Hebrews 2:5-18 ~ and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery

 Here am I and the children the Lord has given me





Hebrews 2:5-18


For it was not to angels that God subjected the world to come, of which we are speaking. 6 It has been testified somewhere,

“What is man, that you are mindful of him,
or the son of man, that you care for him?
7 You made him for a little while lower than the angels;
you have crowned him with glory and honor,^{[and set Him over the works of your hands]}
8 putting everything in subjection under his feet.”

Now in putting everything in subjection to him, he left nothing outside his control. At present, we do not yet see everything in subjection to him. 9 But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.

10 For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering. 11 For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one source. That is why he is not ashamed to call them brothers,^{[brothers and sisters]} 12 saying,

“I will tell of your name to my brothers;
in the midst of the congregation I will sing your praise.”

13 And again,
“I will put my trust in him.”

And again,
“Behold, I and the children God has given me.”

14 Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, 15 and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. 16 For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham. 17 Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. 18 For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.

Parenting.
This job is not for the feint at heart.
Feint regards to the discipline of swordsmanship & fencing. Feints are maneuvers designed to distract or mislead, done by stealth.

What do Christians want to give their children?

~ bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect

We would, of course, like our children to perfectly love Him.

~ left nothing outside his control.

We want very strongly for Jesus not to be ashamed to call them brothers


And when we look at His Story we see, in the line of Jesus Christ, faith weaves in and out of the generations. Very fortunately for us, we are part of the living and eternal promises Jesus gives us. Remembering this passage is about Jesus and His Salvation.


John 1:16-18
16 For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father's side, he has made him known.


Luke 18:1,7, 9, 16
And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart.

7 And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off?

9 He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt


What in life is iffy about Christianity? Not much. Tell your children. Preach the Gospel!  And if you have to, use words. 


16 But Jesus called them to him, saying, “Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God."

~ For it was not to angels that God subjected the world to come

2 Samuel 23:2

"The Spirit of the LORD spoke through me; his word was on my tongue.

John 16:33
"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

A drunken man gets on the bus late one night, staggers up the aisle, and sits next to an elderly woman. She looks the man up and down and says, "I've got news for you. You're going straight to hell!" The man jumps up out of his seat and shouts, "Man, I'm on the wrong bus!"

Parenting was never easy. God chose to take the most important burden upon Himself. Remember to pray daily and bless your children. God loves them.


Romans 5
Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.


Galatians 6:10
Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.





<><

Psalm 57 ~ Be exalted, O God, above the heavens! Let your glory be over all the earth!

Angels found painted in the Cathedral of Seville, Spain

Shepherds in the Field, painted by Nicolaes Berchem. Detail of the angels.

Jesus with the Angels, Artist Unknown. Beautiful.

Shepherds in the Field, painted by Nicolaes Berchem.

The Nativity, painted by Gerard van Honthorst

Psalm 57


Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me,
for in you my soul takes refuge;
in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge,
till the storms of destruction pass by.
2 I cry out to God Most High,
to God who fulfills his purpose for me.
3 He will send from heaven and save me;
he will put to shame him who tramples on me. Selah
God will send out his steadfast love and his faithfulness!

4 My soul is in the midst of lions;
I lie down amid fiery beasts—
the children of man, whose teeth are spears and arrows,
whose tongues are sharp swords.

5 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens!
Let your glory be over all the earth!

6 They set a net for my steps;
my soul was bowed down.
They dug a pit in my way,
but they have fallen into it themselves. Selah
7 My heart is steadfast, O God,
my heart is steadfast!
I will sing and make melody!
8 Awake, my my glory!^{[my whole being]}
Awake, O harp and lyre!
I will awake the dawn!
9 I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples;
I will sing praises to you among the nations.
10 For your steadfast love is great to the heavens,
your faithfulness to the clouds.

11 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens!
Let your glory be over all the earth!


God is exalted in the Shepherds hearing His Good News and saying:

The shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us!”

The shepherds shook off fear and wanted more of HIM and His glory.

And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.



for in you my soul takes refuge;
in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge,
till the storms of destruction pass by.

Matthew 2:12-14
And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.

13 Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” 14 And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt




He will put to shame him who tramples on me. Selah
God will send out his steadfast love and his faithfulness!

Luke 13:32
He replied, "Go tell that fox, 'I will drive out demons and heal people today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will reach my goal.'




He will send from heaven and save me

Matthew 26:42
He went away a second time and prayed, "My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done."




