Christmas – I and Thou Reflections

Creativeness in the Sacred

Comfort & Joy

Comfort and joy,
Where can I find this comfort and joy?
Take a break. Step away and find a quiet place.

Comfort and joy,
Where can I find this comfort and joy?
Sit for a while. Ask for God’s presence.

Comfort and joy,
Where can I find this comfort and joy?
Be still. Close your eyes. Breathe. Relax.

Comfort and joy,
Where can I find this comfort and joy?
In the depths of your soul, reach as far down as you can.

Comfort and joy,
Where can I find this comfort and joy?
Sit for a while. Be open to God’s presence.

Comfort and joy,
Where can I find this comfort and joy?
Ask God to sit next to you and join you in your thoughts.

Comfort and joy,
Where can I find this comfort and joy?
Shh. Quiet. Hear God speak.

God says, Hello, precious child.
“I knit you together in your mother’s womb.” (Psalm 139:9)
I am so happy to see you. I’ve been waiting for you to ask me to sit with you.
Go ahead and tell me what is on your mind.

It’s okay. Speak your mind.
Stay awhile in this sacred place.

Comfort and joy,
Where can I find this comfort and joy?
In this sacred space, may you find comfort and joy.

Whatever your religious beliefs are or are not, may this season of holidays, encourage you and bring you tidings of comfort and joy.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

*****

Inspired by the Christmas Song, God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen…
“Fear not,” then said the Angel, “let nothing you affright,
This day is born a Saviour, Of pure Virgin bright,
To free all those who trust in Him, From Satan’s power and might.”
O tidings of comfort and joy,
Comfort and joy,
O tidings of comfort and joy.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

#Comfort #Joy #Christmas #SacredSpace #NadiaCraneAuthor #Wine&Faith #RecommendedBooks

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Christmas Hope & Redemption: Day 11 Twelve Days of Isaiah

Day 11~ Isaiah 40:28-31

Is There Room in Your Heart?

To Trust?

To Love?

To Forgive?

If yes…

Let’s Soar Together!

Throughout this chapter of Isaiah, we have read about God’s returning the Israelites to Jerusalem. We have seen the power of God’s creation and how we are like grasshoppers.

Although we become disgruntled and weary, God’s energy and power are limitless.

In this passage, the central theme is hope and redemption. We have a choice. We can get crushed like a serpent or we can soar like an eagle.

What do you choose?

Let’s read this passage in Isaiah. Shall we?

1. New International Version
2. The Complete Jewish Bible.

Scripture from: http://www.biblegateway.com.

^{Soar Like an Eagle}

Isaiah 40:28-31 NIV

²⁸Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
    the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
    and his understanding no one can fathom.
²⁹He gives strength to the weary
    and increases the power of the weak.
³⁰Even youths grow tired and weary,
    and young men stumble and fall;
³¹but those who hope in the Lord
    will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
    they will run and not grow weary,
    they will walk and not be faint.

Isaiah 40:28-31 CJB

²⁸Haven’t you known, haven’t you heard
that the everlasting God, Adonai,
the Creator of the ends of the earth,
does not grow tired or weary?
His understanding cannot be fathomed.
²⁹He invigorates the exhausted,
he gives strength to the powerless.
³⁰Young men may grow tired and weary,
even the fittest may stumble and fall;
³¹but those who hope in Adonai will renew their strength,
they will soar aloft as with eagles’ wings;
when they are running they won’t grow weary,
when they are walking they won’t get tired.

*Image Source: Created with AI using Soar Like an Eagle with the scripture above*

#Hope&Redemption #12DaysofIsaiah #Christmas #Comfort #ComfortOneAnother #LiftUpYourVoice #SpiritoftheLord #SpecksofDust #Idolatry #Universe #Heavens #SoarLikeanEagle #IandThouReflections

Christmas Hope & Redemption: Day 7 Twelve Days of Isaiah 40

Day 7~ Isaiah 40:15-17

In Matthew Henry’s Commentary, he writes that all creation “shrinks to nothing” in comparison to the Creator. He says that God’s love for the world led God to send Baby Jesus to earth. To be the lamb. To redeem us. So we can spend eternity in paradise.

