by

Our Daily Thread 12-25-21

Good Morning!

Merry Christmas!

Luke 2:6-21

6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.

8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven,
    and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

21 On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise the child, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he was conceived.

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From HomeFree

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Anyone have a QoD?

101 thoughts on “Our Daily Thread 12-25-21”

  2. I got a notice today, Christmas day that a password for my work account is expiring. So I will now end my day with trying to devise a new password. What a frustrating job.

    Liked by 3 people

  7. Of the five of us, only two (husband and I) made an attempt at singing carols.

    Twenty yelled.

    Fifteen listened to the words

    Fourteen read a comic book.

    None of them hung up stockings so I did not feel obligated to stay up filling them.

    Liked by 2 people

  8. Nobody went out to bring in the ornaments so we did not decorate the tree or put out Christmassy decorations other than the tree and lights we already had up and some for the tree. Very nice! Though children may be disappointed. But this is their one day a year they get to sleep in.

    Liked by 3 people

  9. Good Christmas morn! Husband and I sat looking out upon the new fallen snow this morning as we sipped on our coffee. We soaked in the truth of our Lord’s incarnation and the Hope He brings to us. Just a lovely beginning to this day!

    Our evening with daughter and her family was lovely. The kids are teens which brings more of a calm in the gathering…not so much chaos! We played a word game I got them as we sat in the living room and it was quite fun…lots of giggles and learning of similarities and differences with words!!

    Liked by 3 people

  10. Merry Christmas! Trey is still sleeping. My plans were foiled by a nasty cold that Trey picked up. I had planned to go to Amy’s, as they are home from Dallas. Trey and Miguel were going to his mother’s as is his tradition on Christmas.

    Trey and I are home. We did not get a tree and had not decorated until last night. Trey strung some lights and we got out a few of our nativities. We watched candlelight service on youtube, and then a Christmas concert. I ended the evening by reading “why the chimes rang”.

    We will bake and make candy today. And continue to be responsible family members by staying away from those who are immune compromised.

    Liked by 4 people

  13. Chas, could someone put a couple of bright colors on the keys for your pointer finger? That might help you, if you are like me and just type without thinking about which key is which.
    It is nice to hear from you.

    Pondering how interesting it is that God created a revolving sphere so that at all hours someone is praising him.

    Liked by 3 people

  15. Rk so sad to hear of the nasty cold but you know I have known the unexpected turn of events sometimes to be the sweetest of memories. Praying you find those special glimpses of blessing through it all….Merry Christmas 🎄 I now am recalling those moments and am smiling through the tears….

    Liked by 2 people

  16. Thankyou Jo.

    I already played the song a few weeks back, but this version a cappella was just too good to pass up. And it’s a beautiful song too. 🙂

    Liked by 2 people

  17. Merry Christmas all!

    We had a fantastic message last night at church. 🙂

    ——–

    The gifts are unwrapped, the overnight French toast with 100% real maple syrup, bacon and sausage breakfast I made is eaten, and everyone is getting ready to go visit with my family.

    Oh, and Elizabeth and Isaac enjoyed their first Christmas Eve and Christmas morning together. 🙂

    Liked by 4 people

  21. Gifts all unwrapped and paper fight over (son-in-law tradition). It’s interesting with a 1 year old. She wanted to play with the first toy she got and had no interest in opening other gifts.

    We did a Google meet up with D2 and family.

    The ham and fixings are in process. Smells good.

    Mrs L and I leave to go back home later, as I have to work at the cave tomorrow.

    Liked by 4 people

  22. For the first time in many years we did not attend church this morning. Our new/old church is about an hour away and we went last night and will again tomorrow, so decided to skip today. But it felt weird.
    Merry Christmast to all.

    Liked by 5 people

  23. I really miss the more formal Christmas Eve services Carol and I (and other friends here and there who would join us through the years) would find, most recently at Hollywood Presbyterian. Our home church Christmas Eve service is quite different, in large part because we meet in a leased space in an office park — so very well lighted, everyone fairly casual, not a lot of ambiance, if you will, but always a good message (which I had buffering problems live-streaming last night).

    So O Holy Night — a progressive Christian friend of mine the other day posted on FB that the 3rd verse has been often deliberately left out and not included when the song is song (presumably in more “evangelical” settings).

