Pre-Born Purpose

I have been reveling in the joyous truth of Jesus birth today; one of the most meaningful events in human history.  I was listening to Bill Randles speak about who the Maji were in Matthew 2 and he stated this truthful fact in his message. " The first person to recognize Jesus was an unborn child."
I keep reading Luke 1:44 where this fact is stated, "As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy."

The Saviour, still in the womb of Mary, was recognized by John the Baptist, in Elizabeth's womb. (*Note: Jesus and John the Baptist were cousins).  The pre-born babies both had a calling of service to the Lord, the connection between them was before birth and was shown through both their ministries after birth.

The dynamic of pre-born calling for God's service is throughout scripture and shows that God's plan for human kind is indeed inter- active, inter-relational and full of purpose.  King David was told that He was formed by God in his mother's womb (Psalms 71:6, Psalms 139:13). Jeremiah was appointed as a prophet from before birth (Jeremiah 1:5).  Sampsons' parents were told their son was to be a Nazarite (Judges 13:5,7) Jacob and Esau were to be fathers of great nations (Genesis 25:23).

Meditating on the fact God wants to bless humankind through His involvement in their lives which does take an obedient stance to what He has planned on the part of the individual is mind blowing to say the least. 

I told my daughter of this joy I was thinking upon as we sat and watched It's A Wonderful Life. I told her the Lord made it very clear to me when she was born how I was to make sure she knew Him. Deuteronomy 6:5-9 has been my parenting motto to live by. I told her this command given by God for all his people but specifically impressed upon us for her life shows how important she is to God. 

I find all this very rich with meaning. Alex chose to write a research paper on abortion and learned quit a bit about the subject. We have a friend who works for Pre-born, an agency that helps point toward adoption. She shares when a mother-to be makes the choice to bring life into the world instead of death  and we rejoice that another soul has a chance to glorify God. Reading the account of Jesus' birth and reflecting on the purpose of his life, to bring salvation to all, causes me to worship in wonder at such an amazing gift.

Listen to O Holy Night and Silent Night a few times and think upon the birth of Jesus this Holiday Season. Let the delight of the gift of life (physical and eternal) sink in your heart and praise God for giving you purpose.

Merry Christmas!

Love, Chandra

Saturnalia...Finis

Saturnalia, the lively Roman pagan celebration during the winter from which we derive many of our modern, Christmas traditions' has come to an end. Our family has made it out of 2018 a little worse for wear but intact and ready for a healthy 2019.

During our time of celebration, we binge watched history, art-history, art-tutorials, documentaries with a few film noir and classics splashed in the mix; not rambunctious enough for those die-hard Saturnalia festivities but we were entertained.

One such documentary was on King Herod's (The Great- 37 -4BC) reign, his life, his wicked character, his accomplishments as a great architect and his painful end. He lived during the times of Jesus and was appointed to his position by Agustus (Caius Julius Ceasar Octavianus 63 BCE-14CE.)

The documentary stated that the only place the evil deed of decreeing male babies under the age of two be killed after realizing he was duped by the Magi was in the gospel of Matthew, that no other source mentions it, therefore, this deed can not be attributed to Herod. My ears pricked up at this claim and sent me on a little research path.

Just to make it clear, I do this for fun, not to prove a point, I also am not a teacher and may have missed things. I already believe the Bible is inerrant and perfect, I don't need to question it but these exercises help my thinking and study skills. A Christian should be able to think in a well-rounded manner about all subjects. We are given a lifetime and oodles of material to try and perfect that habit!

Findings:

The Book of Matthew is a synoptic gospel. Synoptic meaning to afford a general view of a whole. Matthew, Mark and Luke are symbiotic and similar yet written by different men with different personalities and views, the three books are very similar with shared content. The book of John is different in its stylistic composition. I like to point out that Matthew hung out with Mark and John but most likely didn't meet Luke. The four gospel accounts are like a puzzle piece that fit together, unique with similarity, yet different but when looked at in larger context, fit together beautifully.  Mathew also wrote from first-hand experience, he was Jesus' disciple. A tax-collector who could understand more complex systems (finances and government) and the political environment, hence the reason why he discusses Herod more than the other books.

Fact: Matthew is the only gospel account with the mention of the decree to kill the male boys under two in Bethlehem.  Matthew 2:16.

Fact: The Matthew 2:16 scripture fulfills a prophecy from Jeremiah 31:15. Matthew takes the time to re-write the prophecy that was fulfilled down in his gospel. It relates to Rachel weeping over her children. Israel weeping for the death of their children.

