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Merry Christmas
I wish everyone in our group a happy and Christ-filled Christmas, and a new year that's filled with blessings and constructive service to God and others!
I'll repeat what I wrote a year ago: I wish everyone in our group a happy and Christ-filled Christmas, and a new year that's filled with blessings and constructive service to God and others!
Werner wrote: "I'll repeat what I wrote a year ago: I wish everyone in our group a happy and Christ-filled Christmas, and a new year that's filled with blessings and constructive service to God and others!"Thank you, Werner! May the blessings of our Lord rain down on you and your family this day, and every day into the new year! MERRY CHRISTMAS! ♥
Blessings to all of my fellow Christian GoodReaders! ♥
Prayers for a glorious 2015! :D
Merry Christmas to everyone. I hope you have/had a great Christmas. :-)
Lynne wrote: "Merry Christmas to everyone. I hope you have/had a great Christmas. :-)"Thank you! I hope you had a most blessed Christmas! :)
Jon wrote: "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. ..."
We are SO blessed! :D
Once again, it's the season of Christmas, the time of year we set aside to especially remember the significance to us all of God's special gift in the birth of Christ. My prayer for each one of us is that we'll have a blessed Christmas, with our hearts and minds brightened by the spiritual significance of the day, and that the joy of the Savior's coming will stay with all of us throughout the other 364 days of the year. And as Tiny Tim might say, "God bless us, every one!"
And It Came To Pass In Those Days...
... that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed (and this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria). And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. 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. And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 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. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
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 to us.” And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger. Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. 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 for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them.
Circumcision of Jesus
And when eight days were completed for the circumcision of the Child, His name was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb.
Jesus Presented in the Temple
Now when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord (as it is written in the law of the Lord, “Every male who opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”), and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the law of the Lord, “A pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.”
Simeon Sees God’s Salvation
And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was 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 to the Gentiles,
And the glory of Your people Israel.”
And Joseph and His mother marveled at those things which were spoken of Him. Then Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary His mother, “Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against (yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”
Jesus Advances in Wisdom and Favor
Then He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was subject to them, but His mother kept all these things in her heart. And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.
Luke 2:1-35, 51-52 NKJV
Merry CHRISTmas! Love and blessings to all of us at CHRISTian GoodReaders! ♥
Again, we're in the season of Christmas, approaching the day that we set aside to particularly celebrate as Christ's birthday. (Though, in truth, His coming is a gift we should celebrate in our hearts every day of the year.) It's very often a season of hustle and bustle, of concentration on presents and big dinners. I the midst of all of that, my Christmas wish for us all is for a truly joyous Christmas, with peace instead of stress --and joy and peace will flow to us when we remember the One who's the real reason for the season. Merry Christmas to all!
Once again, we find ourselves in the midst of the Christmas season. I'm going to quote, below, something my wife wrote this year in our annual family/friends Christmas letter:"As we come to the end of the year, I’m thankful for all the blessings that we enjoyed this year. One of the things to be thankful for is God’s gift to us in Jesus’ birth. With all the things to take our minds off of God and His goodness to man, we sometimes forget what Christmas is all about. We can get caught up in presents, Christmas trees, lights and tinsel. Christmas is so much more. If we take “peace on earth and good will to men” out of Christmas, we are left without anything to celebrate. Christmas is just another day. The feeling of joy, peace and good will is what makes this time of year wonderful. You don’t have to be a Christian to see what Christmas does to most people. People are a whole lot nicer, kinder, and a lot more forgiving around Christmas. Thank God for His gift to us. I say, let God’s love shine in our lives every day, every hour, every minute that He gives us breath."
Wishing everyone near and far a Christ-centered and blessed Christmas, and a grace-filled coming year!
It's wonderful and true what your wife wrote, Werner. Thank you and merry Christmas to all!
Once again, we'll soon be celebrating, in a special way (though it's worthy to be celebrated in our hearts and actions every day of the year), the birth of Christ as our Savior and King. To everyone in our group, and to all God's children everywhere, I wish you a happy and Christ-filled Christmas, with all the blessings of this season of peace and good will!
Warmest wishes for a merry and Christ-centered Christmas to all of our group; and as Dickens had Tiny Tim say, "God bless us, everyone!" May the peace and joy that the Savior's birth brings abide with us all through the new year, and color all of our thoughts, actions, and treatment of others.
Merry Christmas and A Very Happy New Year!!!May the Lord bless you all ...