    The verse was familiar to me, so I’m sure it’s included in the times I’ve sung it with various churches. But I checked out denomination’s hymnal and O Holy Night isn’t included at all in that, which I wondered about. That’s maybe a theology question for our friend Cheryl.

    I tried to see if the verse was included in the above presentation, but I was tired when I was doing that last night so was unsuccessfully popping around on the video but could only hear the chorus repeated when I did that.

    Anyway, thoughts? Have you all heard the 3rd verse commonly?

    ~ Truly He taught us to love one another
    His law is love and His gospel is peace
    Chains shall He break for the slave is our brother
    And in His name all oppression shall cease
    Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,
    Let all within us praise His holy name ~

    Liked by 3 people

  24. Linda, I attended a Christmas morning service with Carol several years ago at the Mo. synod Lutheran church she was going to at that time (in Long Beach, I believe). It was beautiful and very moving.

    I love late Christmas Eve candlelight services, and those have been a staple for me ever since I became a Christian. Missing that the past 2 years,, for sure.

    Liked by 2 people

  25. We always sing that verse. He DID come to break the chains of slavery to sin and death.

    I’m with Linda. Went last night and sang, will go tomorrow and sing; we’ve had a lovely morning with my brother’s family and are headed, soon, to son’s with the same 22 people!

    Currently moving family photos onto a flash drive for my brother; the only reason I’m here@

    Liked by 3 people

  26. DJ,

    Most skip the third because the song is 4 minutes with just 2 verses, see above.

    As for your friends assertions about evangelicals…..

    🙄

    Sure buddy. Whatever you say…..

    The fevered mind of liberals…..🤭

    Like

  27. From Wiki, so take it for what it’s worth….

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/O_Holy_Night

    “In Roquemaure at the end of 1843, the church organ had recently been renovated. To celebrate the event, the parish priest persuaded poet Placide Cappeau, a native of the town, to write a Christmas poem.[1] Soon afterwards that same year, Adolphe Adam composed the music. The song was premiered in Roquemaure in 1847 by the opera singer Emily Laurey.

    Unitarian minister John Sullivan Dwight, editor of Dwight’s Journal of Music, wrote the English version in 1855.[2] This version became popular in the United States, especially in the North, where the third verse resonated with abolitionists, including Dwight himself.[1]

    The wide vocal range of the song makes it one of the more difficult Christmas songs to execute properly, especially for untrained amateurs.[3] In French-language churches, it is commonly used at the beginning of the Midnight Mass.[4]”

    Liked by 1 person

  28. Ah, thanks Aj.

    Perhaps it’s a Unitarian influence the kept it out of our denomination’s hymnal, I haven’t read the verses all that carefully. I believe “It Came Upon a Midnight Clear” also was penned by a Unitarian which resulted in some issues for more orthodox churches. Our denomination is a stickler (which is good) for making sure hymns we sing in church are biblically sound.

    Many in the more orthodox church, of course, were active in the abolition movement. Wilberforce and other Christians were actually quite prominent in that effort. Cheryl’s Reformed Presbyterian Church was involved in the Underground Railroad, something she found as she wrote the book for the church’s recent celebration of their bicentennial.

    Liked by 2 people

  29. From another resource:

    https://worshipmatters.com/2014/11/03/o-holy-night-revisited/

    ~ The original lyrics for “O Holy Night” were written in 1847 by Placide Capeau, a Frenchman, at the request of his parish priest. The author was so encouraged by what he had written that he asked his Jewish friend and composer, Adolphe Adam, to set the lyrics to music. The result,”Cantique de Noel,” was immediately received by the church. But Cappeau was a wine merchant by trade and not a regular churchgoer. He eventually joined a socialist movement and stopped attending church altogether. In response, his song was banned in France for two decades. But across the Atlantic, the song gained momentum through a translation made by the Unitarian minister and abolitionist, John Sullivan Dwight. To see how much the song changed from the original, here is a literal translation of Cappeau’s lyrics:

    Midnight, Christians, it is the solemn hour,
    When God as man descended unto us
    To erase the stain of original sin
    And to end the wrath of His Father.
    The entire world thrills with hope
    On this night that gives it a Saviour.
    People kneel down, wait for your deliverance.
    Christmas, Christmas, here is the Redeemer,
    Christmas, Christmas, here is the Redeemer!

