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Showing posts with the label Manger

Come By Faith

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They had been sitting in the fields for most of the night.  Their sheep were gathered into the sheepfold, protected from harm.  Isaac sat at the gate watching the stars overhead.  He understood little about the movement of heavenly bodies.  He knew only that in darkness the moon rose, and day was blessed by the light of the sun.  Still, he noted the twinkling of lights, and the recent arrival of a brighter light, he'd only recently begun to see. "Day dreamin', Isaac?" Caleb asked.  He was older than Isaac, both in age, and in years as a shepherd.  The life Isaac had found himself in had gripped Caleb by fate.  His father, and his father's father had performed the same task. "Just watchin' the sky," Isaac responded. "Star gazin'.  That's what it's called." Not insulted in anyway by Caleb's harsh reply, Isaac said, "Do you ever take note of the changes in the heavens.  When it is warm there are certain lights in the sky. ...

This King Has Come

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Edward Stott - There was no room at the inn (c. 1910) It is but a stable. There is hay, there is dirt, there are animals. The only music to calm a weary soul are the calls of a cow and a donkey and the bleating of sheep. Shepherds watch, guided by a song heard on high. They come in their tattered clothing to honor a king donned in rags. There in so fanfare. This king has come for those who are born in stables. This king has come for those who labor in fields tending their sheep. This king has come for any who feel undeserving of Him. copyright 2023 - Donald P James Jr https://www.amazon.com/stores/Donald-P.-James-Jr./author

What Child is This

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Such fascination  with the story of a child. Why Bethlehem? Why a donkey? Why a stable and feeding troth? A child sees a manger and a carol comes to mind. She sees a shepherd and takes note of the sheep. To a child the animals are important, and the angels. She watches the kings, and wants to know their names and what gifts they bring. Even to an adult, Jesus is accessible in the hay. He has yet to teach words we don't want to hear. He has yet to embrace a repentant tax collector, or prostitute. He has yet to tell those near him that he will die. But for now, Advent is upon us. We can gaze like children at a manger scene and quietly hum, 'What Child is This'. copyright 2023 - Donald P James Jr https://www.amazon.com/stores/Donald-P.-James-Jr./author