Moving Beyond the Crib

 

~~~ John 3: 22-4:6 ~~~ Psalm 2 ~~~ Matthew 4:12-17, 23-25 ~~~

 

As much as we may want to linger at the crib

 the readings quickly move us forward.

It is soothing and comfortable to be in the presence of an infant,

but God sent Jesus here to redeem us.

It would take more than his cooing back at us from his bed of straw.

 

We have seen Jesus choosing his 'staff' if you will,

 and now we see him responding to a need to move away from home.

 

'When Jesus heard that John had been arrested,
he withdrew to Galilee.
He left Nazareth and went to live in Capernaum by the sea...'

 

Jesus came to Galilee bringing his light

and in fulfillment of the Isaiah prophecy.

He brought with himself...in himself the true spirit of God.

 

'...the people who sit in darkness
have seen a great light,
on those dwelling in a land overshadowed by death
light has arisen...'

 

Jesus began to rapidly spread the word of the Father.

He preached repentance.

Went about the countryside healing all who were brought to him.

He healed them in mind, body, and spirit.

This was his signature, his trademark.

His healing was deeper than the eye could see.

 

 

I sometimes wonder, if Jesus had not performed miracles of healing

everywhere he went, would his preaching had been

as effective.

His actions often spoke volumes more than his words.

Those who were confused by his words could

plainly see what he was able to do

for the afflicted.

 

And great crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, and Judea,
and from beyond the Jordan followed him.

 

Today I think we rely much more on the words

preserved for us in the scriptures

than we do on miracles of healing.

Although we are always on the look out for those special

miracles of healing.

We do believe Jesus still heals.

Miracles will always be possible  with God.

 

'...every spirit that acknowledges Jesus Christ come in the flesh
belongs to God...'

 

We belong to God...

and all things are possible through him.

Accept his blessings in your life today.

Three Profound Gifts

~~~ Solemnity of the Epiphany ~~~

 

~~~Isaiah 60:1-6~~~Psalm 72~~~Ephesians 3:2-3a, 5-6~~~Matthew 2:1-12~~~

 

Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.

 

Today's Gospel gives us one of the most intriguing Biblical stories.

Who are these three men from afar?

And did a star really lead them to the manger? Really?

Matthew gives us the only gospel accounting of the three wise men.

 

These three brought gifts of great treasure.

The gifts symbolically represented all of who Jesus is...

King, Prophet, and Savior.

Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh,

the three gifts offered to pay homage to the infant Jesus.

 

The glory of the Lord was shining brightly over all the nations.

The heavens and the earth shall adore the Lord.

 

The prophet Isaiah foretold that great gifts would be brought before the Messiah.

Caravans of camels shall fill you,
dromedaries from Midian and Ephah;
all from Sheba shall come
bearing gold and frankincense,
and proclaiming the praises of the LORD.

 

The three wise men traveled miles across the desert.

The primary mode of transportation would have been on camels.

Camels were created to survive in the desert.

The Arabic meaning of camel means 'beauty'.

Contrary to popular beliefs, it is the shape of the camel's blood cells

that allows them to survive

long periods without water, not their humps.

 

Sheba was representative of royalty and wealth.

Due to the notoriety of the Queen of Sheba it would have been very significant

for those from Sheba would travel to the manger.

 

 

Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.

 

The first gift of Gold

represents the kingship of the infant Jesus.

His kingdom, as we now know, was not of this world.

The kingdom of Jesus would be the eternal kingdom of God.

 

The second gift of Frankincense

represents the position of Jesus as priest.

Incense was part of the rituals preformed in the temple.

It also represents the Divinity of Jesus.

Today we still use incense during our special liturgies or high Masses.

Incense also represents our prayers rising up to God.

In many ways rising incense is mysterious.

 

The third gift of Myrrh

represents the death and crucifixion of Jesus.

Myrrh comes from a thorny tree.

When the tree is deeply wounded the resin drips out and is harvested.

Jesus would be crowned with thorns.

Jesus would be deeply wounded.

His blood would drip down.

Saving us one drop at a time.

Myrrh was often used in embalming by the ancient Egyptians.

 

The three gifts brought by the Magi are prophetic by their very nature.

The wise men could have brought other gifts of beauty and wealth,

but they chose Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh.

 

'...upon you the LORD shines,
and over you appears his glory...'

 

We too can bring a gift to the infant Jesus.

The best gift we can give is the gift of ourselves.

Give back to God what he has given you...

WYSIWYG

~~~ 1 John 3: 11-21 ~~~ Psalm 100 ~~~ John 1:43-51

 

Jesus wastes no time in seeking out a small group to assist in his ministry.

