Jesus' life has so many facets that repeat the truths that God wants us to see. God knows how much repetition helps us learn. I was thinking a few years ago about Jesus' birth. I was also then thinking, for some reason, about the sacraments. We have two. Baptism and the Lord's Supper have been given to the Church by God to reinforce the truths of the Gospel.
When a person is born again they then seek baptism to testify of their rebirth into new life. Jesus was born into this world so that we could be born into the Kingdom of Heaven. His birth foreshadowed our new birth to move from the kingdom of darkness into the Kingdom of Light.
The other odd thing was the use of a manger for a place to lay Jesus. Having worked around farm animals I'm sure that Mary would have had to deal with curious sheep, goats, and cattle if they were still in the stable. Animals learn pretty quickly to keep a watch on the spot where their food is placed. I've seen my beagle run from the far end of the house because something hit her bowl and made that special little noise she loves to hear. Jesus was placed in the feed bunk. He was put where the food for the sheep goes on the day He was
born. There was a picture of Communion on the day of His birth.
I hope you were able to attend the vesper service on Christmas Eve. Communion is such an appropriate way to celebrate Christ's birth. It is wonderful to remember His place in the manger by celebrating His sacrifice. He said, "Take eat" of His body and "Drink of it" of His blood for our nourishment and to testify of our covenant with Him.
God, who knows the end from the beginning, pictured the end from Jesus' birth. The sacraments He was going to give to the Bride of Christ were hinted at there at the stable in Bethlehem. Don't forget where your nourishment comes from. He is the vine and you are the branches. Apart from Him you can do nothing and nothing is not a little something.
When a person is born again they then seek baptism to testify of their rebirth into new life. Jesus was born into this world so that we could be born into the Kingdom of Heaven. His birth foreshadowed our new birth to move from the kingdom of darkness into the Kingdom of Light.
The other odd thing was the use of a manger for a place to lay Jesus. Having worked around farm animals I'm sure that Mary would have had to deal with curious sheep, goats, and cattle if they were still in the stable. Animals learn pretty quickly to keep a watch on the spot where their food is placed. I've seen my beagle run from the far end of the house because something hit her bowl and made that special little noise she loves to hear. Jesus was placed in the feed bunk. He was put where the food for the sheep goes on the day He was
born. There was a picture of Communion on the day of His birth.
I hope you were able to attend the vesper service on Christmas Eve. Communion is such an appropriate way to celebrate Christ's birth. It is wonderful to remember His place in the manger by celebrating His sacrifice. He said, "Take eat" of His body and "Drink of it" of His blood for our nourishment and to testify of our covenant with Him.
God, who knows the end from the beginning, pictured the end from Jesus' birth. The sacraments He was going to give to the Bride of Christ were hinted at there at the stable in Bethlehem. Don't forget where your nourishment comes from. He is the vine and you are the branches. Apart from Him you can do nothing and nothing is not a little something.
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