December 2024 Conchshell Chronicles

The Gospel Christmas Story

Real People - Real Story

 

 

Most Americans have heard the Christmas story. Maybe we even have read it in the Bible. Is is for real? What is the point of the story? How can we relate to the characters?

 But what if we were part of this story? What if we knew each of these characters and had to go through this experience with them? Would the Gospel Christmas Story become more real? More personal? More applicable to our own lives?

It begins with an old priest name Zechariah gets a visitation from the angel Gabriel while he is offering incense in the Temple. Gabriel announces that he and his wife Elizabeth, who have been earnestly praying for a child for many years, will finally have a son named John, who will announce the coming of the Messiah. This seems impossible as Elizabeth is well past childbearing years.

Zechariah doesn’t receive the news well. Instead of rejoicing at this incredible news, he challenges the angel.

“How will I know this for certain? For I am an old man and my wife is advanced in years.”

Obviously, he was triggered by the frustrating years of unanswered prayers as well as the public reproach it brought upon him and his wife. He chose  this very unique moment to express his frustration rather than rejoice at the good news. Gabriel knows he needs time to process all this, so he takes away Zechariah’s ability to speak until the baby John is born.

I get that. I too have been frustrated by my perception that God is not answering my prayers as he should. It’s just my perception.

 

 

 Six months later, Gabriel then goes to Nazareth where he appears before a young lady named Mary who is betrothed to Joseph. His salutation of “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” confuses her.

 

 

 

The word ‘favored’ carries the connotation of not only high honor but  adoption into the family of God. This is perplexing to Mary and the text says that she is ‘agitated’ by it and she began to logically try to figure out the angel’s greeting her, since she had done nothing to deserve high honor from God.

Gabriel announces that she will get pregnant and bear a son, who will be the Christ, the Messiah. As opposed to Zechariah who responds to Gabriel’s       message emotionally, Mary is in the logic mode and  reasonably asks “How will that happen since I’ve never had sex with a man?’. Gabriel tells her the Holy Spirit will impregnate her.

This seems impossible! What do we do when God tells us to do something that seems improbable or unachievable according to our own understanding, abilities or resources? Do we disregard the thought as absurd? Do we pause and consider the possibilities? What pushes us across the bridge of faith?

 

 

One of the many cave homes under the Church of the Annunciation

 

Since this ‘Holy Spirit impregnation’ has never happened in human history before, Gabriel know that he needs to help Mary’s faith to accept this encounter as not a hallucination but a real happening so he says the one thing that will help Mary cross her bridge of faith:” And behold, even your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age; and she who was called barren is now in her sixth month. For  nothing will be impossible with God.” In other word’s ‘if you find this hard to believe, go see your cousin Elizabeth who is six months       pregnant, because remember God can do anything He wants!’

Mary now adds this morsel of news to her logical process and suddenly she is across the faith bridge residing in God’s mind and not her own. 

God loves to take us out of our minds and into His!

She agrees to this preposterous plan, knowing that she will be accused of unfaithfulness to her husband Joseph for the rest of her life.  

 

            

The interior of the Church of the Annunciation and Dome

 

 

 

The Japanese Madonna

 

Oh Joseph! How will she break the news to her betrothed?

Joseph discovers that his betrothed is pregnant. Her explanation seems ludicrous, outrageous, & ridiculous! Mary is  a sweet girl but delusional. He’s probably thinking he won’t survive many years with such a wife who makes up these stories to cover her own mistakes. And besides, he would be the laughing stock of every joke told in the taverns in Galilee, and would probably lose many clients in his construction business.

What would you and I do? Probably we would come to the same decision as Joseph- to end the engagement and look for a more stable woman. Could you and I endure such ridicule and shame for something we had no part in? Could we love our spouse enough to bear this kind of public disgrace?

These are real questions regarding real issues!

 

 

 

But suddenly, Joseph has a dream where he is told by an angel “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy   Spirit.  She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”

Shocked by this revelation, He agrees to do this. How can this baby ‘save people from their sins?’ Joseph is one of the first to understand that the Christ, the Messiah will not be a political/military leader who will expel the Romans and reestablish the Jewish Kingdom, as the Maccabee Brothers did a few  generations ago. Instead, he will take care of the sin issue between God and mankind.

 

 

 

Caesar Augustus orders a census of the Empire for taxation purposes and a very pregnant Mary travels south to Bethlehem to register for the tax. Its not a pleasant trip knowing they will have to pay heavily. I understand that feeling because of my contributions to the government on April 15.

 

Manger Square Bethlehem

 

While there she gives birth to the Baby in a place where animals stay- can you smell the urine and feces from the sheep and goats? She lays her baby in a feeding trough. What a humble arrival for the  Creator of the Universe! This is probably the most interior room of the cave homes that are built into the steep ridgeline of Bethlehem. This ridge is so steep that often I had to downshift into first gear to get my Mitsubishi van up into the flat area of Manger Square.

 

 

Craig Englert sitting on the step overlooking the steep Bethlehem Ridge.

 

Ground Penetrating Radar has identified over 60 of these cave homes in Ancient Bethlehem. Most have three rooms- the outer room where everyone ate and slept, the middle room (Greek Kataluma – often translated ‘inn’ or ‘guest room’), and the inner most room where the sheep and goats lived during the winter months, providing cheap heat for the rest of the home.