• No one knows the exact number of babies killed. Often the number may be exaggerated to thousands. Bethlehem and the surrounding areas were small and the number may be less, regardless any number is tragic.

'Saturn Clause'
Photo by: Chandra Brown

Fact: Luke mentions the rule of Augustus and that he decreed a census should be taken while Quirinius was the Governor of Syria. The first Census was around 4-6 B.C. and displaced many people temporarily to their ancestral homes. Travel in those days took time... (*Syria is important). Luke 2:1-4. (Also fulfills a prophecy, Micah 5:2). Quirinius was probably involved in helping Augustus acquire territory and maintain the control. Judea was under full Roman control by 14 AD.

Scholars say Josephus, the secular, 'go to' historian of that time did not mention this evil act of Herod and Josephus wrote of Herod's atrocities in detail and liked to demonize Herod in his writing. They use this as a point to nullify Matthews account.
I'd like to point out Josephus didn't mention Nicolas of Damascus, a central figure and right hand man to Herod. Nicolas was important before and after King Herod's death and is no where to be found in Josephus' accounts of the death of Herod. Should I nullify Nicolas entirely as being at the death of Herod? Was Josephus in error to not put Nicolas in the account? The answer to both is NO. All historians have a personal view with discretion to add a detail or not. Josephus is still extremely credible. Matthew is too.

Fact:  Herod was a paranoid, evil man who acted against those he supposedly loved and did not love with murderous decrees. His view of humanity was consistent across the board. He killed all with no regard. On his death bed, his paranoia and pain drove his madness to order a collective assassination of the notables of Judea, they were held in Jericho's Hippodrome theatre and were ordered to be slaughtered as his death commenced in order to ensure there would be mourning in the city.  (Thank goodness they were spared by Salome and Alexas...)

• Herod's character and history support his maniacal behavior

Fact: Ambrosius Theodosius Macrobias (395-423), a pagan Roman scholar mentions in his book, Saturnalia, "When he [emperor Augustus] heard that among the boys in *Syria under two years old whom Herod, king of the Jews, had ordered killed, his own son was also killed, he said: it is better to be Herod's pig, than his son." 

• There are variations of this quote...Some say it was in reference to the Jewish aversion to pork
• Saturnalia was a fictional tale written to educate and discuss various subjects with the festival's theme in mind; frivolity, jest, protagonist - antagonist wrought dialogues. Could the quote in his book be tongue and cheek to teach truth? Macrobias was erudite but playful in the manner in which he tried to teach history, philosophy, rhetoric and grammer.
• I haven't read the book in entirety... I would need an educated opinion on the quote above.

Fact: History repeats itself

• Exodus 1:15 and Matthew 2:16 are parallels in the Bible.
• Powerful Egomaniacs tend to murder innocents (Pharoah and Herod)
• Herod is a foreshadow of the Antichrist. Study his life and you'll have a clue to what the Ant-Christ will be like.

Conclusion: Finis

My daughter asked a good question. Did Macrobias read the Bible to glean for his knowledge of writings? I do not know the answer but surmise since he was a devout pagan, he wouldn't have stated the above quote and given the Bible a nod. From what source was he gleaning from?

In any good research, fact finding mission, one tends to be left with more questions. That is good!

I have the Bible and I am fortunate to have the best source of truth at my fingertips. 

Resources:

Ambrosius Theodosius Macrobias
Augustus
Saturnalia Translated Quote
Saturnalia-Holiday
Characteristics of Saturnalia
Herod The Great
Josephus_Herod Death
Hippodrome
4th Century Christianity

God With Us

As promised, I am sharing one of my favorite 'Christmas' songs. O' Come O' Come Emmanuel ,God with Us. The promise of the Savior in the Old Testament to the exiled nation of Israel and the fulfillment of this in Jesus, God's only begotten Son. I love the gospel message in this song. It speaks to all of us who were once exiled from God because of our sin. It speaks of freedom over death, of His safety as He leads us and the beginning of a beautiful saving relationship stated long ago on Mt. Sinai.

I love how sombre the tone of the melody is, all the while telling us to rejoice. Oh what a beautiful depiction of Israels history and the deliverance from all the world's sorrows.

As a lifelong believer, I have seen God work in my life and know even today He is with me. Praise Him!

Listen to this beautiful rendition... You may have to go on youtube to actually listen to it. It is worth it!

