I would sure like to be where this guy is (see above picture). Beautiful sunset, out by himself, away from all the hustle and bustle, just taking in God's creation. Ah yes, a little time of reflection. But since I'm here and not there, I'll just have to take a moment or two to reflect upon a few thoughts that are bouncing arounnd my head on this day. Feel free to respond with your own thoughts if you so desire.
- Yes, I realize you are tired of hearing about deer hunting or seeing deer pictures but what I wouldn't give to just take a week and go walk the woods, sit in the evergreens along the pasture, or lean up against a hedge tree and watch the deer, coyotes, bobcats, quail, or whatever else comes along. Good stuff!! Just me and God and His creation. Yep, good stuff!
- For you Mulvanites, I hope you were able sense God's presence in worship yesterday in the various services. Each was unique and the variety of songs and styles of music gave us a wonderful opportunity to experience the "Good news of Great Joy" that the shepherds felt that holy night so long ago!
- Reading The Forgotten God by Frances Chan - Reversing our tragic neglect of the Holy Spirit. Why are we so scared of the Holy Spirit? Why do want to talk about God and Jesus yet avoid talking about the Holy Spirit? I tell you what, I NEED the Holy Spirit just to make it through each week. Why would I settle for the $100 when the million is there for the taking (actually receiving)? Come Holy Spirit, come!!
- Just wondering - would we rather leave Jesus in a manger as a baby then have him grow up, die on a cross, be buried, rise on the 3rd day, ascend to heaven, and then have the audacity to ask us to follow him - to take up our cross and follow him? Isn't Jesus more manageable when he's lying in a manger trough?
- Someone said there ought to be a degree offered for those who want to Major on the Minors. Hmmm..........
- Kudos to ML and Amy Nelson who kept it together long enough to play and sing for Jenny Schaar's funeral this morning. Awesome job! More importantly, your gifts brought great comfort to the family.
- So how are you doing this Advent?? Preparing? (How?) Anticipating? (What are you anticipating?) Expecting? (Again, what are you expecting?) It's hard to stay focused isn't it? Keep at it. Emmanuel is soon to arrive.
- Grandkids are so much fun. ML went to Topeka this past week to see Brayden (our 3 year old) in his first Christmas program. (I saw the video). He goes to a pre-school at a church in Topeka. He was all excited, all dressed up, and ready to sing the songs with the others. The problem? He didn't sing a word. He clapped, he rang bells, he looked awesome - just didn't sing. After the program Mimi (ML) told him that he did a great job but asked why he didn't sing. His answer - "I was being quiet". (Just like the teacher had told the kids prior to the program.) Don't you just love it??
- Another thought (or question) - Could it still be Christmas without a tree, candy, the opening of presents, a meal at the relatives, or a candlelight service? Just wondering.
- Getting ready to go outside and clean a few more windows. Our open house is this Saturday from 2-5 pm and you are all invited! Yes, ALL are invited...... So, with that in mind, I bid you farewell. I'm sure I'll have more time to ponder as I spray on the windex. Hope to see you all Saturday!!
I would sure like to be where this guy is (see above picture). Beautiful sunset, out by himself, away from all the hustle and bustle, just taking in God's creation. Ah yes, a little time of reflection. But since I'm here and not there, I'll just have to take a moment or two to reflect upon a few thoughts that are bouncing arounnd my head on this day. Feel free to respond with your own thoughts if you so desire.
5 comments:
Deer me! (Hee,hee!) Yes, God has created so many wonderful things and we do not take the time to properly appreciate and contemplate His work. For me, that means almost no time taken this year to view and smell the flowers, hike in the mountains, look for fossils, view the heavens.
The presence of the Holy Spirit is what we should mean when we sing I Need Thee Every Hour, or as some of us say, every minute, every second! As jesus promised, the Holy Spirit is the Comforter (and teacher) while He is away for a while. I am convinced you and others are right when you say that we are "too Greek" -- that is, too logical or causal, and we exclude the supernatural powers and acts of God.
