Monday, March 31, 2008

From Nazareth to Bethlehem

My Bible copyrighted in 1872 lists many prophecies about Jesus and their fulfillments. Among them are ones concerning his birth (Christmas - remember?) One of the ones I think is so creative of God, is the timing. Since Mary was chosen to be the mother of the Messiah, AND since she and Joseph lived in Nazareth in the north part of the land of Israel called Galilee, AND since the Messiah was to be born in Bethlehem, how would God get them to move?

Actually there were more problems than that!

Mary and Joseph were engaged - a binding agreement, but they hadn't lived together yet.
Matthew 1:18 "This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about. His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit."
Isaiah 7:14 (written some 700 years beore Jesus' birth) "Therefore the Lord, himself, will give you a sign: the virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel."
Matthew 1:21-23 "She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins. All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 'The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel' which means, 'God with us.'"

Whew! I understand. Now about Bethlehem:

Micah 5:2 (also 700 years before Jesus was born) "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times."
Matthew 2:3-6 "When he (Herod) had called together all the prople's chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born. 'In Bethlehem in Judea,' they replied, 'for this is what the prophet has written: 'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah: for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.'"

Now the creative part:

Luke 2:1-3 "In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to his own town to register. "

Imagine such a simple occurance as a census, yet a monumental event in the life of Mary and Joseph.

Luke 2:4-7 "So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and place him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn."

Was that easy on Mary and Joseph? It wouldn't be on me, I can tell you! Don't you ever wonder why God doesn't make our circumstnces easy? Me, too. But in regard to this event, maybe He wants us to experience surprise discoveries and a-ha moments as we put together the puzzles in the Bible.
Merry Christmas,
Paulita

Sunday, March 23, 2008

Bookends

He is risen!
He is risen, indeed!

He is risen!
He is risen, indeed!

What fitting bookends for the story of Jesus' life here on earth:
Christmas and Easter (Resurrection Day)

"God sent His Son, they called Him Jesus,
He came to love, heal, and forgive;
He lived and died to buy my pardon,
An empty grave is there to prove my Savior lives.
Because He lives I can face tomorrow,
Because He lives all fear is gone;
Because I know He holds the future.
And life is worth the living just because He lives."
verse 1 of "Because He Lives" by Gloria Gaither and William J. Gaither 1971

He is risen!
He is risen, indeed!

Pauita

Friday, March 21, 2008

The Reason for the Season

This morning as I sat in my living room doing my Bible study, I heard the sound of a chain saw outside my window. I turned and looked. There was a city crew beginning to cut down my next-door neighbor's tree. I turned away. I hate to see a beautiful tree cut down, and this was a seemingly healthy blue spruce. Within minutes I heard the tree fall and looked again. Quickly the crew cut off the branches and fed them into the grinder that chewed them up and blew them into a larger truck. Finally the men loaded pieces of the large trunk into the grinder, then swept up the remainding debris in the street, and drove off to their next job. It was over.

As I sat staring at the stump, I thought of two other trees, one a man-made symbol and the other God-ordained. The first is, of course, is our Christmas tree, the symbol of life, the celebration of Jesus' birth here on earth. The other is the symbol of death. "He himself bore our sins in his own body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed."

That is the reason Jesus was born.

On Good Friday, 2008 years later, lets remember "He was wounded for OUR transgressions, he was bruised for OUR iniquities; the chastisement of OUR peace was upon HIM; and with HIS stripes, WE are healed."

May you receive the blessings of this season from God our Savior,
Paulita

Saturday, March 15, 2008

O Christmas Tree: How Lovely are Your Branches

Early in our marriage we lived in Los Angeles. Preparing for our first Christmas there (although we'd be spending Christmas day with family some four hours away) we went shopping for our first Christmas tree. We could hardly believe our eyes as we drove past the Christmas tree lots. We not only had our choice of green trees and white trees, but also pink trees, blue trees, yellow trees, and black trees!

Wait a second. Can you picture a pink Christmas tree? I would imagine it with pink shiny balls or swirly things, pink celophane "tinsel," and a princess ornament on top. That might work for a store window display, but not our house.

Can you picture a blue Christmas tree? Well maybe with silver stars and blue shiny balls, and a star on top, and perhaps some snow. But I think I'd tire of it before Christmas arrived.

How about a yellow Christmas tree? Yuck! Or a black Christmas tree? Can you imagine brightly colored packages under a black tree?

