A Fröhliche Weihnachten und ein Glückliches Neues Jahr, Buon Natale e Felice Anno Nuovo to all!
This is why I use midnight blue candles at home and not purple because I remember the long, darkest nights of the year. Also of all the suffering I had been through myself.
Jesus is truly the LIGHT of the world!
Joyux Noel!
To ALL the FRpers, Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas in different languages:
http://www.whychristmas.com/customs/languages.shtml
Because you can’t see the Christmas lights on all the houses in the daytime........
How else could the three wise men be guided by a star?
Say they were traveling at approx. 5 mph with 2 stops for food...they only traveled about 50 miles.
So it might have been 6 PM...
Barbara Walters: Thought Obama Would be the “Next Messiah”
December 18, 2013 by Lennie Jarratt
Barbara Walters on Piers Morgan when asked about why Obama is struggling so much, “We thought that he was going to be – I shouldn’t say this at Christmastime – but the next messiah.”
Christ is born, ping!
The older I get, the less I celebrate Christmas on December 25th. I do thank God for Jesus death and resurrection daily, however.
Night? Maybe it’s because the time of year our culture chooses to celebrate his birth is also the time of year when the days are shortest. I, personally, never saw it as a nightime celebration. When I was a kid we celebrated Christmas on Christmas day and Christmas eve. During the day it was light out and at Christmas eve it was dark because we didn’t celebrate until dad got home from work.
Where did “Santa” come from ??
by L.J.Keslin
The development of “Santa Claus” grew out of the New York Dutch settlers observance of “Sinte Kleaus” (St Nicholas) day December 6th. Which was the date the Dutch settlers, remnants of Netherland colonization in New York, exchanged small gifts. For in some areas of the Netherlands it was done by filling wooden shoes set outside the front door with sweets . Instead of wooden shoes these New Yorkers personally exchanged small gifts in observance of St Nicholas day. For 4th century “Saint t Nick” who lived in what is todays Turkey while famed for his distribution of gifts to poor children was also the patron saint of sailors and seamen which is probably why the seafaring Dutch observed his feast day...
As narratives of the custom developed . One poem primarily attributed to Charles Moore in 1846 “Twas the night before Christmas” changed the way Americans gave gifts during Christmas time. The character some spelled “sinter Klaus was depicted as a defrocked “Santa Claus” with his bishop’s miter a elongated double peaked hat worn by bishops. That was transformed by illustrators of the day into a white tasseled fur trimmed floppy cone shaped red stocking cap. Critics of the Moore poem contended it was done to reduce the religious connotation to a Catholic saint/ bishop. Beside the changes in his chapeau in the Moore poem he became a fat roll-ly poll-ly sitting in on a sleigh full of toys driven by eight reindeer. Two with Dutch names which translated into thunder and lightning hence furthur substantiating the Dutch origin.
The legend was later embelished by others as Santa with helper elves comming from the north pole delivering gifts worldwide along with Rudolph. Another later commercial introduction.But the poem popularized changing the date from December 6th “St Nick’s” day, to the giving of gifts exclusive to Christmas eve or day. Rather than using the observance of the 12 days of Christmas and the feast of the “Three Kings” who offered gifts to The Christ Child as the day to do so which was being done by many at the time..
Elsewhere in many countries it’s the feast of the Epiphany January 6th ( the 12 day of Christmas) is when gifts are exchanged.. But the feast of Epiphany which used to appear on American calendars no longer does so. The reason for it probably developed from the Vatican II decision when the Roman Catholic American Council of Catholic Bishops diminished its importance with the Novus Ordo which reduced the importance of attending services on many feast days known as “holy days of obligation”. When they changed its titular weekday observance of Epiphany to the Sunday following New Years (Presentation formerly known as Circumsicion). references to Epiphany on American calendars disappeared.
Today the date, January 6th, is no longer marked Epiphany in most American calendars..But it is still observed by Orthodox Christian rites as well as Eastern Catholic traditions including most hispanic Roman Catholics. Observing the 12 days many are finding decreases the hectic pace of attempting to get everything done on one day and allows the religious aspects of the season a reflective aspect to set in as well. ..
..note some material included in this report came from wkipedia
Merry Christmas ...
Matthew 1:18-25
18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit.
19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly.
20 But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.
21 And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”
22 So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying:
23 “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.”
24 Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife,
25 and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name Jesus.
Luke 1:26-35
26 Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth,
27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary.
28 And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!”
29 But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was.
30 Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.
31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus.
32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David.
33 And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.”
34 Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?”
35 And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.
Luke 2:4-20
4 Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David,;
5 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child.
6 So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered.
7 And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
8 Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night.
9 And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid.
10 Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.
11 For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
12 And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.”
13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:
14 “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”
15 So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, “Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.”
16 And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger.
17 Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child.
18 And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds.
19 But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart.
20 Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them.
John 1:1-18
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 He was in the beginning with God.
3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.
4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.
5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
7 This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe.
8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.
9 That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.
10 He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.
11 He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.
12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:
13 who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
15 John bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me.’ “
16 And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace.
17 For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
18 No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.