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Intentional Christmas
Acts 4:25 – 28 says: You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of your servant, our father David:
“‘Why do the nations rage
and the peoples plot in vain?
26
The kings of the earth rise up
and the rulers band together
against the Lord
and against his anointed one.’
27 Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed. 28 They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen.
I often wonder why the massacre of all baby boys under the age of two in Bethehem was not mentioned in historical accounts. If such an event were to occur today, it would be on all the podcasts and news feeds within hours of the event. Frankly, the people of that time feared King Herod so much they cowered under his ruthless rule and never challenged his deeds. There is a record of a revolt against Herod around the time of Jesus’ birth in which hundreds, and possible thousands of Jewish populace were crucified and the crosses lined the road to Jerusalem. THAT was recorded in history.
But the death of maybe a dozen children in a small obscure village was not significant in the vast ocean of Herod’s foul deeds.
It is hard to accept that all of these events were allowed by God to accomplish His greater purpose. Let’s face it, the worst deed in the history of mankind, that is the death of God in man form on the cross, led to the greatest deed in the history of mankind, the empty tomb and death conquered.
As we consider the Christmas story, which is far more than a fable, let us pause and reflect on the cost of the Prince of Peace’s journey into our midst. After all Jesus was a baby born to die. But death would soon perish beneath the power of the Resurrection. And this is Good News indeed in a world heavily burdened by fear and chaos. He came to bring us good tidings of great joy.
May you find peace and joy this season as the year comes to a close.
And, I was hoping I would have my book available before Christmas. Here is the cover for the ebook.
I am waiting for the final version of the print cover and then I can release the book. I am excited about this next to the last chapter in the Chronicles of Jonathan Steel.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
The Gifts
This is the second chapter of my book, “Our Darkness, His Light: Ordinary People in the Extraordinary Story of Christ.” Josiah is a character who “bookends” the story that starts at the manger and ends at the empty tomb.
In my fictional account of the nativity, Josiah is the owner of the manger where Jesus was born. He now lives with his own son in Bethlehem and Joseph and Mary have moved into a house down the street.
THE GIFTS
After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”
Matthew 2:1-2 (NIV)
“Where are you going?” Rachel asked.
I shrugged into my outer cloak and grabbed the walking stick. “I promised Joseph I would help him finish something in his workshop.” I couldn’t tell her it was a chair I was making especially for her.
My son, Joseph, burbled and cooed in his mother’s arms. “But, it’s after sunset.”
“Yes, and much cooler. Joseph’s workshop on his roof will be much more tolerable now.” I kissed my son’s forehead. His dark, unruly hair smelled of scented oil. “You know, it’s been two years.” I tousled Joseph’s hair and he grabbed my finger with his strong grip.
“Since the birth of Yeshua. Yes, I remember, Josiah. Also, that was the night we had our, uh, disagreement.”
I reached past Joseph and patted Rachel’s stomach. “And, this child will be our daughter, Rachel. Yahweh has told me as much.”
Rachel’s smile was brighter than the star I had seen that night. “Well, I will be putting our Joseph down for the night so be careful on your journey to Joseph’s house.” She leaned forward and kissed me on the cheek.
I stepped out of our house into the cool night air. The sky was clear and filled with blazing stars. One star in particular seemed to lie low on the horizon. For two years now, the star had filled the night sky visible even with a full moon! Now, it seemed brighter and closer than ever! As I turned toward Joseph’s house, I noticed the star seemed to hover over the street where he lived! How was this possible? Surely just an illusion.
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Bruce Hennigan 
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