Showing posts with label Christmas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Christmas. Show all posts

Sunday, December 31, 2017

Christmas Holidays and Christmas Cheer - Watch the Games have another Beer. Did you thank Jesus?

.

 What is so important about the birth of Jesus?

First is the example he set for all of us.  We know we experience two major events in our lives, being born and dying.  Jesus was sent to show us what we have forgotten about the stages in one’s life.

He was Born, like us, although we probably missed out on the part of Mary and Joseph fleeing Bethlehem to avoid the Baby Jesus being killed by Herod.  I doubt too many of us were brought into the world in a manger in a sable.

Then he showed three apostles, Peter (Simon), John and James the Transfiguration, when the full grace of God was brought into him.  The three were blinded by the light emanating from Jesus.


Next, like us, he faced Death, a horrible death unlike anything we have ever seen or experienced.  From the time he was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane through the trial, he was beaten, whipped, clubbed, crowned with thorns, while denied food and water for 24 hours.  Then he was forced to carry the Cross to his own Crucifixion.

In a little over 24 hours Jesus faced the most awful torture and death possible for a human while being ridiculed and blasphemed by those around him.  This was the will of the Father in order to give all people a chance to repent and receive redemption for their sins against the Father’s will.
 

Unlike us, after his death Jesus Resurrected from the dead, then went on to Ascend back into the Kingdom of Heaven.  In both the Transfiguration and the Ascension, Moses and Elijah showed up in spirit form when Jesus prayed.  All these mysterious and miraculous stages took place as a result of the Baby being born.

Enlightenment, hope, redemption and salvation were now possible for all people because this little Baby was born.  That is his gift to us, what is our gift to him?

Jesus was sent to Earth by his Father and ours to open us to the presence of the Holy Spirit and Father Creator within us.  Jesus is the pathway to discovering the Perfect Love of the Father for us and all his creations.


Once we seek out and discover the Perfect Love of the Father, we will learn to live the will of the Father.  Perfect Love is what you live by and project to all that is – in the Kingdom.  No small task.

You must master forgiveness, obliterate all bias, reject revenge, view the weakest as the strongest, view the least of us as the best of us, well you get the picture.  You will look at all others and see the face of Jesus, then look in the mirror and find him there as well.

It seems there are two prevalent notions about the Son of God, consistent with the concept that all of Creation was meant to be good, then again, what else would he create?  So, if he is all about good, what is the deal with all the sin in the world?  Considering we are the Father’s Creations, there seems to be an awful lot of nasty, even dreadful, dark stuff we generate.  Not good.  It is our contribution to the spiritual evolution of our soul.  How can you know good if you have never experienced bad?  Just another exercise of free will, the ultimate learning experience.


Believe it or not, when the anti-matter physicists of the future finally toss in the towel and admit God did create us, we may finally understand all the instructions he gave us through Jesus, and many others.  Our problem was we just did not get it right.

All of Creation seems to be built on the “Trinity” model, where Protons and Neutrons exist in the atom along with Electrons.  It is a matter of positive and negative energy as expressed in electromagnetic waves, two polarizing influences, and when they collide in an effort to destroy their counterpart, they combine forces in the surviving Electron.


Each polar opposite is trying to dominate, then absorb, the energy of the other.  Only one can be left standing, there can only be one, and that is the Electron.  So, when Protons and Neutrons fight it out, neither wins but the third entity emerges, the Electron.  The Proton did not defeat the Neutron, nor lose to it, they absorbed each other causing a cataclysmic reaction, thus completing the three elements of the creation Trinity.

When things get out of hand here on Earth, like we begin to embrace the Dark forces rather than light, the Creation polarity is out of balance being dominated by the Dark side, and the spiritual evolution of humans ceases, sometime moving into a reverse-enlightenment evolution.


When we embrace the wrong polarity in our lives, meaning the choice between the Seven Cardinal Virtues and Seven Deadly Sins, and we take the dark side, then we contribute to a growing darkness descending upon the Earth.  The more participants the stronger the force of evil grows as our free will makes more and more wrong decisions.

