A Christmas Thought

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I’ve heard the Gospel accounts of the birth of Jesus all my life. Amazingly, almost every year something shines out of the story to catch my attention. This year I thought of how God called two groups to see his son. The rich and the poor had special invitations for a birthday shower. The poor group of shepherds were terrified of the heavenly host, but they immediately went to Bethlehem to see the baby the night he was born. I’m assuming the Persian kings were rich enough to be globe-trotters of the day, and God got their attention with a celestial incident. My conclusion: God wanted everyone to know of his extraordinary act to rescue mankind. Both Jews (shepherds) and Gentiles (the magi) received notice.

What gifts did they bring to the party? Most people know the wise men brought gold, frankincense, and myrrh. The shepherds gave their hearts – they left the stable, glorifying and praising God, telling everyone they met what had happened.

God’s message remains the same. He’s dying to let us know that he loves each of us with an everlasting love.

John sent me this link to the King’s College Choir singing In the Bleak Midwinter. https://www.bing.com/search?q=youtube+in+the+bleak+midwinter&form=EDNTHT&mkt=en-us &httpsmsn=1&msnews=1&rec_search=1&plvar=0&refig=e4bc064a355a47bf8d8dda da745eebc7&PC=DCTS&sp=1&qs=SC&pq=youtube-in+the+bleak+mid+winter&sk=PR ES1&sc=8-31&cvid=e4bc064a355a47bf8d8ddada745eebc7&cc=US&setlang=en-US

Published by Anne Mehrling

I'm a retiree who loves to write about life in the mountains of North Carolina.

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26 thoughts on “A Christmas Thought”

  1. I love that song but have a hard time finding any part of winter bleak. That last stanza is so beautiful –

    What can I give Him,
    Poor as I am?
    If I were a shepherd
    I would bring a lamb,
    If I were a wise man
    I would do my part,
    Yet what I can I give Him,
    Give my heart.

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  7. Hi Anne! I read your statement that the Magi were Gentiles, but I was curious (being a Jew – lol) so I Googled it, asking “Were the Magi Jews?” and this was the first link:
    [PDF]The magi: Gentiles or Jews? – HTS Teologiese Studies …
    https://hts.org.za › index.php › hts › article › download
    by DC Sim – ‎1999 – ‎Cited by 15 – ‎Related articles
    Gentiles, but it is equally plausible that they were Jews.
    Go figure! 😀

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  10. Thank you for the message and song – such beautiful voices and they will ring in my head as I drift off to sleep tonight (hopefully they will not be interrupted by fireworks) for that will spoil that beautiful song playing in my head.

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      1. They have always shot off the small firecrackers that they saved from 4th of July I guess sand we had a neighbor across the street who she, her husband and two kids stood on the porch at midnight and banged on pots and pans for ten minutes or so (???) but about 3-4 years ago, our former governor, in a move to increase revenue for Michigan, allowed the sale of the big fireworks in Michigan. People would drive to Ohio to buy the fireworks … this was the very worst thing that could happen. Most people hate the fireworks (me included) and want the law repealed. The stores, even grocery stores, sell these packages of huge fireworks, for $100.00 or more and people start shooting them off before Memorial Day and continue through Labor Day and then New Year’s Eve. They are only supposed to shoot them off the day before/after a holiday and the holiday itself and stop by 11:00 p.m. The police do not enforce the regulations though.

        There have been injuries and PTSD sufferers (especially war vets) have signs on their lawns saying to be kind and not shoot them off. Dogs have been out in the yard, and jumped the fence or are cowering inside the house night after night. I worry since I’ve had a few land on my roof and do shingle damage. I always pray for rain on 4th of July as the grass is usually dry by then. I think it is a stupid custom unless it is done in a professional setting by people who know what they are doing. One of our local weathermen was lighting fireworks a few years ago and one backfired and went into his eye. He is not only blind, but lost the eye.

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        1. That’s too bad that you have so many fireworks set off near you. The only ones we have are done by neighbors up the mountain on July 4. We enjoy the show, but we don’t have animals that are disturbed by the noise.

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          1. Well, the Governor was not much liked in this state for many reasons, among them, the Flint Water Crisis, which he let happen on his watch, leaving those poor people to deal with contaminated water. Now the fireworks. I like to watch fireworks, especially for 4th of July, but they are dangerous in the neighborhood and it seems I am always peppering my blog with complaints about it. We have so many that I take a nap in the afternoon over the 4th of July holiday as they go well into the night (despite the curfew) and it is all around us, not just the occasional neighbor.

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