December 9, 2024 - Good Morning! It’s Monday, December 9.
Today we begin a holiday-themed series called “The Twelve Days of Christmas”. It will take us all the way to Christmas Eve. Hope you enjoy it! We start off with a little quiz. Here are five thoughts about the nativity story. You be the judge . . . in the Bible or not?
- Mary rode a donkey to Bethlehem
- The angels sang to the shepherds
- There were three wisemen
- The angel told the shepherds to follow the star
- The wisemen saw the Christ Child in the manger
You’ve probably guessed that none of these “facts” is actually found in scripture (three wisemen Gifts, the angels Said to the shepherds, etc.). These, and other unsubstantiated beliefs, over the centuries, have become truths. They turn up in our nativity scenes, in holiday books, and even in some of our favorite carols. This isn’t surprising when you consider this - there are 31,102 verses in the Bible, but just 40 are devoted to the Christmas story. That leaves a lot of opportunity to “fill in the blanks”.
Take a moment today to go back to the source. Reread the story in the first two chapters of Matthew and Luke. “Then you shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free.” John 8:32
Meet you back here tomorrow,
David
cindertex50@yahoo.com
P.S. - Thank you to First Methodist Church of Center for the warm welcome yesterday, and the invitation to be a part of their annual Christmas program, ably led by Music Minister Chris Watlington