O come, O come, Emmanuel And ransom captive Israel That mourns in lonely exile here Until the Son of God appear Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel Shall come to thee, O Israel. O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free Thine own from Satan's tyranny From depths of Hell Thy people save And give them victory o'er the grave Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel Shall come to thee, O Israel. O come, Thou Day-Spring, come and cheer Our spirits by Thine advent here Disperse the gloomy clouds of night And death's dark shadows put to flight. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel Shall come to thee, O Israel. O come, Thou Key of David, come, And open wide our heavenly home; Make safe the way that leads on high, And close the path to misery. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel Shall come to thee, O Israel. O come, O come, Thou Lord of might, Who to Thy tribes, on Sinai's height, In ancient times did'st give the Law, In cloud, and majesty and awe. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel Shall come to thee, O Israel.

My Holiday Bete Noire

Ahh, Christmas Carols. Some love them, some love to hate them. Some are superb others absurd. They are overplayed, re-made, re-mixed and regurgitated every year. There is one Christmas Carol in particular that fits all of the above descriptions and grates on my nerves no matter which way the spin doctors of Christmas music try to polish the message.

It brings the sarcastic Scrooge out in me and my verbal rants spew their dissatisfaction on the piece every time I hear it. When the offending carol plays on the radio it has caused me to fly down the stairs at lighting speed to mute the clatter, with my family's eyes opened wide asking, "what is the matter?"

"Oh, I'm glad you asked, for I'm willing to share why The Little Drummer Boy is the bane of my Christmas Holiday.

My Sentiments Exactly

First, this whole song is an anachronism of great error.  Do you remember a drummer boy in the account of Jesus' birth?

Of course, I know one can write any scenario they want in the great realm of music creativity. We have a gamut of imaginary carols in the whole Holiday music library; Rudolph, Santa, Frosty the Snowman but the Little Drummer Boy sneaks his way into the Greatest Story Ever Told and it chaps my hide.

Let's just be frank here and talk about reality. I'll set the scene just to give a proper backdrop. Mary and Joseph have a baby, they are new parents, sleep is high on their priority list. The new schedule of having a newborn demands, feeding, bathing, hushing, burping and when the sweet baby is finally asleep the parents sigh in relief and are ready for bed themselves.

Along comes the Little Drummer Boy and rat-a-tat-tats his way into their life as a gift. Come on, no parent in their right mind would nod in approval as it says Mary does in the song. If I was Mary I would tell Joseph to go find out what all that racket was and shut it up as quick as possible.

And when Joseph found out the source of the headache creating 'pa rum pum pum pum' pulse beat, he'd be a smart husband and father to pay the poor boy off and tell him to scram.

Now that the anachronism part of the song lyrics are explained let's get to the actual song. I've about had it after the first chorus of 'pa rum pum pum pum.' What kind of writer makes you listen to that over and over again?

How about throwing in a few, 'da, da da dats', or 'crash, bang booms' for the variety!

OK, I've said my two cents, I've got it out of my system. I hope you can laugh at my little Holiday Carol 'bete noire'. Heck, maybe you've got your own Christmas song pet peeve and can relate.  I'd love to here about them.

I'll end this blog post with a little Drum Punchline

Mary's Trust in God

I just can't seem to shake this habit of writing about Mary the mother of Jesus during the Christmas season. It is our tradition to read Luke Chapter 1 and 2 on Christmas Eve to remember the facts of the miraculous fulfillment of prophecy about our Lord and Savior, Jesus.

This year I found some old thoughts about Mary in my journal from 1994. It is regarding her thoughts about Jesus. I find it very interesting she was able to witness the life of Jesus lived out from day one.  Her life must have been very rich having the Son of God in the flesh grace her household.

Think about the miraculous events surrounding the house of Joseph and Mary. They knew the Old Testament prophecies about Jesus were fulfilled through them. God using their life for His purpose; they were blessed. (Remember, the word blessed means God's involvement in your life and you recognizing it.)

Nativity Scene: Georgetown, TX
Photo By: Chandra Brown

Here is a short list of prophecies fulfilled in the household of Joseph:

1. The messiah would be born of a virgin: Isaiah 7:14, Matthew 1:18
2. The messiah would be born in Bethlehem: Micah 5:2, Luke 2:4 (Prophecy written approximately 6 centuries before Christ was born)
3. The Messiah would possess a dual nature (hypostatic union); Isaiah 9:6, John 1:49,11:27
4. The Messiah's birthplace would suffer a blood purge: Jeremiah 31:15, Matthew 2:17,18
5. The Messiah would be carried to Egypt as an infant: Hosea 11:1, Matthew 2:15

It says in Luke 2:19, Mary quietly treasured those things in her heart and often thought about them. This was at the time of Jesus' birth. In Luke 2:51, again it says Mary stored away the things she witnessed concerning Jesus in her heart. This time He was a bit older and she was amazed at His obedience and the things He was saying in the Temple after he was found in Nazareth after three days of searching for their 'missing' son. 

