The Nature of the Nativity: Day 11 - The Wisemen

It's Day 11, and we begin our 2nd trimester of our nativity journey. I bet some of you pregnant moms wished your trimesters were this fast. After today, there's just four more days left. That should make my wife happy; I tend to get a little focused at night clicking away on the keyboard. Today we are going to unwrap the wisemen and stick them in our nativity.

Forsaken Son

Easter is nearly here. On Sunday morning, my family will wake up, get dressed, and join with countless others around the world to celebrate Christ's resurrection from the dead. We will sing praises to God that are filled with barely containable joy. We will listen, with enraptured hearts, to a sermon proclaiming the wonders God has done for us through Christ Jesus. But now, in this week leading up to Easter, we remember the awful things that lead up to our Easter joy. As we read the events found in the Gospels, we come face to face with pain, suffering, grief, and unimaginable love.

The Kiss You Give

...the tenderness of a parents heart...

Oh, a kiss! Such variety of meaning can be found in this little gesture. For little ones it is the tenderness of a parents heart; of them finding joy and wonder in their child. As they learn to crawl, walk, and become their own person, it's a wet smack during play time or comes accompanied by a mispronounced "I love you'. In school, a kiss becomes a thing to be wiped off, a "your beard tickles" moment, or the way you get cooties. It conveys safety and security to the sick child, comfort for the wounded knees and scraped palms, and makes monsters shrivel under beds during the wee hours of the night.