Christmas

No Crib For His Bed

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And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. Luke 2:7 KJV

For those whose farming experience comes only from watching “Little House on the Prairie,” the manger scene may sound idyllic. But for those of us who have milked cows, picked up bales of hay and fed the chickens, the words, “The little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay” have a completely different meaning. You might not know this, but in a barn when “The cattle are lowing,” they are often doing other unpleasant things not appealing to a mother who has just given birth! But for all these oversights in this children’s carol, the central truth still rings loud and clear: Jesus was a real baby! He was not just an infant with a halo around His head, posing for a portrait, smiling for the wise men and lifting His tiny hands to bless shepherds. God’s Son was born in a barn, His first bed was a feeding trough and the sights and smells around Him were not Frankincense and myrrh. God’s chosen place for the birth of Jesus was so that both children and wise men, shepherds and small town folks, could draw near. It doesn’t make sense. It isn’t dignified. It looked like it would never work. And yet it did. Jesus heard the sounds of chickens, He touched the rough hay, and smelled the barn animals just as we do. Then one day, He was given a crown to wear covered with thorns. Then He was beaten, given vinegar to drink, nailed to a cross and left to die on a cold dark hilltop. He did it all so that anyone who would believe in Him could be forgiven. Today He invites you to come, whether your home is in a barn or a mansion because He loves you and wants to make you His own!

Away in a Manger 1895 Author unknown music by Willaim Kirkpatrick

Caligiuri, Peter. A Christmas Treasury: Large Print Edition (pp. 5-6). Kindle Edition.

Go Tell it on the Mountain!

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And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. Luke 2:9-10 KJV

While Thanksgiving weekend is a big date on most of our calendars, life at the nursing home stays pretty much the same. Sure, there is a big inflatable turkey behind me, and they served a special lunch yesterday, but few of the residents received visits from family members and fewer still have even been outside in months. But, just like those shepherds, who were overlooked by everyone else, God is sending them His message, that Jesus Christ has come down, right where we are. He came to give His life, so that we could have our sins forgiven and be restored to a loving relationship with our Father in Heaven. So, let’s “Go tell it on the mountain, over the hills and everywhere!”

A Message of Joy

/ pastorpete51 / 9 Comments

And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. Luke 2:10 KJV

Have you ever gotten into such an argument with someone you loved that they gave you the silent treatment? (You don’t have to answer!) The worst thing for most of us is not punishment, rudeness or anger, it is the complete cutting off of communication. That is how the people of Israel felt, because, although they were God’s chosen people, they had not heard from God for generations. Try to imagine for a moment the feeling of those shepherds, when angels appeared to them bringing God’s first message in four hundred years. “Joy to the World” is one of the happiest of the Christmas carols, because it tells us both by its words and upbeat melody, that Christmas is a time to celebrate.

With the craziness of the events happening around the world it is easy to focus more on things that we are afraid of, than the hope we have in Christ. That is why God wants to speak to our hearts, the same message He sent for the shepherds. “Don’t be afraid!” Though it often feels as if Jesus is a million miles away from our situation, the truth is that He is close by and that He has come for you. Don’t be afraid because the message of the coming of Jesus is “Good tiding of great joy!” What we need to do as the carol tells us is to “Receive our king!” He has come, and our job is to follow the shepherds who ran to see Him. He has come with a message of joy, not just for Israel, but for all people everywhere. “Let Heaven and nature sing!” Joy to the World by Isaac Watts 1719

Caligiuri, Peter. A Christmas Treasury: Large Print Edition (pp. 3-4). Kindle Edition.