Here is my take on this. Is there a God? Well, look around. How did everything get to where it is? Look up. What is beyond the heavens? No one knows. Yet, if we have the faith of just a tiny mustard seed, we can hold on to the promises of eternal life because we have faith. Faith in the beyond. Faith in the creation. Faith in the past, present, and future.

Now, we turn to Isaiah 40:15-17.

1. New International Version
2. The Complete Jewish Bible.

Scripture from: http://www.biblegateway.com.

Specks of Dust

Isaiah 40:15-17 NIV

¹⁵Surely the nations are like a drop in a bucket;
    they are regarded as dust on the scales;
    he weighs the islands as though they were fine dust.
¹⁶Lebanon is not sufficient for altar fires,
    nor its animals enough for burnt offerings.
¹⁷Before him all the nations are as nothing;
    they are regarded by him as worthless
    and less than nothing.

Isaiah 40:15-17 CJB

¹⁵The nations are like a drop in a bucket,
they count like a grain of dust on the scales.
The islands weigh as little as specks of dust.
¹⁶The L’vanon would not suffice for fuel
or its animals be enough for burnt offerings.
¹⁷Before him all the nations are like nothing.
He regards them as less than nothing.

*5,000+ tons of extraterrestrial dust fall to earth each year…Image Source: livescience dot com*

#Hope&Redemption #12DaysofIsaiah #Christmas #Comfort #ComfortOneAnother #LiftUpYourVoice #SpriritoftheLord #SpecksodDust #IandThouReflections

Christmas Hope & Redemption: Day 6 Twelve Days of Isaiah 40

Day 6~ Isaiah 40:12-14

Different versions deliver different perspectives. Not right. Not wrong. Just different.

1. New International Version
2. The Complete Jewish Bible.

Scripture from: http://www.biblegateway.com.

The Spirit of the Lord

Isaiah 40:12-14 NIV

¹²Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand,
    or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens?
Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket,
    or weighed the mountains on the scales
    and the hills in a balance?
¹³Who can fathom the Spirit of the Lord,
    or instruct the Lord as his counselor?
¹⁴Whom did the Lord consult to enlighten him,
    and who taught him the right way?
Who was it that taught him knowledge,
    or showed him the path of understanding?

Isaiah 40:12-14 CJB

¹²Who has counted the handfuls of water in the sea,
measured off the sky with a ruler,
gauged how much dust there is on the earth,
weighed the mountains on scales, or the hills in a balance?
¹³Who has measured the Spirit of Adonai?
Who has been his counselor, instructing him?
¹⁴Whom did he consult, to gain understanding?
Who taught him how to judge,
taught him what he needed to know,
showed him how to discern?

*Psalms Painting Series Lucy Adams Art Langley, Bc – Praise Painting* *Source: Paintingvalley.com*

#Hope&Redemption #12DaysofIsaiah #Christmas #Comfort #ComfortOneAnother #LiftUpYourVoice #SpriritoftheLord #IandThouReflections

Christmas Hope & Redemption: Day 3 Twelve Days of Isaiah 40

Day 3~ Isaiah 40:6-8

Let’s take a peek at these two versions:

1. New International Version
2. The Complete Jewish Bible.

Scripture from: http://www.biblegateway.com.

God Will Stand Forever

Isaiah 40:6-8 NIV

⁶A voice says, “Cry out.”
    And I said, “What shall I cry?”
“All people are like grass,
    and all their faithfulness is like the flowers of the field.
⁷The grass withers and the flowers fall,
    because the breath of the Lord blows on them.
    Surely the people are grass.
⁸The grass withers and the flowers fall,
    but the word of our God endures forever.”

Isaiah 40:6-8 CJB

⁶A voice says, “Proclaim!”
And I answer, “What should I proclaim?”
“All humanity is merely grass,
all its kindness like wildflowers:
⁷the grass dries up, the flower fades,
when a wind from Adonai blows on it.
Surely the people are grass!
⁸The grass dries up, the flower fades;
but the word of our God will stand forever.”

*Artist Credit: Valerie Sjodin* | *Source: Pinterest*
*Can you feel Him? I can!*

#Hope&Redemption #12DaysofIsaiah #Christmas #Comfort #ComfortOneAnother #IandThouReflections

The Miraculous Prophecy Behind Jesus’ Birth Unveiled

Prepare Ye The Way

Let’s prepare our hearts for Christmas over the next two weeks. Shall we?