Be exalted, O God, above the heavens!
Let your glory be over all the earth!

Matthew 27:45-54
Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour. 46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” 47 And some of the bystanders, hearing it, said, “This man is calling Elijah.” 48 And one of them at once ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine, and put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink. 49 But the others said, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him.” 50 And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit.

51 And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split. 52 The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, 53 and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many. 54 When the centurion and those who were with him, keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were filled with awe and said, “Truly this was the Son of God!”


Hebrews 13:8
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.




<><

John 20 :1-8 ~ Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb..

John 20:1-8

Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. 2 So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.”

 3 So Peter went out with the other disciple, and they were going toward the tomb. 4 Both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 And stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in.

 6 Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there, 7 and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus' head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself. 8 Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed

Christmas, like this passage, is about an event seemingly over.

The real gift of Christmas is Jesus willing to join us in our human condition. Jesus willing to wade into the fray. To experience the death of friends. To feel the pain. We always think of Elijah and the gentle soft whisper.

1 Kings 19:9-15
There he came to a cave and lodged in it. And behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and he said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

10 He said, “I have been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away.”

11 And he said, “Go out and stand on the mount before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind.

And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper. 13 And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave.

And behold, there came a voice to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 14 He said, “I have been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away.” 15 And the Lord said to him, “Go, return on your way."

And I wondered why wasn't the LORD in the great, strong wind. The earthquake. And wasn't the voice of the LORD a continuation.

The way of the Lord is this:

Mark 7:31-37
31 Then he returned from the region of Tyre and went through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis. 32 And they brought to him a man who was deaf and had a speech impediment, and they begged him to lay his hand on him. 33 And taking him aside from the crowd privately, he put his fingers into his ears, and after spitting touched his tongue. 34 And looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.” 35 And his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. 36 And Jesus charged them to tell no one. But the more he charged them, the more zealously they proclaimed it. 37 And they were astonished beyond measure, saying, “He has done all things well. He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”


And astonished beyond measure, John writes in the Twentieth Chapter - John believes. NOW, THAT IS ASTONISHING. John believed when all was literally lost. An event influencing every waking moment of his life and writings.

Elijah was so shaken, he had lived in that day a huge wind of fire, an earthquake of events. He needed a gentle voice. The deaf man had, all of his days, seen events as confused and veiled to him. Jesus drew him aside to spend time making this man's healing completely tailored him. GOD takes time for us.


Christmas is this - the word of the Lord came to me. In our quiet moments, in our earthquake, in our great wind, in confusion - clarity. “He has done all things well."


John 14:6
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."






<><

Mark 13:24-27 ~ send out the angels

Mark 13:24-27

²⁴ "But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, ²⁵ and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. ²⁶And then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. ²⁷ And then he will send out the angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.


Angels - with the return of '80's nostalgia, maybe you remember the Christmas Angel craze of the 80's. I have participated in it in a big way and continue today. I saw photos of the New York Met tree in the 80's and have endeavored to do my best with our Christmas tree.


Met tree photos....

And I've had help with my angel tree project from family, my mom (of course) and friends. Even Church parties where the ornament is wrapped and distributed without anyone knowing what the ornament was - mine turns out to be an angel. My great-aunt Eloise had beautiful lace she collected for decades and my cousin Maxine gave it to my mom and to me. So our store bought angels have additions of beautiful lace and gold trim and acrylic paint applied to their clothes.

Not to mention the baseball angel, the football angel, the '99 Spencer doggy went to heaven photo in angel frame, the paper dinner plate angel, the valentine doily angel, the mother's day out angel, musical and medieval mosaic angels, red and white checked art deco angel, renaissance metal angel, pastel- paper- mache WWII plump Shirley Temple musical angels found in the attic of our second home, and - you get the idea. My sons even to this day look for the two angels repainted to look like them at age 5. They enjoyed placing their angel higher than the sibling's and sometimes the tree began to sway as that angel climbed heaven wards to 'higher' glory.

But in the middle of beautiful art - there is one thing I really long to see - an angel on the tree not looking like she is dressed to have High Tea with Queen Victoria. What about the real angels that the heart- stopping reaction is - O.M.G.


Luke 2:8-14

And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. ⁹ And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. ¹⁰ And the angel said to them, "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. ¹¹ For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. ¹² And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger." ¹³ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

¹⁴ "Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!"


