😎🐫🎤 Christ’s peace and presence be with you. Merry Christmas!!! Don’t take your nativity set, tree, and decorations down yet. Within the Catholic church, this year, we celebrate Christmas 12/25/2022 – 01/08/2023. There’s still plenty of celebrating to do. Reading through an Advent and Christmas daily devotional called The Little Blue Book, which is based upon the writings of Bishop Ken Untener, there were a couple items this week that caught my attention.
First, on Monday, 12/26/2022, Bishop Untener writes: “When I read writings of the early Church, It’s striking that those first followers of Christ were convinced the difficult things happening in their lives were somehow part of God’s plan – not necessarily that God triggered them all, but that God was using whatever happened to bring about something good.”
I’ve experienced this multiple times in my life, some of which have taken years to work through, before I was able to see and appreciate what God was working towards. He strategically places the stepping stones, some a bit closer than others and some that will cause us to stretch more than others, but all within reach. Take a moment to think about something that God has worked through with you this past year. This time last year, you may not have even had an inkling that things were going to change, but they did. Reflecting on those moments, where did He show up, that you didn’t recognize in the moment, but are now able to see clearly. Have you taken time to thank Him yet. I don’t mean thank Him for the outcome, but thank Him for showing up and being there with you, no matter the outcome. Maybe take a moment now.
Second, on Tuesday, 12/27/2022, Bishop Untener asked an intriguing question that had never crossed my mind, but really got me to thinking and pondering the possibility. “Was Jesus becoming human only a “rescue” mission, or was God going to become human whether we sinned or not?”
Father, Spirit, and Jesus were all there together from the very beginning at the creation. We were made in His image. Before we wrecked it with sin, do you think the original plan was for us to live harmoniously with Jesus on earth? It’s an interesting thought. But then that brings me back to the devotional on 12/26/22, in which God possibly reformatted some plans and found a way to take the sin we took upon ourselves and constructed a way, to instill the promise of salvation, returning us to the Lord, through the human presence of God among us, through Jesus Christ, His son.
Think about the layers, levels, and intertwining of lives and events that had to take place, and continue to take place today, to draw us back to our salvation and original sinless relationship with the Lord.
Bless others and be blessed.
Shelly :0)
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#PhilWickham – Hymn of Heaven
Third Day Devotions 