[I got this picture off the internet, and it sorta sets the scene of this morning's meditation; or its the best I could do]This is the week of Christmas, and Wednesday evening at church we will be having our 'Children's Christmas program' and Christmas Eve [I know its a day early] service. This years program will be about how the animals celebrated the Babe's birth in Bethlehem. So,.... I want to meditate [at least on this blog each day up to Christmas] on how creation celebrates; I've asked the Lord to remind me of either wildlife or nature right in my own backyard that celebrates Him. As I sit at my computer, with no other lights on and look out the window at my own back yard I am inspired by the pre-dawn light coming from the snow. Normally this time in the early hours it is hard to see anything, but before I opened my computer lid I let my eyes get focused on the yard, and it didn't take as long because the snow provided a subtle, soft light. There is an old barn at the back of the yard we use as a maintence/storage shed and it is neat how its roof, covered in snow, at first looks like a picture hanging on a dark wall of trees, but then as you focus on this 'picture' pretty soon the outline of the barn begins to take shape from the light of roof and ground! Strange in this my nineth Christmas here I had never seen that. It made me think of that barn in Bethlehem, most of our Christmas cards have snow in the Holy Lands at this time of year, so I checked out the weather report for today in that area of the world. Well today is going to be a partially cloudy 64% with no snow in the 14day forecast; sometimes its snowy in Bethlehem during this season but not this year. Scripture tells us that there was a star to lead the wise men, but I wonder if on that Christmas 2,000 years ago, the stars in the sky reflected their light off a snowy carpet and the shepherds were easily guided to that lonely barn where Joseph and Mary shared the Christmas gift of forever-time. I'm sure the shepherds didn't go door to door to try to find information on where the holy family was, and if they did the people would have thought they were out of their mind; like God was going to reveal the coming of the Messiah to shepherds first? Well, believe what you like but my early morning illuminated backyard photo tells me there was a special light for them too, and it left no doubt on where the exact location was. Interesting isn't it that God wants to shine His light in my life today so that there are shadows obscurely His plan for my day .... now I just have to stay focused .............. ENJOY. Go on an adventure today looking for your light!
In thinking about the animals that were perhaps present in the stable at the Nativity, I think even such a small detail points to Christ's eventual sacrifice for the sins of each individual. The animals themselves were destined to die, either as food, or as sacrifice to God, because until Christ, atonement before God required the death of something. With Christ's sacrifice on the cross, that was no more -- "It is finished."
ReplyDeleteTruly, a reason to celebrate.
Cheers.