Christmas is not just a reminder of God choosing to become part of our lives, but Christmas is the joyous reminder - we are going Home. All of the Christmas joy and Christmas hassle - our Alpha and Omega are in Jesus Christ. This life is just part of the plan for eternity - beginning today.


2 Peter 1:17
For he received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased."

2 Corinthians 3:10
For what was glorious has no glory now in comparison with the surpassing glory.

2 Corinthians 1:22
and He has also set His seal upon us, and has put His Spirit into our hearts as a pledge and foretaste of future blessing.

Handel Messiah Hallelujah 1000 Choir Chorus
70th BPMC of Anniversary 7th Church Choir Festival.
John Hong, Organist (Hyun Il Hong : 홍현일)
Graduate Juilliard

<><

John 1 ~ the Light shines

A country Church Christmas

The Church of the Nativity celebrates Christmas Day in Bethlehem - Link

John 1:1-14,17,29-35 ~ (Today's New International Version)

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all people. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

6 There was a man sent from God whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. 8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.

9 The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.

14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is the one I meant when I said, 'A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.' 31 I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel."

32 Then John gave this testimony: "I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. 33 And I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, 'The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.' 34 I have seen and I testify that this is God's Chosen One."

35 The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. 36 When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, "Look, the Lamb of God!"


This is is my favorite chapter of the Bible, John 1. The gospels written by Mark and John are sometimes compared without kindness, at Christmas, to the narrative of Jesus Christ's birth written beautifully in Luke and Matthew. But actually Mark speaks of a wilderness wanting to be tamed and John speaks of light coming out of darkness. Isn't this the deepest desire for Jesus Christ?

Christmas can bring forth all of our deepest longings. Matthew begins with an engagement, the most important choice in life. Luke begins with a barren priest. God addresses all of these concerns by reaching out to hear, to heal, to love and to care. For all of our seasons in life, God is part of them. Just as God watched, with love, each day of Jesus' life on earth, the Light continues to shine for us.

The Peace of God always be with you.

<><

Psalm 26 ~ O Lord, I love the habitation of your house and the place where your glory dwells.

Proverbs 33

Be lighted with the light of life.

Psalm 26

1 Vindicate me, O Lord,
for I have walked in my integrity,
and I have trusted in the Lord without wavering.
2 Prove me, O Lord, and try me;
test my heart and my mind.
3 For your steadfast love is before my eyes,
and I walk in your faithfulness.

4 I do not sit with men of falsehood,
nor do I consort with hypocrites.
5 I hate the assembly of evildoers,
and I will not sit with the wicked.

6 I wash my hands in innocence
and go around your altar, O Lord,
7 proclaiming thanksgiving aloud,
and telling all your wondrous deeds.

8 O Lord, I love the habitation of your house
and the place where your glory dwells.
9 Do not sweep my soul away with sinners,
nor my life with bloodthirsty men,
10 in whose hands are evil devices,
and whose right hands are full of bribes.

11 But as for me, I shall walk in my integrity;
redeem me, and be gracious to me.
12 My foot stands on level ground;
in the great assembly I will bless the Lord.

I am just old enough to remember when Christmas purchasing, and playing Santa, for my younger brother changed. Used to be when Christmas toys were purchased - someone assembled the toys for free for the buyer. Then times changed - the buyer paid an extra fee to have the bicycle or toy assembled. And finally, no assembly was offered.

Life is always assembly required. We have choices to make for every decision in life. David is asking for Prayer to be answered from the Lord in Palm 26.

One of the most vivid sermons I remember, from my childhood - a sermon on prayer; Father Ted said as a father to a teenager, his son made a request for something just about every time he walked into the house. Sometimes it was for an errand, school related, friend requirement or a particular something to eat. Father Ted knew when something serious was being discussed and attention was required when his son spoke earnestly. Father Ted said he could usually answer his teenager while reading the mail and walking through the room, without a lot of deep thought. Yet Father Ted knew if his son began an earnest petition, he was going to have to sit down, make eye contact and give thought to the request and the conversation.

Father Ted said we should, as Christians, be in prayer conversation with God all the time, and importantly when we really need God’s attention in prayer, we should remember to thank Him for the good gifts we have in life. Be able to point out to Him our endeavor to grow in ways pleasing Him. Psalm 26 is a guide to prayer by David, a man with Scripture calling him the apple of God's eye.

Life is assembly required ~ about choices pleasing God, who Loves. So much.