As a mother it must have been difficult to grapple with the future fulfillment of prophecy as it became known to her. Simeon, an elderly follower of God who knew he would not die until he saw the Savior, held Jesus as a baby in his arms and prophesied to Mary and Joseph the turmoil that lay ahead. Luke 2:34- "A sword shall pierce your soul, for this child shall be rejected by many in Israel, and to this their undoing." 

Thoughts As We Read Luke

To think of the ultimate joy and the deepest sorrow felt by Mary as she let God use her life towards His purpose; from the tumultuous scandal of a virgin birth with the accusations that come with it, the torment of heart and shaky trust in the relationship with her betrothed. 

THEN GOD slips in a little comfort when she visits her pregnant family member, Elizabeth and they rejoice in the knowledge of the truth they are living in.

God understands the dilemma of such a situation in the fallen, human world and sends angelic beings ministering to Joseph to strengthen Him in making the correct decision towards Mary.

Oh the struggle in traveling away from close family and birthing your first baby in an unfamiliar setting.

THEN GOD slips in a little comfort in the form of recognition and celebration by sending shepherds, wise men bringing gifts, and angels praising the wonderful occurrence; the invitation was the Bright Star. 

Mary and Joseph were figuring out this new baby/toddler thing when King Herod becomes jealous and stirs up an evil plot to secure his power by killing all children under the age of two as a legal decree throughout the land. God understands the dilemma and sends Joseph a warning dream and Mary and Joseph are now, parents with a toddler traveling to a distant, far-off land with barely anything in their packs and with no job secured when they get to their new home. Oh the stresses of marriage and parenthood! 

Fast forward a few years and Mary and Joseph are living in Nazareth, with more children. They decide to go to Jerusalem and they lose Jesus for three days, oh the anxiety and worry. They must have felt like awful parents. BUT GOD slips in and had Jesus at the Temple safe and doing what he wanted Him to do.

The story goes on, I urge you to read the full account of Jesus' life, I hope what He is and what He has done for you jumps off the page and grabs your soul and you'll ponder the things He has done and promises to do in your heart as Mary did.

For Speculation Sake:

I wonder if Mary ever thought something like this…..

I gave birth to God the one who created me and gave me life.

I feed the one who provides for me.

I give the one who cleanses me a bath.

VIDEO:
I Love your heart Mr. McGee!!!

The Christmas Coyote

Let me tell you about young Emily Robbs, Emily Robbs was 10 years old  and the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Robbs who owned a ranch in Colorado. One thing that the Robbs were not pleased to see, was a coyote. That is exactly what this story is about. One day, young Emily saw a beautiful fright; out side her window was a gleaming white coyote clothed in a scarf and booties. Poor little Emily thought she was loosing her mind. She pinched her thigh, she slapped her cheeks and put ice down her shirt to see if she was dreaming and finally she came to realize the coyote was really there starring at her right in the eyes. She backed away in fear, the coyote cocked its head then prowled away. Of course young Emily never told her parents about such things or they would think she was messing with coyotes. Then something caught her eye, she had noticed that her advent calender was at the 24th. "It's getting late," she said, "I better get to sleep, Santa comes tonight."
 
BLEEP! BLEEP! BLEEP!!! she awoke to her alarm clock in a flash and gasped, "Santa came!!!!!!"  She found a letter in her stocking along with all the toys it read:

Dear sweet Emily, I know you want to be a Veterinarian when you grow up so I am assigning you to help one of the most special animals in all the land, the Christmas coyote, she will lead you to her problem.
Thank You!
From, Santa Claus

Christmas Coyote With Her Pup
Photo By: Alex Brown

Straight then she knew that the coyote she saw that day was the special Christmas coyote. Emily dashed to the window and there it was. Legend has it that every year the Christmas coyote would go around and decorate the peoples yards and  it would choose one child to give a special gift to. Immediately, she grabbed her vet kit and trudged outside in wonderment even though she hadn't had her breakfast yet. She followed the coyote into the deep forest covered in snow.

Nervously she spoke, "I'm sorry but Mrs.coyote its been an hour already and I'm awfully hungry."
She turned and shot her a look, that said, 'We're almost there, so please don't argue.' Finally, Emily arrived at a bloody trap and inside it was an adorable, pudgy coyote pup. "Awe, it's so cute," Emily said, "Is he yours?" The coyote nodded with a painful yes, then whapped Emily on her thigh with its tail. Emily huffily asked,"Ow, what was that for?" The coyote looked at Emily then at the injured pup. "Right," she exclaimed, then she pryed open the trap and gently pulled the pup out and wrapped its wounded leg and gave it to the Christmas coyote. She picked it up as fast as lightning and trotted away, as Emily shouted, "Don't I get a thank you?" to the coyote who was about 30 meters away. It just went on plodding off into the woods. Emily turned to head back home with a happy heart that she was able to help.

