The Miracle of Christmas

From the days of eternity Jesus was one with the Father; He was "the image of God," the image of His greatness and majesty, "the outshining of His glory." It was to manifest this glory that He came to our world. To this sin-darkened earth He cam to reveal the light of God's love,--to be "God with us." By coming to dwell with us, Jesus was to reveal God both to men and to angels.

The King of glory stooped low to take humanity. Rude and forbidding were His earthly surroundings. His glory was veiled, that the majesty of His outward form might not become an object of attraction. he shunned all outward display. Riches, worldly honor, and human greatness can never save a soul from death; Jesus purposed that no attraction of an earthly nature should call men to His side. Only the beauty of heavenly truth must draw those who would follow Him. The character of the Messiah had long been foretold in prophecy, and He desired men to accept Him upon the testimony of the word of God.

Angels attend Joseph and Mary as they journey from their home in Nazareth to the city of David. Weary and homeless , they traverse the entire length of the narrow street, from the gate of the city to the eastern extremity of the town, vainly seeking a resting place for the night. There is no room for them at the crowded inn. In a rude building where the beasts are sheltered, they at last find refuge, and here the Redeemer of the world is born.

The whole world is brighter for His presence. Above the hills of Bethlehem are gathered an innumerable throng of angels. They wait the signal to declare the glad news to the world.

In the fields where the boy David had led his flock, shepherds were still keeping watch by night. Through the silent hours they talked together of the promised Savior, and prayed for the coming of the King to David's throne. "Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord."

At these words, visions of glory fill the minds of the listening shepherds. The Deliverer has come to Israel! Power, exaltation, triumph, are associated with His coming. But the angel must prepare them to recognize their Savior in poverty and humiliation. "This shall be a sign unto you," he says; "Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, laying in a manger."

The heavenly messenger had quieted their fears. He had told them how to find Jesus. With tender regard for their human weakness, he had given them time to become accustomed to the divine radiance. Then the joy and glory could no longer be hidden. The whole plain was lighted up with the bright shining of the hosts of God. Earth was hushed, and heaven stopped to listen to the song,--

"Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace, good will toward men."

As the angels disappeared, the light faded away, and the shadows of night once more fell on the hills of Bethlehem. But the brightest picture ever beheld by human eyes remained in the memory of the shepherds. "So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, 'Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known unto us." And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger."

Departing with great joy, they made known the things they had seen and heard. "And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God."

We marvel at the Savior's sacrifice in exchanging the throne of heaven for the manger, and the companionship of adoring angels for the beasts of the stall. Human pride and self-sufficiency stand rebuked in His presence. Yet this was but the beginning of His wonderful condescension. It would have been an almost infinite humiliation for the Son of God to take man's nature even when Adam stood in his innocence in Eden. But Jesus accepted humanity when the race had been weakened by four thousand years of sin. Like every child of Adam He accepted the results of the working of the great law of heredity. What these results were is shown in the history of His earthly ancestors. He came with such a heredity to share our sorrows and temptations, and to give us the example of a sinless life.

Satan in heaven had hated Christ for His position in the courts of God. He hated Him the more when he himself was dethroned. He hated Him who pledged Himself to redeem a race of sinners. yet into the world where Satan claimed dominion God permitted His Son to come, a helpless babe, subject to the weakness of humanity. He permitted Him to meet life's peril in common with every human soul, to fight the battle as every child of humanity must fight it, at the risk of failure and eternal loss.

The heart of the human father yearns over his son. He looks into the face of his little child, and trembles at the thought of life's peril. He longs to shield his dear one from Satan's power, to hold him back from temptation and conflict. To meet a bitterer conflict and a more fearful risk, God gave His only Son, that the path of life might be made sure for our little ones. "Herein is love." Wonder, O Heavens! And be astonished, O earth!

What a Miracle!