<><

Titus 2 ~ sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness

Titus 2


But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine. 2 Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness. 3 Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, 4 and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, 5 to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled. 6 Likewise, urge the younger men to be self-controlled. 7 Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity, 8 and sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us. 9 Bondservants[*] are to be submissive to their own masters in everything; they are to be well-pleasing, not argumentative, 10 not pilfering, but showing all good faith, so that in everything they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior.

11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, 12 training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, 13 waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, 14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.

15 Declare these things; exhort and rebuke with all authority. Let no one disregard you.


Footnotes:
Hebrews 12:6
For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.”


What are we going to do about stuck up religious people running around in gowns? Don't you always think next - toga wear would make more sense? Less floppy. And if you are a woman, and you give these gowns more thought, you wonder if empire waist gowns looked better, like the Jane Austin movies.

And how many bondservants do you know? Slaves?

Well, let me tell you. Bondservants -  are what this generation Is - our grandparents paid for their houses with cash.  And our local Dairy Queen has a photo of an grand opening where every single person was practically running to an obviously smaller town Dairy Queen opening.  Sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness,  young women to love their husbands and children, kind, integrity, dignity,  and sound speech.

A few years back, I was in the Museum of Fine Arts Houston and a young man was visibly concerned about the entire room given for saints in robes. "What are they thinking, wasting an entire room on these old, robed men?!"

Well, I've given thought;  this is what this entire blog post is about.

Christianity, today, is working with your prayers, every day, "Father God, what can I do? What is there available for You?"

Like The Museum of Fine Arts Houston. You wouldn't take old Master Portraits - of Saints -  and shove them in storage would you? Perhaps, instead of shoving them on a white wall and ignoring them, they should be revered as ancestors and invited into the family. A few facts, some color and the display (our lives and prayer lives) with practical objectives.

So given we are the generation of CNN ticker-tape, fly-by Christian generation, what do we have time for? Just like the days of yore, we have time for what we deem important. Not just brushing aside this passage with "SAINT? Ain't!!"

What is a Saint? To our generation of don't tell them at Church... or don't go regularly... let the Love of Jesus Christ, Lord and Savior of All draw us to what we are supposed to be.

Old Testament meets New Testament.

Genesis 15:6
Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness.

Galatians 3:6
Even so Abraham BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS RECKONED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS.

There is just One.


Mark 10:18
"Why do you call me good?" Jesus answered. "No one is good--except God alone."

Why do we have some saints we love to think about?

Psalm 145:9
The LORD is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made.

And Good Saint Nick?

Yes, there is a real St. Nicholas, a Bishop of present day Turkey. This remarkable follower of Jesus Christ made life better for those around him. Prostitutes. The poor. The jailer where he was jailed for 10 years, thanks personally to Emperor Diocletian; who would not have been pleased to know the jailor came to love St. Nicholas. St. Nicholas, dear friends, traveled on a get-out-of-jail-free-card from Emperor Constantine. He was one of 1,800 illegal, condemnable by death Christian Bishops invited to ratify the Books of the Bible for the official change in legal status of Christianity. A real man, who really loved Jesus. A brave man, one of the 300 Bishops who attended the Council of Nicaea.


Declare these things; exhort and rebuke with all authority. Let no one disregard you.


<><

Isaiah 42:10-18 ~ Listen, you that are deaf; and you that are blind, look up and see!

Isaiah 42:10-18  ~  New Revised Standard Version

Sing to the LORD a new song,
his praise from the end of the earth!

Let the sea roar and all that fills it,
the coastlands and their inhabitants.
Let the desert and its towns lift up their voice,
the villages that Kedar inhabits;
let the inhabitants of Sela sing for joy,
let them shout from the tops of the mountains.
Let them give glory to the LORD,
and declare his praise in the coastlands.

The LORD goes forth like a soldier,
like a warrior he stirs up his fury;
he cries out, he shouts aloud,
he shows himself mighty against his foes.

For a long time I have held my peace,
I have kept still and restrained myself;
now I will cry out like a woman in labor,
I will gasp and pant.

I will lay waste mountains and hills,
and dry up all their herbage;
I will turn the rivers into islands,
and dry up the pools.

I will lead the blind
by a road they do not know,
by paths they have not known
I will guide them.

I will turn the darkness before them into light,
the rough places into level ground.
These are the things I will do,
and I will not forsake them.