At the risk of sounding biased, Jesus acted as a typical male.

I have a problem that needs to be solved now.

He wastes no time in getting together his small band of disciples.

He knew he had much to teach them in a very short time.

 

He wisely went out and chose men from various walks of life...

He sought out fishermen, siblings, tax collectors, friends of friends.

In three years Jesus was able to lay the foundation for what we believe today.

That is amazing!

 

Did Nathanael believe because Jesus saw him

or did he believe because Jesus knew things about him?

When Philip tells Nathanael about Jesus he expresses his doubt.

 

“Can anything good come from Nazareth?”

 

Yet his curiosity gets the better of him and he sneaks up

 into a tree for a better view.

 

How many times have you experienced something profound

as a result of your curiosity?

I attended a healing service once out of curiosity

where I was surprised at what happened.

It was a very moving experience that I was not expecting.

 

 

Philip encourages Nathanael to "Come and see".

He actually listens to Philip,

which says something about their relationship.

Sometimes it is the invitation of someone who cares about you

 that is the catalyst for your into action.

 

Everything is at God's disposal when he wants to reach you.

Nothing is wasted when Jesus is at work in your heart.

 

Jesus sees the heart of Nathanael saying,

 

“Here is a true child of Israel.
There is no duplicity in him.”  

 

There is no duplicity in him...

what you see with Nathanael is what you get.

He is open and honest.

He knows nothing of what today would be viewed as 'politically correct'.

 

Jesus wants your whole being he is not concerned

about what is 'politically correct' or not.

 

Would Jesus say no duplicity exists in you?

Sit with that thought a moment today during your prayer time.

Jesus is still extending invitations

to come walk with him today...thousands of years later.

Joyful Rivers Clapping

~~~ 1 John 3: 7-10 ~~~ Psalm 98 ~~~ John 1:35-42 ~~~

 

The words of praise continue in Psalm 98.

I first thought I had made a mistake in typing

the psalm number for today, but

as I looked more closely it is correct.

Both yesterday and today we have psalm 98.

This is such a significant song that today we are 

given additional verses.

 

All the ends of the earth have seen the saving power of God.

 

The saving power of God is something all of the earth is celebrating.

If a celebration is in order you should be out with others.

Have you ever tried to celebrate alone?

It is much more fun to celebrate with others.

To laugh, sing, and dance together.

Making joyful music with a group is exhilarating.

Every thing should be singing the praises of God.

 

He could have gone on down the road, so to speak.

God could have just created another 'Earth' and started over.

He could have placed another

Adam and Eve in the Garden of this new earth.

 

But instead he sends his son down to save us from our

human weaknesses.

 

"...Let the sea and what fills it resound,
the world and those who dwell in it;
Let the rivers clap their hands,
the mountains shout with them for joy before the LORD."

 

If all of creation could break into song, as we know music,

what a glorious event that would be to behold.

We would have a viral YouTube video in no time.

As all of creation made their voices heard praising the Lord

who created them.

 

God wants us to celebrate our salvation.

If we really did celebrate our redemption

we might think twice before acting like it didn't matter.

That it was no big deal.

 

If the rivers were clapping their hands it would be a BIG deal.

We would never take it for granted.

 

 

“Come, and you will see.”

 

This has to be one of my favorite verses.

It is so real to me.

Some things just cannot be put into words.

Words do not do them justice.

Words are limiting...they are confining.

When Jesus says 'Come, and you will see'

words are no match for seeing what the Lord is doing.

His invitation extends to you today.

What is God inviting you to see?

What will he show you today?

 

“Come, and you will see.”

What Shall We Become?

~~~ 1 John 2:29-3:61 ~~~ Psalm 98 ~~~ John 1:29-34 ~~~

 

All the ends of the earth have seen the saving power of God.

 

'...we are God’s children now;
what we shall be has not yet been revealed...'

 

We are indeed God's children now...

even as an adult we remain a child in the eyes of God.

We often foolishly pride ourselves on how 'adult' we are...

Young teens long for the day when they are considered 'adults'.

As you age in years you become a 'senior'

Much later in those senior years people treat you like a child again.

You once again need help to care for yourself.

The day comes when you do not jump into the car,

 behind the wheel a take a little trip to the store.

 

To God none of this is of any importance...

to God as long as we are alive we are like a child to him.

He is always there

to care for us...

to protect us...

to welcome us home when we get lost...