As an interesting side note, we're all familiar with Matthew's account of the visit of the Magi to the Christ Child; but the exact identity of the "star" they saw that guided them has long been a mystery. I've been fascinated by reading about recent research which suggests that the solution of the mystery is the very rare triple conjunction of the planet Jupiter, the star Regulus, and the constellation Virgo on Sept. 11, 2 B.C., which would be a plausible date for Jesus' conception. (Herod the Great is now known to have died in 1 B.C., not 4 B.C. --a copying error in the later manuscripts of Josephus was discovered in 1998-- and an empire-wide census was ordered by the Roman Senate on Feb. 5, 2 B.C., but in those days would have taken months to implement.) The details of the behavior of the heavenly bodies would, in that case, dovetail nicely with the peculiar features of Matthew's account. (See https://countingtogod.com/2017/12/ for more information.) While I wouldn't be dogmatic about it, I found this material quite instructive, and worth sharing!
Thanks for posting this, Werner, it’s fascinating!Merry Christmas to everyone!
Thanks, Werner. An interesting blog. I'm reminded of the book 'The Miracles of Exodus'
by Cambridge physicist Colin Humphries, in which he explores the history of the Jewish Exodus.Best wishes to all for Christmas and beyond.
Peter
Glad you found the link interesting, Swantjie and Peter! And Peter, thanks for calling our attention to the book by Humphries (I've just finished officially liking your review).
Thanks, Werner. You'll forgive me for forgetting that I'd even reviewed the Humphries book, over three years ago.
Peter wrote: "Thanks, Werner. You'll forgive me for forgetting that I'd even reviewed the Humphries book, over three years ago."Nothing to forgive, Peter. :-)
May you prepare for a MERRY CHRISTMAS!poemsandprayer.blogspot.com
I echo Lisa's wish, to everyone in our group and beyond!This has been a year like none in living memory, and we know this will be true of our celebrations of Christmas as well. For many of us, the large family gatherings that have always been a joyous part of the holiday won't be able to take place. But I pray that we remember that the reason for the abiding joy of Christmas isn't what we're able to do externally to celebrate it, but our inner thankfulness that in Christ, God has sent His only begotten Son into this world to save us from the guilt and power of sin. That gives us a reason to rejoice even in the midst of a pandemic.
Merry Christmas! (sigh More than half way through wrapping the presents that have to be mailed, there is that.)
Once more, we're drawing near the day most Christians set aside as a time to especially celebrate and thank God for the birth of our Savior. Even in the midst of a continuing pandemic and other trying circumstances, the season is a reminder that joy and peace comes from the sure and gracious promises and actions of God, not from the world. So may we all have a truly merry Christmas, knowing in our hearts that Jesus (not presents and tinsel) is the reason for the season!
Glory to God in the highest, peace on earth, good will toward men.
Love is our Creator becoming one of us. MERRY CHRISTMAS!
After the Lord delivered the children of Israel from Egypt, he commanded them to celebrate the Passover every year, "so that all the days of your life you may remember" that great deliverance (Deuteronomy 16:3). So it was necessary and important to remember it every day of the year; but commemorating it on a particular day would be an aid to that daily remembrance, not a substitute for nor an impediment to it.(Most) Christians don't celebrate the Passover in this day and time. But we can and should remember the great act of salvation and deliverance that God has done for us through Christ, of which the miracle that Passover commemorates was a type. Just so, for many of us, Christmas is an aid to 365-days-a-year remembrance of the Word becoming flesh, and what that means for us. May it be so this year for each of us who celebrate it; and I wish a blessed and Christ-centered season to all those who do!
Werner wrote: "After the Lord delivered the children of Israel from Egypt, he commanded them to celebrate the Passover every year, "so that all the days of your life you may remember" that great deliverance (Deut..."Yes, God made a distinction then and does today. May as many people as possible celebrate the Passover in Jesus Christ who, dying for our sins, is the only One with the power to save. Merry Passover!
As Dec. 25 approaches once again, I wish everyone who celebrates it a blessed, joyful, and Christ-filled Christmas! And as always, whether you celebrate that specific day or not, my hope and prayer for everyone is that we'll live every day of the year in thankfulness for his coming and what it means for us, and make the entire year truly a season of Advent.
It's always appropriate to thank God for the coming of Christ into this world, to save us from sin and death (and, of course, we don't know the actual day and month of Christ's birth). But for those of us who remember this blessing with special intensity at this time of year, I wish us all a Christ-centered Advent season, a blessed Christmas, and a new year filled with loving service to the Savior!
Thanks Werner. Happy Christmas to all and you.
P. wrote: "Thanks Werner. Happy Christmas to all and you."Thank you, Patrick!
It's the Christmas season once again! Amid the hustle, bustle, and all too often the commercialism and stress that may distract us from the meaning of the day, my prayer is that we keep our minds and hearts centered on the whole reason for our celebrating --the mind-boggling wonder of the word of God made flesh, for our salvation. And as we keep our focus on that wonder, let's keep it there all through the other 364 days of the year. Merry Christmas to everyone!
-- Isaiah 9:6