They shall be turned back and utterly put to shame -—
those who trust in carved images,
who say to cast images,
"You are our gods."
Listen, you that are deaf;
and you that are blind, look up and see!






Sing to the LORD a new song,
his praise from the end of the earth!

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 among men in whom he is well pleased!"


Sing for joy,
let them shout from the tops of the mountains.
Let them give glory to the LORD,
and declare his praise

And it came to pass, when the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this

And when they saw it, they made known
by a road they do not know,
by paths they have not known
I will guide them.

Mary kept all these sayings, pondering them in her heart.


They shall be turned back and utterly put to shame -—those who trust in carved images, who say to cast images, "You are our gods."

And having been warned by God in a dream not to return to Herod, the magi left for their own country by another way.

And the people were shouting, “The voice of a god, and not of a man!”

Immediately an angel of the Lord struck him down, because he did not give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and breathed his last.

I will turn the darkness before them into Light.

There was the true light, even the light which lighteth every man, coming into the world.

These are the things I will do, and I will not forsake them.

“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel.” Which means, God with us!

And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.

The early Church knew something we do not often speak of, or think of. In the days before electricity, how did these fortunate ones travel by night. What are halos.

The Light of the world. This is phenomena discussed still today. Catherine Marshall reported her husband Peter Marshall, Presbyterian Minister, Chaplin of the United States Senate, radiated light from his body, actually his soul, as he departed this life.

Jesus Christ, as an infant, radiated Light.


Acts 2:2-4
And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit



<><

Scripture for Today: John 1:29-34 ~ I have seen

John 1:29-34 ~ (Revised Standard Version)

The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!

This is he of whom I said, `After me comes a man who ranks before me, for he was before me.' I myself did not know him; but for this I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel."

And John bore witness, "I saw the Spirit descend as a dove from heaven, and it remained on him. I myself did not know him; but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, `He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.' "

And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God."



Recently I watched a special on the 2,500 to 3,000 year old mummies found scattered in China. It was really well done, they documented the success and failure to obtain DNA from each mummy and told about the known history of each person. One was a 5 year old boy buried with beautiful blankets, woven with great care. The loss of the blankets to the family indicated how much the child was held in esteem. Another a young woman with beautiful skin clothing and jewelry. A man they thought might have been a king, buried with a horse. Everyone was surprised to find the DNA indicated a high level of travel, there was Eastern European, India and a blend of DNA from around the world.

It is human nature to come from the beautiful miracles of John the Baptist's birth and Jesus' to wonder how John can say, twice, he didn't know Jesus. Or Jesus came before John, when John is older.

Proverbs tells us there are men who knew Heaven before being born on earth. Jesus isn't part of that select group. Jesus is the Word of God, with God, in the beginning of creation. Proverbs also tells us about the joy Jesus found in Creation. Jesus was... before John.

How and why didn't John the Baptist know Jesus - his cousin? Why can't we be more surprised by the rest of the 1st Chapter of John. Men meeting Jesus for the first time declared to each other "this is the Son of God" in both verse 41 and verse 49 of John 1. This is far more astonishing - Jesus has men leaving their way of life behind to become His disciples in a mere afternoon of listening to Jesus.

So why, why doesn't John recognize his cousin Jesus? It's pretty obvious when we add up what we know. It seems we must look at this question. John's parents were old when he was born. As people become very aged, they do not travel greatly. Traveling was difficult even for the young. John's parents lived 90 miles from Jesus. John surely heard, in his youth, about Jesus and the "funny circumstances" surrounding the quick wedding of pregnant, un-wed cousin Mary. When we see the Gospels record only cousin Elizabeth's support for Mary, we must also remember John the Baptist probably heard more of the rumors from more of the family - who are not remembered in the Scriptures.

So .... why didn't John recognize Jesus??? For the same reasons we didn't recognize Jesus until we invited Him to be part of us. Before we really knew Him: we heard about Jesus from other sources. Not all the sources were credible. Family (Church) is sometimes boring and the time it takes to get there and back is too long. Why put the effort into going when people aren't always nice? We missed the family get-togethers (Church) for so long, people hassle us about That too. If you don't remember the family stories correctly there is mocking. It's all a big tangle to sort out and we have other things to do.

Then, more importantly, it comes to the decision time. As John grew spiritually into God's plan for him, Jesus became important to him. John took the time to dwell and think about who Jesus is. God revealed not just family, a good man, but a Savior. John, bravely, and with certainty says, "And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God."



<><