    May the ardent light of our Faith
    Guide us all to the cradle of the infant,
    As in ancient times a brilliant star
    Guided the Oriental kings there.
    The King of Kings was born in a humble manger;
    O mighty ones of today, proud of your greatness,
    It is to your pride that God preaches.
    Bow your heads before the Redeemer!
    Bow your heads before the Redeemer!

    The Redeemer has broken every bond:
    The Earth is free, and Heaven is open.
    He sees a brother where there was only a slave,
    Love unites those that iron had chained.
    Who will tell Him of our gratitude,
    For all of us He is born, He suffers and dies.
    People stand up! Sing of your deliverance,
    Christmas, Christmas, sing of the Redeemer,
    Christmas, Christmas, sing of the Redeemer!

    It’s not difficult to see that Dwight moved the emphasis of the song away from the Incarnation as God’s means to redeem men from sin. Instead, his lyrics stressed the universal longing for peace and justice which God’s Kingdom inaugurated.

    Here’s how Kevin processed all this:

    I felt that Adam’s wonderful melody and the beautifully poetic and longing content of verse one by Dwight (albeit a poor translation of the French) deserved companion verses that better explained the “thrill of hope” that sinners find in Jesus—the evident theme of Cappeau’s original poem. …

    Altering hymn lyrics is a practice that is centuries old. One of the more well known examples is Crown Him with Many Crowns, originally written by Matthew Bridges, a Catholic, then later modified by Godfrey Thring, an Anglican. The version most churches sing today combines lyrics from both authors.

    The traditional lyrics to “O Holy Night,” as Kevin points out, lack any clear reference to the meaning of that glorious night. …

    Liked by 2 people

  31. And yes, churches do sometimes cut verses from hymns (something that really shouldn’t be done). But seems like in this case there actually is/was a more complicated background that also could have played a role.

    Liked by 1 person

  32. So in this case my progressive Christian friend may have touched on an accurate point, in part, but she failed to research it so there was no background or context to her post, it was implied that evangelicals find the verse offensive for its political (current) implications.

    She wasn’t imagine some of that, but it went way deeper and has much more history than I (or likely she) realized.

    Taking things at face value can be misleading.

    Liked by 2 people

  35. Yes, Christmas eve was very special. I love the lighted candles.
    I skipped church on Christmas morning. But the group I got together with had a time of hymn singing, with all the verses of O Holy Night.

    No church today, but tonight there is a hymn sing. I will be there.

    Liked by 3 people

  36. “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” has been a favorite of mine. Jim (formerly MakeItMan) shared this version on Facebook. Initially, I was only going to play it on one tab while skimming another, but I ended up watching it as well as listening to it. Lovely version.

    Liked by 2 people

  45. Nightingale gave me a whole bunch of various tea bags with different flavors. When she asked me to pick out a flavor for us to try together, I chose Moroccan Mint, because mint is a Christmasy flavor. But also because then we could be. . .

    Morocccan around the Christmas tree! 😀

    Liked by 2 people

  47. Has anyone watched “The Chosen”? It’s a new TV series with episodes following the life of Christ. The pilot episode is about his birth. They’ve had 2 seasons, which are now both available for free. Here is the pilot episode:

    The Shepherd tells the nativity story from the perspective of the shepherds.

    Liked by 1 person

  50. Peter, I’ve heard about it, but haven’t seen it.

    I watched The Starling tonight (Netflix movie). I saw it panned in one review, but I enjoyed it, funny and sad both (but uplifting).

    Now there’s a fire in the fireplace and I’m sitting next to it with the laptop on the ottoman. Maybe I’ll make this my new “work” station Monday through Friday.

    Liked by 2 people

  54. Thanks, big brother. We had heard of it but never watched it. Enjoyed the shepherd viewpoint. Even the screaming twenty stopped for a bit, though she did lots of mocking throughout.

    Like

  60. Good morning! I am guessing Chas has eaten his cheerios and is headed to church. My hubby returned home early this morning. Wishing everyone a peaceful, relaxing day.

    Liked by 1 person

  68. I hope all of you are well today. I seem to have the cold that Little Miss shared with us. Her Daddy was sick last week. I have taken it easy today. I intended to go to church but didn’t make it. I fell asleep in my chair. I was in that hazy state where I was dreaming but was also aware that things were going on around me.