 

 

The Church of the Nativity Bethlehem

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The walls of the cave home are covered with leather paintings. The room is small. Here is Arielle standing by candles in 2006.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shepherds out in the fields a few miles away are visited by a host of angels who announce that “a Savior is born in Bethlehem” and that they should go see for themselves. It’s probably spring or summer as this is the time shepherds take their flock to munch the grass sprouted by the rains of winter. Besides, they plant a wheat crop each winter to take advantage of the rains and you don’t want the flock eating the wheat in the fields.

  

 

Notice the niches in the rocks at Bet Sahour - Shepherd's Fields 

These are natural shelters for sheep and shepherds.

 

 

They are told by the angels that they will know the Baby because it is wrapped in those special cloths they protect newborn lambs from injuries or blemishes that they will eventually sell to the Temple to be used in the sacrifices.  Years later they made that connection to the ultimate sacrifice for our sins. Luke hope that you and i make that connection with this Baby and His death on the cross on Passover. He will be the perfect unblemished sinless sacrifice for our sins.

 

 

 

They find the Baby and his parents in a cave home in Bethlehem.

Shepherds are smelly workers who are at the bottom rung of Hebrew society. They are not ‘polite company’. I’m sure they wondered why the angels came to them to announce the arrival of the Christ rather than to the priests at the Temple seven mile north, or King Herod at his palace  fortress just three miles to the east at the Herodian.

Could it be that God is reaching the culture from the bottom up? Is He showing His love to those often ignored by the rich and powerful?  We who have the menial jobs in our society might think this.

As a professional dishwasher I appreciate this!

Later three astrologers from Babylon who know the Messianic prophecies see a bright star in the southern sky. It might have been that conjunction of Mars, Jupiter and Saturn that occurred in 7 BC. They follow it to the cave home where they give gifts of gold and valuable spices to the family. King Herod, who has the reputation of killing anyone, including family members, who challenge his authority, sends soldiers to Bethlehem to kill every child under the age of two.

 

Herod's fortress palace three miles east of Bethlehem - the Herodian

 

 

 

Remember, Herod's class mate at school was Octavian, who later became Caesar Augustus. He said of Herod "It's better to be Herod's pig rather than a family member." ( Your chances of staying alive are much better as the pig!)

Joseph and Mary are warned by a dream to flee to Egypt before the soldiers arrive where they stay until Herod dies. Fortunately the gold and spices the astrologers gave them fund their residence in Egypt for about two years. Finally they move back to Nazareth where the boy grows up, learning the skills of a constructor.

When we step into the rooms of the Gospel Christmas Story, and understand the emotions of the players, suddenly the story is no long mythological.  It’s real. The people are dealing with real issues, making courageous decisions to step across that bridge of faith, and because they do, God’s plan to include us in the Christmas Story comes to pass.

Yes, we are a huge part of the Gospel Christmas Story.

But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. Galatians 4:4-5

Let’s keep the Gospel Christmas Story going!

Merry Christmas!    Michael

 

Bethlehem 2006

Lamb Bleatings

 

 

VENT UP NOT OUT!!!

It was about 47 years ago that I began the most significant life change in eternal history with a Person that altered my existence through the power of Love and the opportunity to have the sweetest most perfect  RELATIONSHIP ever.

It was like the beginning of a movie where the damsel in distress gets swept off her feet by the Knight in shining armor and rides her off into the beautiful sunset. As we rode off, I began to see from my Knight’s perspective …. Higher, farther, deeper and we rode toward and into many experiences of grandeur and hardships along THE  path. Then I realized He wasn’t only my Knight in shining armor, but The actual KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS and the very Creator and Artist of the sunrise, sunset and my day to day.

The revelation was hard to fathom.

A Heavenly Father sending His Perfect Son to die a criminal’s death, sacrificed for my sins on earth to break the power of darkness and to rise from the dead to Live forever as a Spirit Guide to relate to and open up to. Every day He offers me a place on His Royal Eternal Court. I am awestruck by the Love that gives me hope and a plan that has no end to rule my Life from the inside out.
I call Him 3 in 1 : FATHER, SON AND HOLY ONE.  Who Protects,         Provides, and Gives with Love and compassion and eternal authority.

The more I VENT UP and Not Out ….. The more effective and    peaceful my life has become. Took me a life time and 35 years of     being married to realize this concept of VENTING UP.

 Venting Up is also called Prayer, petitions and simply talking it out with my Master. He is my God, my Father, my Lord, my King , and the Ruler of Heaven and Earth. He is The Perfect One who can do anything about everything and does.  As Gabriel told Mary:

 ‘For nothing will be impossible with God.’

Venting Up is my way of escape and salvation.  I stay out of a lot of trouble by constantly talking it out with the only One who can actually do everything with divine power and perfect timing. After all He rules the universe and everything in it!  Nothing too great for my King to  accomplish.

Dear Father, Son and Holy Spirit thank you for being the way, truth and Life. We submit ourselves wholly to You for Your plan to be fulfilled in and through our lives.                           Merry Christmas!       Laura

 

Seek The Lamb Giving

We have some exciting news for next month regarding the Waspam Bible Club and our plans for opening the Utila Cafe in 2025. Stay tuned!

Thanks for all you who have made it all possible with your prayers and gifts.

Seek The Lamb Giving

 

 

Rio Coco Beans Coffee

You may now join our online Coffee Club with a subscription and get 15% off all your coffee purchases delivered to your door. This is an exciting way to ensure fresh coffee on time to your home!

Rio Coco Beans Store