 

...what we shall be has not yet been revealed...'

 

What shall we be when we really 'grow up' in the Lord?

What shall we be when we 'have come of age'?

Being a human adult encompasses many physical changes,

 as you know.

What we shall become with God

requires tremendous 'spiritual' soul changes.

The body will no longer be...

we will no longer just be children.

 

It is true that unless we become like little children

we shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.

But nothing says that when you get to heaven

you will remain in a child like state.

 

Today we hear just the opposite to be true...

The truth is we do not know...

for it has not yet been revealed to us.

We are not ready.

We would not understand.

Just as there as many things a parent does not explain to their child

because they would not understand.

God cannot reveal many things to us while

we are in our 'child like' existence.

 

 

“I saw the Spirit come down like a dove from the sky
and remain upon him..."

 

The Holy Spirit will be with us as we enter into our

true adulthood.

We will not be fully matured until we are with God.

Maturity comes when we are reunited with our creator God.

 

All the ends of the earth have seen the saving power of God.

We all have the opportunity to experience this saving power of God

first hand in many ways.

 

 

 

All the ends of the earth have seen the saving power of God.

 

Someday we shall experience what we shall become.

I am patiently waiting for that day...

in the mean time God has more work for me to accomplish.

For in our 'childhood' we can and should be

models of God's love.

Protected from Insects

~~~ 1 John 2: 22-28 ~~~ Psalm 98 ~~~ John 1: 19-28 ~~~

 

As for you,
the anointing that you received from him remains in you,
so that you do not need anyone to teach you.
But his anointing teaches you about everything and is true and not false;
just as it taught you, remain in him.

We have been anointed by God.

Do we really appreciate what that means?

In Biblical times people were anointed with oil

to signify God's call or blessing.

Anointed meant you were chosen by God.

 

The use of oil today is symbolic of what God is doing.

The shepherds used oil on the heads of their sheep for a real purpose.

Insects would get into the wool of the sheep.

If these insects reached the head they would

burrow into the ears often causing the death of the animal.

The oil would make the wool too slippery and the insects would fall off.

 

Anointing with oil is symbolic of blessing,

protection, and empowerment.

It is mentioned at least twenty times in the Bible.

Mary anoints the feet of Jesus before the crucifixion not his head.

Blessing his feet as they would make the long journey to the cross.

 

Jesus left us the Holy Spirit.

He called us his chosen thus anointing us for himself.

 

'...But you have the anointing that comes from the holy one,

and you all have knowledge...'

(1 John 2:20)

 

Our anointing gives us the strength we need

in times of trials and tribulations.

The Lord truly has done wondrous things for us.

 

 

The good shepherd has anointed his sheep

protecting them from death by even a tiny insect.

 

We are the ones he has chosen to anoint with his holy oil.

Assuring us of his protecting presence

all the days of our life.

Let us be glad and rejoice!

Ancient Blessings

~~~ Numbers 6: 22-27 ~~~ Psalm 67 ~~~ Galatians 4:4-7 ~~~ Luke 2: 16-21 ~~~

 

 

The LORD bless you and keep you!
The LORD let his face shine upon
you, and be gracious to you!
The LORD look upon you kindly and
give you peace!

 

 

Today's readings focus on God's Blessings the perfect mind set at the beginning of a new year. The readings are a reminder for us to be mindful of the many ways

in which we are the beneficiaries of God's blessings.

 

Perhaps if we direct our attention to receiving blessings

during the up coming year we will be much happier.

Our expectations of God blessings

may just help us to being more open to the possibility.

 

May God bless us in his mercy.

 

God has blessed in more ways than we can imagine.

God continues to bless us in ways we cannot even detect.

 

God blessed us with the birth of Jesus.

We too have been adopted as sons and daughters of God himself.

Can anything match that blessing?

 

'...As proof that you are sons,
God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts...'

 

More blessings unseen with the naked eye.

 

All who came into direct contact with Jesus were blessed.

The shepherds, the wise men, Mary and Joseph themselves.

They were each blessed with the gift of wonder and awe.

 

 

I once heard that the older we become the less we are effected

by wonder and awe.

If that is true then we must make a point to look

for the blessings

of wonder and awe in our life.

Our days are filled with blessings

great and small.

 

Look for the blessings in your life during 2013.

Most people avoid the number thirteen for different reasons.

Let's turn any negative feelings we may have about

this number by focusing on our

Blessings.

May the New Year

~2013~

be filled with abundant blessings.