The Nativity painted by Federico Barocci, 1553
Saint Bridget, a Swedish noblewoman, died in 1373, was well known for her visions, recognized to this day as given from the Lord. While on pilgrimage to the Holy Land, Birgitta experienced visions of the Virgin and Christ. Her vision of the Birth of Christ enormously influenced Nativity depictions. She saw the Virgin birth, Mary with her long hair flowing, knelt to adore Him, glowing with supernatural light.
Psalm 67
English Standard Version, David Cochran Audio Bible
May God be gracious to us and bless us
and make his face to shine upon us,
Selah
2that your way may be known on earth,
your saving power among all nations.
3 Let the peoples praise you, O God;
let all the peoples praise you!
4Let the nations be glad and sing for joy,
for you judge the peoples with equity
and guide the nations upon earth.
Selah
5 Let the peoples praise you, O God;
let all the peoples praise you!
6The earth has yielded its increase;
God, our God, shall bless us.
7God shall bless us;
let all the ends of the earth fear him!
Numbers 6:22
22 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying:
23 “Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying,
‘This is the way you shall bless the children of Israel. Say to them:
24 “May the LORD bless you and keep you;
25 May the LORD make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
26 May the LORD lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.”’
The Meek Were Kneeling
by Max Lucado
“Blessed are the meek,” Jesus explained. Blessed are the available.
That’s why the announcement went first to the shepherds. They didn’t ask God if he was sure he knew what he was doing. Had the angel gone to the theologians, they would have first consulted their commentaries. Had he gone to the elite, they would have looked around to see if anyone was watching. Had he gone to the successful, they would have first looked at their calendars.
So he went to the shepherds. Men who didn’t have a reputation to protect or an ax to grind or a ladder to climb. Men who didn’t know enough to tell God that angels don’t sing to sheep and that messiahs aren’t found wrapped in rags and sleeping in a feed trough.
A small cathedral outside Bethlehem marks the supposed birthplace of Jesus. Behind a high altar in the church is a cave, a little cavern lit by silver lamps.
You can enter the main edifice and admire the ancient church. You can also enter the quiet cave where a star embedded in the floor recognizes the birth of the King. There is one stipulation, however. You have to stoop. The door is so low you can’t go in standing up.
The same is true of the Christ. You can see the world standing tall, but to witness the Savior, you have to get on your knees.
So …
while the theologians were sleeping
and the elite were dreaming
and the successful were snoring,
the meek were kneeling.
Written by Bob Deffinbaugh -
One of the key words we must deal with is the word “blessed” because it occurs over and over and over again. You will find that in a number of translations, the word is rendered “happy,” and there is a sense in which that is probably true. But, I think you have to say that the word “happy,” just because of the meaning we give to it today, is probably not the best word. But in the Sermon on the Mount, in fact, you would have to say that those who mourn are not really happy. It’s hard to be both, so I reject as a preference making the emphasis on happiness, although there certainly is that. You could say that there is a sense in which there is always joy and delight—that’s always there, and I would certainly be willing to see that in this text. Probably the primary sense of the word “blessed” here is the sense of approval. It is saying that God has expressed His approval on these people. To be blessed is to be approved by God, and I think that probably fits.
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Psalm 67
English Standard Version, David Cochran Audio Bible
May God be gracious to us and bless us
and make his face to shine upon us,
Selah
2that your way may be known on earth,
your saving power among all nations.
3 Let the peoples praise you, O God;
let all the peoples praise you!
4Let the nations be glad and sing for joy,
for you judge the peoples with equity
and guide the nations upon earth.
Selah
5 Let the peoples praise you, O God;
let all the peoples praise you!
6The earth has yielded its increase;
God, our God, shall bless us.
7God shall bless us;
let all the ends of the earth fear him!
Numbers 6:22
22 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying:
23 “Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying,
‘This is the way you shall bless the children of Israel. Say to them:
24 “May the LORD bless you and keep you;
25 May the LORD make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
26 May the LORD lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.”’
The Meek Were Kneeling
by Max Lucado
“Blessed are the meek,” Jesus explained. Blessed are the available.
That’s why the announcement went first to the shepherds. They didn’t ask God if he was sure he knew what he was doing. Had the angel gone to the theologians, they would have first consulted their commentaries. Had he gone to the elite, they would have looked around to see if anyone was watching. Had he gone to the successful, they would have first looked at their calendars.
So he went to the shepherds. Men who didn’t have a reputation to protect or an ax to grind or a ladder to climb. Men who didn’t know enough to tell God that angels don’t sing to sheep and that messiahs aren’t found wrapped in rags and sleeping in a feed trough.
A small cathedral outside Bethlehem marks the supposed birthplace of Jesus. Behind a high altar in the church is a cave, a little cavern lit by silver lamps.
You can enter the main edifice and admire the ancient church. You can also enter the quiet cave where a star embedded in the floor recognizes the birth of the King. There is one stipulation, however. You have to stoop. The door is so low you can’t go in standing up.
The same is true of the Christ. You can see the world standing tall, but to witness the Savior, you have to get on your knees.
So …
while the theologians were sleeping
and the elite were dreaming
and the successful were snoring,
the meek were kneeling.
Written by Bob Deffinbaugh -
One of the key words we must deal with is the word “blessed” because it occurs over and over and over again. You will find that in a number of translations, the word is rendered “happy,” and there is a sense in which that is probably true. But, I think you have to say that the word “happy,” just because of the meaning we give to it today, is probably not the best word. But in the Sermon on the Mount, in fact, you would have to say that those who mourn are not really happy. It’s hard to be both, so I reject as a preference making the emphasis on happiness, although there certainly is that. You could say that there is a sense in which there is always joy and delight—that’s always there, and I would certainly be willing to see that in this text. Probably the primary sense of the word “blessed” here is the sense of approval. It is saying that God has expressed His approval on these people. To be blessed is to be approved by God, and I think that probably fits.
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