When I was growing up we always had a "fresh" fir tree. Only one year did we add a second tree for our buffet area: a two-foot white tree which my mother set on a mirror and on which she strung blue lights. We kids loved it because it wa different.

My husband and I have always had green trees for our family, some with flat branches, some bushy, long needled or short, but always green. Green accomodates so many other colors to decorate with: red, gold, silver, and even blue. Green also speaks of life, and that, after all, is what Christmas is all about: LIFE - a baby, Jesus, the promised Messiah, born to be our Savior, born to give us life.
Paulita

Thursday, March 13, 2008

March Carol of the Month

I'm amazed at what a different feeling I get when I just read the words of a Christmas carol. I've sung these words forever, but when I read the words I can linger over their meaning, their significance for me, and the timeless truths they have expressed for years. Here is the poem, "O Little Town of Bethlehem" written by Phillips Brooks in 1866. (Each line of a poem starts with a capital letter, but I've left the capitals off the beginning of some of the lines so you'll just keep reading them as a continuation of the line before.)

O Little Town of Bethlehem

O little town of Bethlehem, how still we see thee lie!
Above thy deep and dreamless sleep the silent stars go by;
yet in thy dark streets shineth the everlasting Light:
the hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight.

For Christ is born of Mary, and gathered all above,
while mortals sleep, the angels keep their watch of wondering love.
O morning stars, together procalim the holy birth!
And praises sing to God the King, and peace to men on earth.

How silently, how silently the wondrous gift is given!
So God imparts to human hearts the blessings of His heaven.
No ear may hear His coming, but in this world of sin,
where meek souls will receive Him still, the dear Christ enters in.

O holy Child of Bethlehem! Decend to us, we pray:
cast out our sin and enter in, be born in us today.
We hear the Christmas angels the great glad tidings tell;
O come to us, abide with us, our Lord Emmanuel!

Thank you, Phillips Brooks!
Paulita

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

French Hens and Cats

About ten years ago I decided to make a Christmas tree skirt. I found patterns for making "The Twelve Days of Christmas" figures out of colored felts. It took me several years to complete the skirt because I only got inspired in December. Finally with all twelve figures glued in place and fringe sewed around the edge, I proudly displayed my Christmas tree skirt under the tree. Of course, within a few days it was covered over with presents and hidden from view (except for the fringe) until after Christmas. But each year I take it out and enjoy it again.

We now have a cat who thinks we put a tree in the livingroom once a year just for her. She sleeps under it and knocks off an ornament about every other day. That's OK by me, but when she started playing with the French Hen's tail feathers, I drew the line. I turned the skirt around and put the French Hen to the front where I can keep my eye on it. You can guess where I put the first present that goes under the tree.

So far the other eleven figures seem to be surviving the years and the cat. But I told the cat she'd better watch out because Santa knows if she's been bad or good, and SO DO I.
Paulita

Thursday, March 6, 2008

In Case You Forget

This is not original with me, but when I found it in my stack of papers, I thought perhaps it might lift your day as it has mine.

If God had a refrigerator, your drawings would be on it.
If God had a wallet, your photo would be in it.
He sends you flowers every spring and sunrise every morning.
When you need to talk, He'll listen.
He could live anywhere in the universe, and yet He chose your heart.
And that Christmas gift He sent you in Bethlehem?
Face it, my friend. He's crazy about you!
Paulita

Wednesday, March 5, 2008

Catching up on my Christmas Gifts

OK, OK, I'm new to buying Christmas presents this far ahead of time. So today I bought a February gift AND a March gift. The one for February is a Hi Ho Cherry-O game. My kids loved it when they were little, and we have a little one in the famiy who will, too. Spilling your cherries can be tramatic, but putting them back on your tree is fun. It's good for adding and subtracting too, but we don't mention that. The cherries are small and can get misplaced, but there is an address inside to order additional cherries if necessary. Been there, done that!

The gift for March is something I wanted for myself last year and then decided I didn't need it. It, too, is a game: Are You Smater than a Fifth Grader? I watch the program as often as I can and haven't yet gotten ALL the questions right. This game is a card game boxed in a lunch pail. It comes with 500 grade school questions and a CD that lets you play the game on your CD player, your MP3, and in the car, too. I love games you can play in the car.

Tomorrow I will wrap three gifts. OK, if not tomorrow, the next day or at least this week! That's the whole idea of this isn't it? Boy don't I feel smart! Maybe smarter than a 5th grader.
Merry Christmas,
Paulita