(fyi--there are 3 separate posts tonight)
Interesting info about the birth of Christ:
It was most likely Spring time, not Dec when Jesus was born.
Mary could have been a mere child herself-many girls got married as young as 12 back then. ( I think about the maturity with which she handled the entire situation.)
9 months pregnant-Can you imagine traveling on a donkey for days, through areas of thick forest with wild animals all around.
Obviously they arrived somewhat late-why, maybe Mary had not been feeling well, maybe they had to go slower than normal.
We know Joseph was crazy about her (he could have had her "put away" when he found out she was pregnant but he didn't want to humiliate her, then the angel appeared and gave him the good news) and was probably concerned about traveling with her in the condition she was in but they had to go.
There is NO ROOM for them-even TODAY. They were Jews after all, they had been taught their whole lives about the KING of KINGS who would come to SAVE THEM and they did not recognize Him.
We don't know how long Mary was in labor. I remember them telling me the average first labor is 12 hours. Can you imagine being in labor for 12 hours in a barn with stinky animals. I couldn't walk into a grocery store when I was pregnant because as soon as I walked in the front door I could smell the meat department-ugh. Your sense of smell is so intense when you are pregnant. I am not a farm loving kind of gal and can't imagine being in a barn but Mary knows the importance of the job ahead of her.
She lovingly wraps Him in up in swaddling cloth. This is a common word for us-we swaddle our new born babies but this must be some IMPORTANT information because the Bible says You will find HIM in swaddling cloth-strips of cloth wrapped tightly around the baby to keep him warm and wrapped up. If you were told today you will find the new born in a diaper wrapped up in a baby blanket-it doesn't identify which baby very well but this is important information given.
At death he was wrapped in strips of cloth and drenched in perfumes.
The wise men came and presented gifts-some perfume.
He came to earth and was not treated anything like He was treated in heaven. At His birth the angels sing Halelujah. They KNOW HIM, they know WHO He is.
Who visits -- some shepherds ( it would take too much time to go into the references of Jesus the Good Shepherd and we are the Sheep.
His entire short life on earth was a preparation to die and be treated without respect and He willingly came for us.
I hope you had a wonderful birthday celebration Jesus and I enjoy sharing it with you.
Cheri, thanks for sharing that. It made me do some thinking and I needed that. I hope you and your family had a good Christmas. We received more than we deserved and spend a great day with part of our family.
ReplyDeleteGlad you had a good birthday and Christmas! Have a blessed New Year!
ReplyDeleteTraci
Amen and amen!!
ReplyDeleteCheri,
ReplyDeleteDon't you find it a bit odd people are protesting the Merry Christmas saying because of Christ?? It makes me sad that people welcome evils of all sorts and push away anything religious or sacred.
I do hope your Christmas was a great one with your family. I loved our quiet rest fest.
May
>There is NO ROOM for them-even TODAY.
ReplyDeleteCheri can you elaborate on this one a bit?
Happy belated birthday!
May, if you are reading comments, I want to add my take on what you posted. Not everyone is Christian. Saying, "Merry Christmas" to non-Christians is akin to wishing everyone "Happy Chanukah".
Just because a majority of people believe something, does not mean those who don't are accepting of evil.
Cheri, aren't you glad I am now commenting? ;)
Lisa @ akawest--
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely I am glad you are commenting. I published your comment and I will copy and paste this answer into the comments. I don't want anyone to ever feel like they cannot make a comment about something.
I appreciate you asking nicely, about something that may be contrary to the way you believe. After receiving a very nasty comment from a couple of girls a few months ago-accusing me of things that were not even true-they didn't ask any questions just began making accusations and even when I tried to e-mail back and respond kindly they still were just mean. Why does the Lord allow their blog to be so successful-I don't know. His ways are not our ways-He sees the BIG picture I do not. I am responsible for my actions, not theirs.
I can not answer for May but I can say that I believe there are some amazing, wonderful people in this world who are not Christians. I believe they try to do good, not evil, with their lives. I also believe there are some evil people in this world. I believe there are some nasty Christians in this world as well as some amazing wonderful Christians in this world. We are given free choice. Personally, I have to live my life and base my standards against the Bible. Even if I try to do good, I am still human-a sinner saved by grace. The more we push the Lord out of things the more calloused we become, as a country and as individuals.
If I offended anyone who celebrates another holiday I am sorry. It was not my intent to hurt someone who is Jewish. I celebrate Christmas and wished people a Merry Christmas. I don't wish people holidays I don't celebrate for several reasons-I would surely miss one and hurt someone and I don't know what those holidays are about and to wish them something I know nothing about may be contrary to my beliefs. If a Jewish friend wished me a Happy Holiday wish that they were celebrating-It would not offend me in the least little bit. Personally I like Merry Christmas over Happy Holidays because Christmas is about Christ but I am not against the word Holiday. If someone in a store says Happy Holiday, I sweetly wish them a Merry Christmas. I do not like stores that do not allow their employees to say the words Merry Christmas--that is ridiculous.
The statement about No Room for Him Even Today--many people do not make room for Him in their lives. Each person has to answer for their actions some day and be accountable for those actions. I tell my children all the time-when conflicted with a decision, Satan is the one screaming in your ear trying to yell so loudly to block out the calm whispers that the Lord is reminding you of. Step back, take a moment and listen to the whisper before making a decision. I am far from perfect and make mistakes daily. There is always, more room, that needs to be made, for Him, in my life.
If you have more questions concerning this you are more than welcome to comment.
As you know my blog is mostly about DIY projects and Decorating, so it will not be the normal post for me to have things like this on here. I do not hide my stand but that isn't what this blog is about. He is involved in all my decisions and very much a part of our lives. I may not stop to pray before working on a project but if I am beginning a day & I know there is more on my plate than I can possibly get done, I will pray for guidance to get things done without complications and for wisdom to know what to set aside and what to get done. I may not post about all of those types of things but they are very much a part of who we are. I do not stop to thank the Lord for every breath I take but I am grateful for a God who designed me and knew me before my Mother even knew she was pregnant. I am thankful to my God for making me not have to think about how to take each and every breath and that allows me to participate in fun things like blogging and DI projects.
Cheri
Cheri,
ReplyDeleteMy family (my parents and the adults, not kids :)) had an interesting conversation on Christmas. My dad said that Mary did not have to go to Bethlehem. The census was to count the men, they never counted women back then. We think he brought Mary to protect her because she was an unwed pregnant woman and could have been stoned if he left her in Galilee. So not only did she travel on a donkey very pregnant, but she went without being required to. She also most likely did not know about the prophecy concerning Bethlehem because common people couldn't study the scriptures at that time. God, in his Providence, worked everything out to get her there. I just think that's really neat.