After getting away from worried parents she slipped into bed and went to sleep. The next morning Emily awoke to a scratch at her door, she opened it and found a little coyote plush identical to the pup she had saved. It was from the Christmas coyote and this year Emily was that special someone.

Emily Finds the Christmas Coyotes Gift

THE END

This Christmas tale was written by: Alex Brown

Have A Blessed Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year!

I have done a lot of reading about Christmas and its history this year. It has been quite a trip down timeline lane. The details are fascinating regarding how we got to our mixed, modern celebration; some things represent Christ and others are taken from pagan rituals, it is an interesting mix of world wide traditions. During my reading I came across an article that discussed how the word "Merry" has changed over the centuries in meaning. The author of the article, Sharon, writes "the word merry does not refer an excess of seasonal good cheer, nor yet to drunkenness. Those meanings date from the 14th century onwards. However, the original meaning of merry was pleasing or agreeable." Since I like words and how they are used (and I've been liberal with a few myself) I thought this was something to take notice of.

I sat down to begin reading the true account of why we celebrate Christmas. I started in Luke chapter 1 and got to verse 48 and stopped on the word 'blessed'. It was underlined meaning there was some more to learn about that word, so I read the text note and was pleasantly surprised that the meaning of this word had a profound effect on what Mary meant when she said, "from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed." It was not as I always assumed that word to mean, when I think of the word 'blessed' I think of happiness, material blessing, favor (even the dictionary says that) but the way Mary used the word showed she wasn't talking about how we would look back on her with a view of luckiness or happiness but that she was obedient and submissive to the will of God in her life and she endured in peaceful satisfaction . Her FAITH was what she was talking about. She knew she was going to go down in Biblical history just like Abraham, Isaac, David, the Prophets because she was willing to do whatever God had planned for her life. The neat thing is we can be called 'blessed' too if we choose to do the same.

Since the description of the word  'blessed' in the Hebrew Greek Study Bible is too good to not share I am copying the entire lesson for reference. Note the highlighted red parts are important.

"This verse contains one of the most misunderstood words of the N.T. It is the word makarios, used repeatedly in the Beatitudes. The verb of the adjectival noun makarios, "blessed," is used here. The translation says, "all generations shall call me blessed, " but the Greek says makariousi, the Attic future of makarizo, which in reality means "they shall bless me." But since the meaning of makarios is to be indwelt by God and thereby to be fully satisfied, the Virgin Mary was declaring that because she was indwelt by God, this fact was going to be recognized and declared by generations to come. In connection with the meaning of the word makarios, note that in verse 45 it states, "And blessed is she that believed." Makaria (feminine) is what Elizabeth called her cousin Mary when she saw her and realized she was indwelt by God. If you go, however, to vs. 42, you will find that the word translated "blessed" there is not makaria, but is a totally different word, eulogemene, which in its literal meaning is "eulogized, well spoken of." The verb eulogeo is the more commonly used verb in the N.T. of the two verbs: makarizo, "to be declared as indwelt by God and therefore fully satisfied," and eulogeo, "to speak well of" When we bless (eulogeo) God we are speaking well of Him which is equal to praising or thanking Him. When, however, we ask God to bless us or speak well of us, we are asking Him not merely to approve our plans but to interfere in our lives. God's words are God's actions. Therefore, there is a very definite distinction between these two words. The verb makarizo occurs only in Luke 1:48 and Js. 5:11 in which it is totally mistranslated as "we count them happy which endure." Happiness has absolutely nothing to do with makariotes, 'blessedness," an inner quality granted by God. The word "happiness" in its equivalent on Greek and as used in the Classics, eudaimon and eutuches, "lucky" never occurs in the N.T. The Lord never promised happiness, good luck, or favorable circumstances to the believer but makariotes, "blessedness". This means His indwelling and the consequent peace and satisfaction to the believer no matter what the circumstances may be. Js. 5:11 should be translated, "Behold, we recognize those who endured as blessed," that is to say, having been indwelt by God and in Him finding their full satisfaction in spite of their suffering."

With that I leave you with a 'new' salutation: Have a pleasant Christmas and may many opportunities present themselves through circumstances to humble and submit yourself to God so he may be active in transforming you in the New Year!