Satan, the Devil, or the Anti-Christ as I see the face of evil, convince people e can be creators ourselves with our power over Technology through Artificial Intelligence, and Biology through Genetic Manipulation.  Feed people’s egos, nurture their fascination with power and wealth, manipulate prescription drug to keep them sick or make them sicker, and now you can create anything.


Problem is, when you dance with the Devil the music never stops.

So, God did not reign down plagues, pestilence, foods, and famines on us as punishment for screwing up.  We, our collective free will, through the manipulation of fear and offerings of decadence, created the wall of darkness shrouding the Earth.

Embrace the light and you will find enlightenment.  Embrace the dark and in time your guilt will expose you, and your actions will betray you.  Your Golden Palace will be made of fool’s gold and disintegrate when you face judgement for your life’s contributions to Father Creator’ will, not your own will.

Self-indulgence has a price, it is called Redemption. Your pursuit of the temptations of the Dark Side might well have caused you to forfeit your right to Redemption.  You forgot to read the fine print in your pact with the Dark Side.  It says “you sold your soul to the Devil.”


God gives you many chances to repent and seek forgiveness.  If you ignore them all and fully embrace the promises of the Anti-Christ to make you God, it is possible you will be banished to the Void, the Black Hole of the Anti-matter, for eternity and beyond.

There is only one experience worse than pain for eventually pain goes away.  The Void of Anti-matter is your Hell, though devoid of human pain.  Rather it is the experience of total isolation devoid of all color, contact with people, pure black.  A Void of such depth of darkness where nothing can be seen, heard, or touched for eternity and beyond.

If you are reading this story or heard about it there is still a chance you can stop your spiral to the Void by repenting, and perhaps you have not forfeited the chance for Redemption.

Jesus showed us what we can do with our lives.   We are BORN, then we TRANSFIGURE when we embrace the enlightenment of the Soul endowed through the intervention of the Holy Spirit.


When called we have a physical DEATH, and are RESURRECTED as an endowed spirit.  Our last step is the ASCENSION, our triumphant return to the Father and the Kingdom.

Choices and consequences, that is what you face if you can ever break the temptations of the Dark Side and slavery to machines, artificial intelligence, or genetic manipulation.

So when that Baby was born over 2,000 years ago it was to a struggling working class family, not to an emperor, monarch, or aristocrat.  Yet this Baby was the only soul born to Earth I our history who demonstrated what we are capable of doing in our life, being Born, Transfigure, Resurrect, and Ascend back home to our Father’s Kingdom.


Think of the contrast with the world you call reality.

Are you happy?

Have you accomplished everything you could do in your life?

Did you ask Jesus and the Holy Spirit to guide you on your path?

Did you live your will or the will of the Father?


Did you transfigure into a state of grace as Jesus?

When you die are you prepared to Resurrect?

When you Resurrect are you prepared to Ascend to the Father’s Kingdom?

Did you get what you wanted for Christmas, Jesus did not?


He died so you might live forever in the Kingdom of his Father.

Celebrate and honor Jesus during the Christmas Holidays for his birth provided you the path to redemption and everlasting salvation. 

.        


Thursday, December 28, 2017

Twelve Days of Christmas - What do they mean?

.

The Twelve Days of Christmas

On the 1st day of Christmas my true love sent to me...

A Partridge in a Pear Tree
The partridge in a pear tree is Jesus Christ, the Son of God. In the song, Christ is symbolically presented as a mother partridge that feigns injury to decoy predators from her helpless nestlings, much in memory of the expression of Christ's sadness over the fate of Jerusalem: "Jerusalem! Jerusalem! How often would I have sheltered you under my wings, as a hen does her chicks, but you would not have it so . . . ." (Luke 13:34)

On the 2nd day of Christmas my true love sent to me...

Two Turtle Doves
The Old and New Testaments, which together bear witness to God's self-revelation in history and the creation of a people to tell the Story of God to the world.

On the 3rd day of Christmas my true love sent to me...

Three French Hens
The Three Theological Virtues:  1) Faith, 2) Hope, and 3) Love (1 Corinthians 13:13)

On the 4th day of Christmas my true love sent to me...