    Liked by 3 people

  69. I intended to go to church also, but … decided to live-stream again. Except there’s now something wrong with our live-stream connection and all I’m getting is an endless loop of music that bumps me off every couple minutes.

    Since the service was set to start 30 minus ago and it’s still doing that (I tried both youbube via the TV and on the website — I’ll check the FB feed but think it must be an issue on their end). The Christmas Eve service was constantly buffering (also unusual, that’s never happened before) so my guess is there’s a technological glitch on their end and not a reception issue on mine.

    _____________

    FB worked better, but was still hiccuping (and several folks were commenting on it, so it’s them not me I guess.

    Pertinent sermon for our times on patience out of Malachi.

    Liked by 2 people

  70. An update from The Salvation Army:

    _________________________________

    ~ The holidays are a welcome reminder of the things we are grateful for—and for the power of service on behalf of those who are less fortunate. The Salvation Army mission statement clearly outlines the nature of our service: to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and meet human needs in His name without discrimination. The beliefs that motivate our service are based solely on the Bible, and that will never change.

    But although we remain committed to serving everyone in need—regardless of their beliefs, backgrounds, or lifestyle—some individuals and groups have recently attempted to mislabel our organization to serve their own agendas. They have claimed that we believe our donors should apologize for their skin color, that The Salvation Army believes America is an inherently racist society, and that we have abandoned our Christian faith for one ideology or another.

    Those claims are simply false, and they distort the very goal of our work.

    The truth is that The Salvation Army believes that racism is fundamentally incompatible with Christianity, and that we are called by God to work toward a world where all people are loved, accepted, and valued. Our positional statement on racism makes this clear. These beliefs and goals are critically important because we know that racism exists, and we are determined to do everything the Bible asks of us to overcome it. ~

    _____________________________________

    Liked by 3 people

  72. Yes, they’ve done good work for many years.

    Sadly, we live in a day and in a (broken) culture in which groups on both the far left and far right are all-too-quick to try to make political hay out of something — or anything — and thereby slander all kinds of folks and groups — and churches, too.

    Liked by 1 person

  74. The hymn sing last night was amazing. It turned out to be all Christmas and we sang a few that I had never heard of.

    So I got a preview on Christmas that those friends are loaning me their vehicle when they leave January 7th. It is very nice and they have already paid the year’s registration. I only need to pay for my gas.

    Blessed again

    Liked by 2 people

  75. I am currently using the singles van. It is expensive at over a dollar a kilometer and the old van has no shocks. I literally bounce around inside as I drive these rough, hilly roads. You have to sit loosely….

    Like

  77. You contribute, Chas, by showing up. I think that is how it is, too, when we approach God to communicate. He is happy at our efforts to try and spend dedicated time with Him although we could never communicate perfectly with Him.

    My main distance glasses had the lens to pop out. I thought I had lost it, but prayed as Wesley and I retraced our steps. Finally we went to the car and there the lens sat on the car seat, PTL! But I have yet to repair them.

    I went for a walk on the beach by myself. I think that was a first ever by myself. Challenging without my distance glasses. I misjudged where we are and ended up at the location nearby. Thankfully I knew enough to find where I was suppose to end up. Next time I won’t make the same mistake. Having vision issues is a challenge as Chas affirms.

    Liked by 2 people

  79. Janice, you have a beach near you? (Or was your eyesight playing tricks on you?) Maybe you’re away from home.

    I definitely have noticed more eye issues with age, I’ve always had issues with seeing far away (now close, too), with a large amount of astigmatism. I’m looking at likely cataract surgery coming up probably in the next year or so, I’m hoping that will provide some real improvement.

    Liked by 2 people

  80. Well the haus meri did not come. I was going to have her clean my friends home that is full of dust as a doctor is coming tomorrow to stay there for a few week
    Oh well

    I turned on the fridge and began the dusting

    Liked by 2 people

  90. Morning all. It is dark outside but the warm glow of the tree lights are oh so soothing as I sit here listening to Christmas piano music. I will be a bit sad to take down the tree in a few days.

    Liked by 2 people

  100. And a hundred. [Place star emoji here. Reaching for the stars and all. Except I’m not intrepid enough to be able to draw or type a star here.]

    Like

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