Based on Luke 2:1-20
Excerpts from my favorite author.

image by google

The Other Side of the Fence

photo by Linda

Why is it that any time we walk by a fence or a wall we wonder what is on the other side? We look for a knot hole or a crack so we can look in and see what is there or what is going on. Cheap periscopes have been made and sold as toys so kids can see over fences or walls or even around corners. We are all like little kids at times. I believe we have all wished we had a periscope at one time or another. And did it ever occur to you that someone on the other side of the fence or wall may wonder what is on the side you are on? What if when you find the hole to look through and peek in, you see someone looking back at you?

photo by Les

Could it be, that we all have a deep internal desire to know what is "on the other side" whether it is just a fence or a wall, or whether it is the future, or whether it is on the other side of life...or death? What is easier? To know what is on the other side of the wall, or what is on the other side of life? Is it easier to believe what we see on the other side of the fence by looking through the hole, or is it easier to believe what God has told us in the Bible about what is on the other side of life or death, and what is in the future?

We may see through the hole in the fence, but is what we see real, or is it an illusion? We can never be sure. What we see and "know" may actually not be real. Things can be made to look like what they are not, just an illusion. But what we learn from the Bible is God's word. It is the word of the Creator, the One who knows everything. What He says is no illusion. We can trust it more than we, as humans, can trust what we think is true and real, even if we see it with our own eyes.

Think about this the next time you see a hole in a fence you want to look through.

photo by Linda

Two Roads

Robert Frost wrote in a poem, "Two roads diverged..., and I, I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference." Well, here are "Two Roads" that diverged. Guess which one I took? Yep, the one less traveled. And that has made all the difference. The "road" ended far too soon and then there was no place to go. What a strange way to make a road. If, when I took the road less traveled, I could see that it was a dead end, maybe I would have taken a different "road". But then, maybe not. It depends on how it is viewed. The road less traveled is either a dead end as it appears, or it is left to look like the end so you can make your own road from there on--not following in an other's rut. Make your own road, a do-it-yourself-road, that is what it is!! And that WILL make all the difference, and has.

photo by les

It's gonna be a long winter

Well, I guess we will all just have to wait!
I saw this while taking a walk in the park a couple weeks ago. Don't they know there are just some things that should not close for the winter?

Photo by les

Leaves

Well, it is the present now. How profound and philosophical for an old codger, right? Anyway, it is, whether we like it or not.

Did you ever stop to think about the transition from summer to winter? It is called fall. And that is appropriate because the leaves fall down. (now you would not expect them to fall up, would you?) That, is MOST leaves fall. Some are on evergreen trees so their leaves do not fall, but all deciduous trees loose their leaves in the fall. That is, they are supposed to. Our two trees in the back yard cooperate very nicely, but our tree in front yard does not. It thinks it is supposed to hang on to all the leaves it can until sometime in winter. I keep waiting for the leaves to fall so I can rake them up and put them into the trash. But, even though the wind blows, the leaves just hang on! And, I am NOT going to climb up and pick them all off!

Maybe we are like trees. Maybe leaves are our habits--our lives. Some of us never want to let them go and we keep them all the time, like an evergreen tree that will not give up it's leaves until it dies. Some of us are like the tree in our front yard that will not give up it's leaves without a fight, and then only reluctantly. Some of us are like the trees in our back yard that give up their leaves as soon as they recognize fall is near.

I wonder what kind of tree am I? When the end of summer is here and winter is on the way--when God is close and the end is near--do I hang on to my life as I like it to be, as the evergreen tree? Or do I hold onto my ways until the winds of life blow so hard that I must give them up? Or am I like the trees in the back yard who willingly give up their lives as soon as they sense summer is over and fall is on the way. When God asks me to turn over my life to Him do I hang onto it with all my power, of do I readily surrender my life to Him? Do I give Him my leaves so He can dispose of them and give me new ones in the spring? So I can spring forth with new life from Him and blossom with beauty? Do I expect Him to pick each leaf off one at a time?

photo by les

And, why do some leaves turn wonderful colors of orange and red and yellow before they fall, but others just shrivel up, turn brown and fall? I wonder.

photo by Google

Beginning at the end

Well, I guess this old codger must get with the times and have a blog. This way I will have someone to talk to even if no one wants to listen. First I have to figure out how to use this thing and how to make a blog. I never knew what a blog was until just a few moons ago. Now it seems everyone who is anyone has a blog. Even though I am not "anyone" I will have a blog anyway. Maybe that will help me to become "someone".

Thought you might enjoy a picture of my home. As you can see, it is not too modern. I have to run a long extension cord (when my neighbor is not home) just to get my computer to run. In the winter it gets hard to use the computer because it is hard to type with gloves on. As you can see, there are no windows and there is no heat in my house.

photo by les