Four Calling Birds *
The Four Gospels: 1) Matthew, 2) Mark, 3) Luke, and 4) John, which proclaim the Good News of God's reconciliation of the world to Himself in Jesus Christ.
[* This is the 1909 American version.  Earlier English versions have "colley birds" or blackbirds.  There are other versions as well.]

On the 5th day of Christmas my true love sent to me...

Five Gold Rings
The first Five Books of the Old Testament, known as the Torah or the Pentateuch:  1) Genesis, 2) Exodus, 3) Leviticus, 4) Numbers, and 5) Deuteronomy, which gives the history of humanity's sinful failure and God's response of grace in the creation of a people to be a light to the world.

On the 6th day of Christmas my true love sent to me...

Six Geese A-laying
The six days of creation that confesses God as Creator and Sustainer of the world (Genesis 1).

On the 7th day of Christmas my true love sent to me...

Seven Swans A-swimming
The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit: 1) prophecy, 2) ministry, 3) teaching, 4) exhortation, 5) giving, 6) leading, and 7) compassion (Romans 12:6-8; cf. 1 Corinthians 12:8-11)

On the 8th day of Christmas my true love sent to me...

Eight Maids A-milking
The eight Beatitudes: 1) Blessed are the poor in spirit, 2) those who mourn, 3) the meek, 4) those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, 5) the merciful, 6) the pure in heart, 7) the peacemakers, 8) those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake. (Matthew 5:3-10)

On the 9th day of Christmas my true love sent to me...

Nine Ladies Dancing
The nine Fruit of the Holy Spirit: 1) love, 2) joy, 3) peace, 4) patience, 5) kindness,
6) generosity, 7) faithfulness, 8) gentleness, and 9) self-control.  (Galatians 5:22)

On the 10th day of Christmas my true love sent to me...

Ten Lords A-leaping
The ten commandments: 1) You shall have no other gods before me; 2) Do not make an idol; 3) Do not take God's name in vain; 4) Remember the Sabbath Day; 5) Honor your father and mother; 6) Do not murder; 7) Do not commit adultery; 8) Do not steal; 9) Do not bear false witness; 10) Do not covet. (Exodus 20:1-17)

On the 11th day of Christmas my true love sent to me...

Eleven Pipers Piping
The eleven Faithful Apostles: 1) Simon Peter, 2) Andrew, 3) James, 4) John, 5) Philip, 6) Bartholomew, 7) Matthew, 8) Thomas, 9) James bar Alphaeus, 10) Simon the Zealot, 11) Judas bar James. (Luke 6:14-16). The list does not include the twelfth disciple, Judas Iscariot who betrayed Jesus to the religious leaders and the Romans.

On the 12th day of Christmas my true love sent to me...

Twelve Drummers Drumming 
The Twelve points of doctrine in the 
Apostles' Creed: 1) I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth. 2) I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. 3) He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. 4) He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell [the grave]. 5) On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. 6) He will come again to judge the living and the dead. 7) I believe in the Holy Spirit, 8) the holy catholic Church, 9) the communion of saints, 10) the forgiveness of sins, 11) the resurrection of the body, 12) and life everlasting.

Epiphany, January 6


By the Naznet Fellowship


Here are the 12 days, starting on December 26, and the historical feasts on each day.
December 26: St. Stephen (First Martyr)
December 27: St. John the Evangelist
December 28: Holy Innocents
December 29: St. Thomas Becket
December 30: St. Egwin of Evesham (or 6th day in the Octave of Christmas)
December 31: St. Sylvester I
January 1: The Circumcision of Our Lord (Octave Day of Christmas)
January 2: Holy Name of Jesus
January 3: Sts. Zosimus and Athanasius (or Octave Day of St. John)
January 4: St. Aquilinus (or Octave Day of the Holy Innocents)
January 5: Vigil of the Epiphany (and St.Telesphorus)
January 6: Epiphany
.

Wednesday, December 27, 2017

Christmas Videos you might have missed along with those forgotten - Remember the Children

.



