Jesus the Christ: Chapters 8 & 9

Wow! I am way behind! Good thing I didn't really commit to regular blogging, I just said I would TRY to post once a week!

Chapter 8: The Babe of Bethlehem

Who doesn't love the Christmas story? I mean seriously! I love it start to finish and that's really what this chapter is all about. I love that angels announced His birth to shepherds, they didn't go into churches, they didn't go to important politicians to make their announcement, they went to shepherds in the fields tending their sheep. Christ often spoke of sheep and shepherds throughout His earthly ministry and really, isn't it lovely imagery?

I also love the story of Simeon who was promised that he would live long enough to see Christ. Oh, and the story of Anna who knew the Christ child when she saw him for who he really was! How would it feel to be Anna? or to be Mary? Honestly, I don't even really want to imagine what it would be like to be Mary...way too much responsibility!

How about the wise men? Isn't it fun to imagine them following a star for who knows how long, weeks or months maybe, to see the promised Messiah...and that leads to King Herod....how evil do you have to be to kill thousands of babies? That's something else I don't want to know. Did you know that this is the reason Jehovah's Witnesses don't celebrate Christmas?

Chapter 9: The Boy of Nazareth

"And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him." Luke 2:40

There isn't much more than this written about his childhood, but Talmage points out that historically Jewish children were well educated in the law and the scriptures and that Joseph and Mary we devout and faithful in all observances of the law. So we can conclude that Jesus was well educated. The Bible tells about him at 12 going to the temple and sitting with the learned men and impressing them all with his knowledge and understanding. As a mother I see it from Mary's point of view, she suddenly discovers her child is missing (haven't we all had that moment of panic when your heart sinks into your shoes?) when she finds him he doesn't even have the decency to realize that his poor mother is worried sick! Oh the humanity! And then he reminds her of who he really is, and I can totally see how she might have forgotten that, she probably had several small children and a household to run...she was a busy woman! To her, he was just her child and she was scared to death that she'd lost him in the big city.

This book just keeps getting better and better! I better get reading, I'm falling way behind!

Grandma-isms

Grandma mentioned yesterday that her driver's license is going to expire soon, but that she isn't going to drive anymore so maybe it didn't matter much. I said something about there's a time and a season for everything. She replied, "This isn't my season to drive, but I have seasoning at home!"

Private Square

Last night I was passing through the kitchen and Lilly was standing in front of the refrigerator, so as I passed by I smacked her on the butt. She turned around and sang (with hand gestures):

Stop! Don't touch me there,

That's my private square!

Somedays that child cracks me up! AND now that song is stuck in my head!

Dreams are weird...

Last night I dreamed that I went to my old job to work the front desk over the lunch hour. Why would I do that? In the five years I worked there I think I worked the front desk a total of 2 hours! But it gets better...not only did I go over there to work I went dressed in a bear costume, and while I was there another former employee showed up wearing brown fleece footie pajamas and sat down to visit with me. What on earth does this mean?? I don't know, but I woke up laughing at it!

Jesus the Christ, Chapter 7

I read chapter 7 today and I have to say it was the most interesting chapter so far! Chapter 7 is "Gabriel's Annunciation of John and Jesus" and tells the story of Gabriel announcing to Zacharias that he and his wife would be having a baby...I really have to laugh at the idea that Zacharias is talking to an angel and doesn't believe what the angel is telling him. Really? He's a priest, standing in the Holy of Holies, talking to an angel, and he doesn't believe him? Wow. So he asks for a sign and gets one...he can't talk til the baby is named! I love it, some days I wish my husband would get the same sign...oops...did I just say that in a public forum? =)

Then Gabriel goes to Mary and tells her she's going to have a baby, and she's pretty cool about it. She didn't ask for a sign! What really stood out to me though, was Joseph's reaction. For some reason when I read this I suddenly wondered about what it must have been like to be in his shoes. The woman he loves tells him she's having a baby that's not his, in fact, it's God's baby, the promised Messiah. I think he believed her, but I think he didn't feel worthy to be the stepfather of the Son of God. Can you imagine the responsibility of that? Wow.