If you read the Apostle Luke’s letter to Theophilus and Matthew’s recording of the Good News, they begin early on by telling of the birth of Jesus.
Now Luke and Matthew never make any mention about the specific time of Jesus’ birth. We know there was a census and Herod was King at the time, but there’s little else we know about the actual time of year or a specific date as to when Jesus was born.
But if you read Luke’s letter carefully, he makes an interesting point about shepherds in the region — doing what shepherds do best — watching their sheep (at night). Continue reading Why December 25th?
Lipensky Russion icon | Photo via WikiCommons (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Nikola_from_1294.jpg)
In the 3rd Century (approx 270 AD), a baby boy was born in Asia Minor (now modern day Turkey) who would completely change the way we see giving and the Christmas season.
Born the son of wealthy Christian parents, the boy was said to have been very religious from an early age.
After the boy’s parents died while he was still a young, the boy was raised by his uncle, the bishop of Patara.
Well, it’s been just over eight weeks since the boys were born — and tomorrow is their two month birthday.
And like it or not, the powers that be have decided that eight weeks is plenty of time for a woman who’s had a C-Section to recover, so my wonderful Life is returning to work today.
To make things easier on the boys, I’ve opted to take vacation time this week to watch them by myself at home. And since our office is closed next week for the holidays, I’ll be at home with them a second week before our moms take over after the start of the year.
It should be an interesting two weeks! I’m thrilled to get to spend so much time with the boys, but I know it’s going to be far more work than I realize.
Laurie’s suggested I’ll probably do more work during the next two weeks than I ever would have done at the office — she’s probably right.
When I first agreed to it, the boys had just come home and they were sleeping 95% of the time. So as the time’s been getting closer, I’ve been looking forward to all the “extra work” I’d get done on some of my projects.
But as the time’s gotten even closer — the boys are becoming more and more active and down time is becoming less and less.
So… if you have something waiting on my to-do list… I’ll do my best – but I’m not promising anything right now.
And you may be hearing/seeing a lot from me online… or hardly nothing at all.
Who knows? We’ll see how it goes and keep our fingers crossed that I won’t be calling for help after the first few hours.
As December approaches and we put up our traditional Christmas tree, I’ve been moving my thoughts away from writing #nanowrimo and towards the Advent Season.
As I child I remember lighting the Advent candles at church, and occasionally at home. But I don’t remember much behind the meaning or ideas of the Advent season vs the Christmas season. Is there a difference, does it matter? Advent is truly a word we don’t hear too often, but I’m planning to delve in and examine it more this month — even more so as I plan to speak at encounter on Dec. 7th (the 2nd Sunday of advent).
I found this explanation online helpful (that seemed to be repeated somewhat in the Wikipedia entry as well) ::
The word Advent means “coming” or “arrival.” The focus of the entire season is the celebration of the birth of Jesus the Christ in his First Advent, and the anticipation of the return of Christ the King in his Second Advent. Thus, Advent is far more than simply marking a 2,000 year old event in history. It is celebrating a truth about God, the revelation of God in Christ whereby all of creation might be reconciled to God. That is a process in which we now participate, and the consummation of which we anticipate. Scripture reading for Advent will reflect this emphasis on the Second Advent, including themes of accountability for faithfulness at His coming, judgment on sin, and the hope of eternal life.
In this double focus on past and future, Advent also symbolizes the spiritual journey of individuals and a congregation, as they affirm that Christ has come, that He is present in the world today, and that He will come again in power. That acknowledgment provides a basis for Kingdom ethics, for holy living arising from a profound sense that we live “between the times” and are called to be faithful stewards of what is entrusted to us as God’s people. So, as the church celebrates God’s inbreaking into history in the Incarnation, and anticipates a future consummation to that history for which “all creation is groaning awaiting its redemption,” it also confesses its own responsibility as a people commissioned to “love the Lord your God with all your heart” and to “love your neighbor as yourself.”
So Merry Advent to you and yours. May we continue to celebrate Christ’s first Incarnation and look forward to his second appearing.