For King and Country – Little Drummer Boy
(Double click for full screen)






What Child is This - Lindsey Stirling
(Double click for full screen)





Alabama - Angels Among Us
(Double click for full screen)





An Appalachian Christmas Tour - Beautiful Star of Bethlehem
(Double click for full screen)



   

Yo-Yo Ma, Alison Krauss - The Wexford Carol
(Double click for full screen)






.

Twelve Days of Christmas - December 27 - Feast of St. John the Evangelist


Feast of St. John the Evangelist, December 27

Today we honor St. John the Evangelist, December 27, and does he pack a lot in his resume.  It seems he is in quite good standing with God and Jesus, because he was the only Apostle not martyred.  He was too busy writing the story to get caught up in the action.  Perhaps that is what drew me to a life of writing.

Today is the third day in the octave of Christmas. The Church celebrates the Feast of St. John, apostle and evangelist.  According to Catholic Culture, he was born in Bethsaida, he was called while mending his nets to follow Jesus. He became the beloved disciple of Jesus. He wrote the fourth Gospel, three Epistles and the Apocalypse. His passages on the pre-existence of the Word, who by His Incarnation became the light of the world and the life of our souls, are among the finest of the New Testament. 

He is the evangelist of the divinity of Christ and His fraternal love. With James, his brother, and Simon Peter, he was one of the witnesses of the Transfiguration. At the Last Supper, he leans on the Master's breast. At the foot of the cross, Jesus entrusts His Mother to his care. John's pure life kept him very close to Jesus and Mary in years to come. John was exiled to the island of Patmos under Emperor Domitian.    

The Twelve Days of Christmas begin on December 25, the celebration of the birth of our Savior Jesus.  Of course there are probably not many of you who even know there is a "Twelve Days of Christmas" celebration, let alone that it dates from the Fifth Century, which happens to be sixteen centuries ago.   

Perhaps this seems more familiar for the modern person.



 

[Oops, FAKE NEWS]
 

 
Sometime in November, as things now stand, the "Christmas season" begins. The streets are hung with lights, the stores are decorated with red and green, and you can't turn on the radio without hearing songs about the spirit of the season and the glories of Santa Claus. The excitement builds to a climax on the morning of December 25, and then it stops, abruptly. Christmas is over, the New Year begins, and people go back to their normal lives.












December 26 is the 4th busiest shopping day of the year

LOS ANGELES, CA (FOX 11) - December 26 is the 4th busiest shopping day of the year, and certainly a lot of people come out to get deals and all the gifts they didn’t get under the Christmas tree.  

People also make those returns of gifts they either didn’t want or didn’t fit.  About 4% of gifts actually do go back.  If you’re going to make a return, make sure you have that original receipt or gift receipt to make your experience a lot faster and easier.  It’s also a good idea to know the store’s policy when it comes to returns.  Make sure the tags are on the items as well. Employees are making sure those shelves are stocked for those exchanges.

This is the best shopping season since 2011, so retailers are getting the spike they need. Online sales were up 18%, and even brick and mortar stores were seeing more foot traffic.  The economy is doing well according to analysts. Mastercard stated that it’s not just wealthy people coming out to spend their dollars; people living paycheck to paycheck are spending, too. The economy is booming and more people are willing to shell out some money.







Here's another sign that shoppers spent big this holiday season

Americans spent at a record pace this holiday shopping season, according to a report from MasterCard's SpendingPulse.
That's good news for retailers that need to finish strong after a difficult year.
Sales jumped nearly 5% between November 1 and Christmas Eve compared to the same time period last year, according to the MasterCard report. That number tracks in-store and online purchases no matter the payment method, and it excludes car sales.

It's the biggest percentage gain since 2011, when the economy was still coming back from the Great Recession.

Online purchases accounted for much of the increase: They spiked 18% this year. But brick-and-mortar stores posted sales gains, too.

In fact online sales still made up only 11% to 12% of overall purchases, even with the pace of growth this year, said Sarah Quinlan, senior vice president of market insights for MasterCard.

"While online is important and it's growing, it is dwarfed by what occurs in the physical stores," she said. "The brick-and-mortar growth drove this holiday shopping season."

Back to the Past...