Jesus left in a manger does not challenge us to decide who He is, why He came, or what He expects of us. And yet, the shepherds came to see the baby King, as did the wise men. Here was a King who, born in a barn, was not aloof and distant from common people. He would be one they could talk with and listen to; how different from hearing orders from soldiers and bureaucrats from a far-off king they would never see or hear in person.
Following that thought, how many have read Mary's "Magnificat" Luke 1:46-56 and asked in each phrase if that describes something they want? Mary, by the Holy Spirit (Oh, the Spirit working through people again!!) was calling for an upheaval in society; a revolution in the sense that the established order would be upset. Not inverted, but upset; drastically changed. (from The Jesus Collection: the Coming of Jesus, listed on Cokesbury's site). I think that would be a good challenging study for next Advent.
I just finished reading The Star of Bethlehem: The Legacy of the Magi by Michael Molnar. His approach is different and is, in my opinion, the most solid analysis yet. He asks what the observers of the time of Christ's birth have found particularly noteworthy? Ironically, it was the astrologer/astronomers who would have noticed something spectacularly significant. This neatly explains why the Jews would likey not have noticed anything, because astrology (the idea that one's life is controlled by planets and stars) was explicitly forbidden. Yet, God used the beliefs of some of them to provide for the Holy Family when they would need it the most: to flee from Herod.
One sentence I found particlarly stunning. As the author wrote in a Sky & Telescope article a few years ago, it would have blown the turban off of an alert astrologer. I don't wear those things, but I think I understand. Here it is:
The Sun is exalted in Aries.
Aries was the sign of Judah and Syria, therefore:
The SON is exalted in JUDAH!
Amazing! How the astrologers came so close to the ultimate truth and missed it.
A final thought. PUN ALERT!!
If you don't like puns, skip the rest of this comment. I mean it.
I also realized that astrologers play a game called "Let's portend!"
Seriously, that is what they do.
Interesting comments, Jim! Thanks for sharing! PR - we all need to take more time to enjoy nature and smell the flowers. However, I advise just looking at the deer, just looking, just looking, just looking! However, you can go toad hunting, snake hunting, frog hunting, etc. any time you like. Mammals, no! Amphibians and reptiles, yes!!! NC
We went to watch Reese, also 3, in her preschool program. I think she thought she was at a dance recital. So cute and funny. Memories to record and share later--at graduation or their wedding.
It looks like my fingers were not keeping up with my thoughts. Part of my reply will not make much sense.
The usual explanations, supernovae, comet, planetary conjunction, do not hold up to even a cursory investigation. To the ancients, a comet meant that a ruler would die soon. Supernovae--temporary stars, or what the Chinese called "guest stars"--were barely noted, but also seem to have meant doom of some kind. The astrology term for predict is "portend".
The ancients knew about planetary conjunctions. It is the moderns who are nearly devoid of celestial patterns and motions. Just ask anyone who actually knows astronomy and has taught it or works in outreach science education.
We moderns note something if it is an extraordinary "Oooh! Aaah!" event. The ancients considered an event important whether or not they could see it. If they could calculate that it happened, that was good enough.
The birthdays of rulers were state secrets. If someone else found out their birthday, or their real birthday (published birthdays were generally lies) they might try to undermine or overthrow them. Being an astrologer was safer than being the King's food taster, but only if they kept their mouths shut.
It would be 1500 years after the birth of Christ that astronomy and astrology would finally be separated.
The author does give a date for the birth of Christ. Whether or not He was actually born on that exact date is not known, but the magi found the right King anyway!
The astrological "portents" for that day are what would have "blown the turban off of any alert astrologer". As I mentioned to Pastor Rick, let us wait until the right time of year. It is meaningful, but that is all I'm going to write or say right now, though I'll be pleased to tell Pastor Rick.
Jim, my brain is hurting. I "pretend" to know what "portend" means - or something like that. Good stuff!!
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