in the North, during our Civil War:

Truly He taught us to love one another

His law is love and His gospel is peace

Chains He shall break, for the slave is our brother

And in His name all oppression shall cease.

It was sung, not just at Christmas, but throughout the year, during the struggle to eliminate slavery.

Back in France

Though banned from the churches, many commoners still sang, "Cantique de Noel." Legend tells us that on Christmas, 1871, in the midst of the fierce fighting between the armies of Germany and France during the Franco-Prussian War, a French soldier suddenly jumped out of his muddy trench. Boldly standing, with no weapon, he lifted his eyes to the skies and  began singing, "O holy night..."

When he finished three verses, a German infantryman climbed out of his hiding place and answered with a well-known Christmas hymn by Martin Luther; "From Heaven Above to Earth I Come."

There was a 24-hour truce as both sides observed a temporary peace in honor of Christmas day.

But There's More.....

Christmas Eve, 1906. Reginald Fessenden, a 33-year old university profession and former chief chemist for Thomas Edison, did something long thought impossible.

Using a new type of generator, Fessenden spoke into a microphone and, for the first time in history, a man's voice was broadcast over the airwaves.

"And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed," he began in a clear, strong voice, hoping he was reaching across the distances.

Shocked radio operators on ships and astonished wireless owners at newspapers sat slack-jawed as their normal, coded impulses, heard over tiny speakers, were interrupted by a professor reading from the gospel of Luke.

To those who caught this broadcast, it must have seemed like a miracle -- hearing a voice somehow transmitted to those far away. Perhaps some might have even believed they were hearing the voice of an angel!

Fessenden was probably unaware of the sensation he was causing on ships and in offices; he couldn't have known that men and women were rushing to their wireless units to catch this Christmas Eve miracle.

After finishing his recitation on the birth of Christ, Fessenden picked up his violin and played "O Holy Night," the first song ever sent through the air via radio waves.

Material from The Amazing Story of 'O Holy Night' by Ace Collins

A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices

For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn

Fall on  your knees! Oh, hear the angel voices!

O night divine, the night when Christ was born;

O night, O holy night, O night divine!