Compare that to the traditional Christian celebration of Christmas, which is exactly the opposite. The season of Advent begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas, and for nearly a month Christians await the coming of Christ in a spirit of expectation, singing hymns of longing. Then, on December 25, Christmas Day itself ushers in 12 days of celebration, ending only on January 6 with the feast of the Epiphany.




 







There are some serious ceremonies around the world.

So the first three of twelve days are dedicated to saints and feasts are held in their honor.   

The three traditional feasts (dating back to the late fifth century) that follow Christmas reflect different ways in which the mystery of the Incarnation works itself out in the body of Christ. 

December 26 is the feast of St. Stephen—a traditional day for giving leftovers to the poor (as described in the carol "Good King Wenceslas"). As one of the first deacons, Stephen was the forerunner of all those who show forth the love of Christ by their generosity to the needy. But more than this, he was the first martyr of the New Covenant, witnessing to Christ by the ultimate gift of his own life. 

St. John the Evangelist, commemorated on December 27, is traditionally the only one of the twelve disciples who did not die a martyr. Rather, John witnessed to the Incarnation through his words, turning Greek philosophy on its head with his affirmation, "The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us" (John 1:14, KJV).

On December 28, we celebrate the feast of the Holy Innocents, the children murdered by Herod. These were not martyrs like Stephen, who died heroically in a vision of the glorified Christ. They were not inspired like John to speak the Word of life and understand the mysteries of God. They died unjustly before they had a chance to know or to will—but they died for Christ nonetheless. In them we see the long agony of those who suffer and die through human injustice, never knowing that they have been redeemed.

In the Middle Ages, these three feasts were each dedicated to a different part of the clergy. Stephen, fittingly, was the patron of deacons. The feast of John the Evangelist was dedicated to the priests, and the feast of the Holy Innocents was dedicated to young men training for the clergy and serving the altar. The sub-deacons (one of the "minor orders" that developed in the early church) objected that they had no feast of their own. So, it became their custom to celebrate the "Feast of Fools" around January 1, often in conjunction with the feast of Christ's circumcision on that day (which was also one of the earliest feasts of the Virgin Mary, and is today celebrated as such by Roman Catholics).
Boxing Day UK Style
By the way, in the UK the Feast of St. Stephen (December 26) is called Boxing Day, a rather odd sounding name for a sacred holiday that incorporates rather odd means of celebrating the feast of St. Stephen.  I would explain it all to you but I suspect most of you could care less about it, and if you are interested, why Goggle is certain to have the information just a fingertip away, just by using a send key, and triggering the swarming, penetrating electromagnetic waves feeding off your mind.
Here is how they celebrate the Feast of St. Stephen, now called Boxing Day, in the former British Commonwealth.
[You cannot be serious]









Well leave it to the Brits to redefine sacred while demonstrating creative ways to subvert the true meaning of the birth of the Savior, the first step in the fulfillment of the ancient prophecies of the coming Messiah.  Father Creator sends us His only begotten Son, Jesus, to fulfill the prophecy of the Bible, and we, well, we go for a swim in goofy outfits.    
Not what I expected to find on the Road to Kingdom Come.
The Feast of St. John the Evangelist
Today, December 27,  we honor John the Evangelist. 
Finally, on Epiphany (January 6), the celebration of Christmas comes to an end. "Twelfth Night" (as all lovers of Shakespeare know) is the ultimate celebration of Christmas madness (Shakespeare's play features one of his many "wise fools" who understand the real meaning of life better than those who think they are sane). 
Epiphany commemorates the beginning of the proclamation of the gospel—Christ's manifestation to the nations, as shown in three different events: the visit of the Magi, the baptism of Jesus, and the turning of water into wine. In the Western tradition, the Magi predominate. But in the Eastern churches, Jesus' baptism tends to still be the primary theme.
How are you honoring the traditions of religion over the magic of the Magi?  Before the end of the Twelve Days I will show you how magic aided in the role of Jesus and was essential to completing his mission.  I thank you for enduring with me and assure you your pathway to seeking truth will be greatly aided when you call on the Holy Spirit to enlighten you, to the path of Jesus, to the perfect love of the Father.