Every time I see a crèche, I have to fight the urge to make corrections. This particular manger scene is set up in downtown Chicago. For example, the angel did not appear at the manger, and the magi went to Joseph and Mary's house later; it could have been up to two years later. And the fact that there were three gifts does not automatically mean that there were three wise men.
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Here's a random thought:
Pa-rumm-pa-pumm-pumm... Do you think there is a snowball's chance Mary would have tolerated a DRUMMER boy anywhere near her precious baby? I think not.
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The baby in this manger scene is chained down and believe it or not, they have installed a GPS device inside it as well. It seems that some people like to go around stealing baby Jesus. How bizarre. Personally, I would rather that people did not display a baby Jesus, because some folks "venerate" those things, and that is a clear violation of the
Second Commandment.
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Sometimes Christmas seems more complicated than it needs to be. Certainly more complicated than I wish it was. There might be tensions with some individuals that you are forced to deal with. Maybe there is the pain from the loss of a loved one. Then, there might be a mountain of details about schedules, budgets and logistics.
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My wish for you is that you receive the grace to go through whatever complications come your way. And that you enjoy and appreciate the simplicity of the main event. The triune God was perfectly content, enjoying the fellowship of each person of the Godhead for eternity past.
Yet, at the right time, God chose to send his son and Jesus left the glory of heaven to join his divine nature to a human one... truly God and truly man. To live a perfect and sinless life, and sacrifice himself to atone for those he has called to himself. After conquering death, he sent the third person of the trinity to indwell the faithful. That is a marvelous gift! Let us not lose sight of that this Christmas, proclaiming it again to ourselves, as well as to others.
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Camels INSIDE the stable??? Man, that's gotta stink! How big were these stables, anyway? Hmmm... Hey, if I don't get to talk to you before then, Merry Christmas!
Whew! I have been worked like a dog lately! (That makes as much sense literally, as sweating like a pig.) Gabriel, the dog in this photo is an angel in a house of saints. By way of explanation, the home is owned by godly Christians (saints), and the dog is named after an archangel. Christopher Walken played that same angel in a 1995 movie called The Prophesy, but his character was nothing like either of the other Gabriels. This dog does not work hard at all. He exists by gobbling up dog chow and tons of affection.
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