Our journey will take us to Christmas, where we will find hope and redemption to renew our faith, whatever that faith may be.

We will be looking at Isaiah 40. But first, we start with Isaiah 7.

Ever wonder where the prophetic birth of Jesus comes from?

Immanuel

Prediction from the Old Testament
to Recorded Event in the New Testament

Isaiah 7:14 NIV

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.

Matthew 1:23 NIV

²⁰But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. ²¹She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”²²All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: ²³ “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).

Isaiah 7:14 CJB

Therefore Adonai himself
will give you people a sign:
the young woman* will become pregnant,
bear a son and name him ‘Immanu El [God is with us].

Matthew 1:23 CJB

²⁰But while he was thinking about this, an angel of Adonai appeared to him in a dream and said, “Yosef, son of David, do not be afraid to take Miryam home with you as your wife; for what has been conceived in her is from the Ruach HaKodesh. ²¹She will give birth to a son, and you are to name him Yeshua, [which means ‘Adonai saves,’] because he will save his people from their sins.” ²²All this happened in order to fulfill what Adonai had said through the prophet, ²³“The virgin will conceive and bear a son,
and they will call him ‘Immanuel.” The name means, “God is with us.”)

Isaiah foretells the birth of Jesus.

It seems clear as a bell to me. Or is it?

We know two things:
A woman will give birth.
The baby will be named Immanuel.

In the NIV, the woman is a virgin and will conceive, and in the CJB, the woman is young and will become pregnant.

Now, this is where it gets fuzzy. As we know it, the Bible is not in chronological order, so it muddles our perception a bit.

To keep it simple, remember:
Isaiah was written after Hosea and Amos. Thereby making it the third oldest sacred text.
The Gospel of Mark was written before the Gospel of Matthew. Even though Matthew is listed as the first book in the New Testament.

In Matthew, the author records the birth as a fulfillment of the prophecy from Isaiah. We see an 8th-century writing predicting an event recorded in 80 AD.

Fascinating, isn’t it?

Bible in Chronological Order (Every Book Ordered by Date Written)

#Jesus #Isaiah #Prophecy #Hope&Redemption #12DaysofIsaiah #Christmas #Comfort #ComfortOneAnother #IandThouReflections

The Miraculous Transformation from Saturnalia to Christmas

Prepare Ye The Way

Let’s continue to prepare our hearts for Christmas. Shall we?

Our journey will take us to Christmas, where we will find hope and redemption to renew our faith, whatever that faith may be.

In the previous post, we knawed on the prophetic words that predicted Jesus’ birth.

Today, we will reveal…

How Christmas Really Began

The Roots of Christmas

Remember that Christianity didn’t really spread until the 300-400s when Constantine declared Christianity as Rome’s religion. Before that time, there were other religions involving many gods and goddesses.

The Roman Catholic Church is believed to have chosen December 25 to celebrate Christ’s birth due to its ties with the winter solstice and the festival of Saturnalia, a time of feasting and gift-giving. Adapting these existing celebrations facilitated the transition to Christianity.

*https://www.sott.net/article/309632-Io-Saturnalia-The-Roman-roots-of-Christmas*

Ever wonder why December 25th is Christmas?

The winter solstice symbolized the sun’s “rebirth,” which aligns directly with the theme of Jesus, the “Light of the World.” Doesn’t it?

This strategy helped convert pagans by integrating already established traditions into Christian practices. Pretty straightforward.

Does It Really Matter?

Ultimately, the significance of Jesus’ birth is to celebrate the Son of God taking on human form. This miraculous event is one of the cornerstones of Christianity. And giving gifts honors the age-old story of the wise men bringing gifts to baby Jesus. So, does it really matter that it is December 25?

No, it doesn’t matter at all. What matters is that a Savior was born, and He is Christ the King.

As we prepare our hearts for Christmas, remember we are on a transformative journey from darkness into light, from prophecy to fulfillment.

In our next post, we will dig deeper into the gifts the wise men presented to baby Jesus.

#Jesus #Isaiah #Prophecy #Hope&Redemption #12DaysofIsaiah #Christmas #Comfort #ComfortOneAnother #IandThouReflections

I and Thou: Comfort & Joy