Amy's Place ... Poetry and Potpourri ... October, 2014

October 1, 2014 | JustAmy; St.Louie1; MamaBear; Billie; Meg33, Friends

[MEG33]

~Welcome To Sunday At Amy's Place~

~Good Tidings Of Great Joy~Luke2:1-20 ~ KJV
And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed.
(And this taxing was first made when Quirinius was governor of Syria.)
And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.
And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.
And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.
And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.
And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly
host praising God, and saying,
Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace, good will toward men.
And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.
And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.
And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.
And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.
But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.
And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.
Blessings To All Who Enter Here

[MEG33]

Thank you for the beautiful Christmas devotion, Rus,
and blessing us every day with Our Daily Bread.

[NicknamedBob]

Today is the winter solstice, the beginning of winter and the shortest day of the year.

For all of our existence, this moment has been significant. The sun, moving southward, now responds to our trepidations and our fears, and stops in its tracks.

And tomorrow, it will begin moving back into the warming configuration we so desire.

We really should celebrate this in some manner ...

.

Discomfort

The warming sun is sleeping late,
The chill of darkness lingers.
Without my cup to keep them warm,
I blow upon my fingers.

I stand out on the waiting spot,
Bus timing is a puzzle.
Of late the morning dew has grown,
Some white around its muzzle.

Some weeks ago I sought the shade,
As sunshine made me suffer.
Today the shade seeks me instead,
What warmth have I to offer?

The warning comes in by degrees,
Soon Winter rules the land.
Discomfort would be welcome when,
I take my life in hand.

I half expect in Spring they might,
Discover that my statue,
Is only some poor rigid fool,
Flash frozen in his achoo!

NicknamedBob . . . . September 28, 2007

[MEG33]

For the beautiful Christmas music and graphic, Luv.
I wish you a blessed Lord's Day

[MEG33]

Thank you for the beautiful "A Difficult Season" and Solstice poem, Bob.

Wishing you a blessed Sunday.

[left that other site]

Thank you for that Beautiful Sunday Scripture, MEG!

A Very Blessed day to You!

[Jane Long]

Sunday Blessings, to all!

Thank you for the beautiful posts of messages, Scripture and graphics to remind us all of the very reason for the Season.

Have a wonderful day. I am finishing up my baking and wrapping, today. May go look at lights, this evening.

[left that other site]

Merry Christmas, Jane!

[left that other site]

A Blessed Christmas to you! :-)

[NicknamedBob]

Glad to be nominated into your nascent ping list, Jane.

[trisham]

Nice!

[trisham]

Merry Christmas

Wishing You Happy Sunday at Amy's Place, All!

[left that other site]

A Blessed Sunday-Before-Christmas to You Too!

(((((HUGS)))))

[MEG33]

You're welcome, Mary, and thank you.
A blessed Lord's Day to you.

[MEG33]

Thank you for the beautiful Nativity painting, trisham.
A Blessed Lord's Day To You.

[MEG33]

You're welcome, Jane. Happy Christmas preparations.
A Blessed Lord's Day To You.

[MEG33]

Signing Off, Dear FRiends

Thank you so much for your wonderful music, poetry,
graphics and comments and sharing part
of your day with us.
Christmas Joy To All
I Wish You A Lovely Evening And Restful Sleep

[left that other site]

Pleasant dreams, Dear FRiend!

[Kitty Mittens]

I Love your Wonderful Sunday Graphics, Dear Meg!

Thank you to Everyone for the Pings, Links, and Posts!

[The Mayor]

Freep mail me to be on or off the Daily Bread ping list

Remember The Wrapping

December 22, 2014

Read: Philippians 2:5-11

[Jesus] made Himself of no reputation . . . coming in the likeness of men. —Philippians 2:7

Bible in a Year:
Micah 6-7; Revelation 13

At our house some Christmas events are the same each year. Among them is my wife Martie’s appeal to the kids and grandkids as they attack their gifts: “Save the paper, we can use it next year!” Martie loves to give nice gifts, but she also appreciates the wrapping. Presentation is part of the beauty of the gift.

It makes me think of the wrapping Christ chose when He came as a redemptive gift to rescue us from our sinful selves. Jesus could have wrapped Himself in a mind-boggling show of power, lighting up the sky with His presence in a celestial show of glory. Instead, in a beautiful reversal of Genesis 1:26, He chose to wrap Himself “in the likeness of men” (Phil. 2:7).

So why is this wrapping so important? Because, being like us, He is no stranger to our struggles. He experienced deep loneliness and the betrayal of a dear friend. He was publicly shamed, misunderstood, and falsely accused. In short, He feels our pain. As a result, the writer of Hebrews tells us that we can “come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Heb. 4:16).

When you think of the gift of Jesus this Christmas, remember to keep the “wrapping” in mind!

Lord, thank You for wrapping Yourself in our
likeness! Remind us that You understand our
struggles and that we can confidently take advantage
of the mercy and grace You offer to make us victorious.

Don’t disregard the wrapping of the best Christmas gift of all.

Insight

Philippians 2:5-11 is perhaps the greatest declaration of Christ’s deity and humanity in the Bible. In His incarnation, Jesus did not replace His deity with humanity, but added humanity to His deity; He did not cease to be God, but surrendered the independent use of His divine powers and the right to manifest His own glory as God. Before He went to the cross, Jesus prayed that the Father would restore to Him the glory He had with the Father “before the world was” (John 17:5). Jesus’ prayer was answered when the Father “highly exalted Him and [gave] Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow . . . to the glory of God the Father” (Phil. 2:9-11).