Let
there be Praise
Now after they had left, an angel of the Lord
appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, "Get up, take the child and his
mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is
about to search for the child, to destroy him." Then Joseph got up, took
the child and his mother by night, and went to Egypt, and remained there until
the death of Herod. This was to fulfil what had been spoken by the Lord through
the prophet, "Out of Egypt I have called my son."
When Herod saw that he had been tricked by the
wise men, he was infuriated, and he sent and killed all the children in and
around Bethlehem who were two years old or under, according to the time that he
had learned from the wise men. Then was fulfilled what had been spoken through
the prophet Jeremiah:
"A voice was heard in Ramah,
wailing and loud lamentation,
Rachel weeping for her children;
she refused to be consoled, because they are no
more."
When Herod died, an angel of the Lord suddenly
appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, "Get up, take the child
and his mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who were seeking the
child's life are dead." Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother,
and went to the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus was ruling
over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And after
being warned in a dream, he went away to the district of Galilee. There he made
his home in a town called Nazareth, so that what had been spoken through the
prophets might be fulfilled, "He will be called a Nazorean."
Matthew
2:13-23
Flight
into Egypt
SWANSON, John August
2002
Los Angeles, California
United States
Artist’s Notes: The lonely flight of
the Holy Family is depicted visually by the exact layering of transparent
colors and drawings, creating a myriad of fine details and rich colors. FLIGHT
INTO EGYPT, a vertical-panorama, engages the viewer with the Holy Family's
escape to Egypt under a massive star filled sky and within a complex landscape,
where many events are occurring and are realized in great detail.
I envision the biblical story of the
Holy Family in reference to current events, photos, and stories of people who
must leave their homes. Whether fleeing wars or natural disasters, they are all
refugees in makeshift towns who have to move to safer places in order to
survive. I wanted to capture the urgent plight of a poor family protecting
their newborn child from imminent danger, while fleeing to an unknown country.
God is protecting this Holy Family, but there are so many other holy families, that are left unprotected. I envisioned angels rushing to protect and guide Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus. We need to be those angels, and support groups that help refugees, and act with compassion and strength.
The most vivid memories of
Christmases past are usually not
of gifts given or received, but of
the spirit of love,
the special warmth of Christmas
worship,
the cherished little habits of home.
~ Lois Rand
Are you willing to forget what you
have done for other people,
and to remember what other people
have done for you;
to ignore what the world owes you,
and to think what you owe the world;
to put your rights in the
background, and your duties in the middle distance,
and your chances to do a little more
than your duty in the foreground;
to see that your fellow-people are
just as real as you are,
and try to look behind their faces
to their hearts, hungry for joy;
to own that probably the only good
reason for your existence
is not what you are going to get out
of life, but what you are going to give to life;
to close your book of complaints
against the management of the universe,
and look around you for a place
where you can
sow a few seeds of happiness--are
you willing to do these things even for a day?
Then you can keep Christmas.
~ Henry van Dyke
Christmas
in the City
The
Brown Palace Hotel
Denver,
Colorado
December 24 ~ 26, 2019
The Brown Palace
We took the mall bus to
Union Station and walked around.
Then walked to Rialto
Cafe for dinner.
Gail Sharp, Kimra
Perkins, Lisa Fox, Randy Sackerson, Bill Manning
Kimra Perkins, Lisa Fox,
Gail Sharp, Marsha Manning, Carolyn Alexander,
Randy Sackerson, Bill
Manning
We went early for the
Christmas Eve candlelight service at Central Presbyterian.
Kimra welcomed us to
their hotel room.
As the eldest, I was
designated to place Baby Jesus in the manger.
View looking down at the
lobby area at the Brown Palace.
Kimra Perkins and Marsha
Manning on the walkway over the street.
Trinity United Methodist
Church
The Navarre from the
walkway
I loved the reflection.
Carolyn Alexander,
Marsha Manning
We saw Star Wars Rise
of Skywalker
at the Denver Pavilion
in 3D.
After dinner at The
Oceanaire (Yum!),
we walked around the
Denver Center for Performing Arts.
Kimra and Randy
Marsha and Bill
Denver
Museum of Nature & Science
Prehistoric Journey
The Science Behind Pixar
FASCINATING!!!
MANY interactive
exhibits.
The nine basic steps
Pixar runs through using math, computer programming,
and science to
render their final products.
https://sciencebehindpixar.org
It was exciting to see
the concentration everyone displayed!
There were dozens of
displays.
I hope you have a chance
to see it when it is near you.
While we were at the
museum, we took the opportunity
to watch Apollo 11 in
their IMAX theater.
What a
delightful Christmas Experience!!!
Front: Kimra
Perkins, Lisa Fox
Back: Carolyn
Alexander, Bill Manning, Randy Sackerson, Marsha Manning
Not Pictured: Gail
Sharp
What the new year brings to you
will depend a great deal
on what you bring to the new year.
~
Vern McLellan
December 29, 2019 First
Sunday after Christmas Year A
Previous
OPQs may be found at:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was
with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things
came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being.
What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all
people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.
There was a man sent from God, whose name was
John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe
through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light.
The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.
He was in the world, and the world came into
being through him; yet the world did not know him. He came to what was his own,
and his own people did not accept him. But to all who received him, who
believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born,
not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.
And the Word became flesh and lived among us,
and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father's only son, full of grace
and truth.
John
1:1-14
Agnus
Day, by James Wetzstein
Agnus Day appears with
the permission of www.agnusday.org
Agnus Day appears with
the permission of www.agnusday.org
Christmas
Eve/Day
Isaiah 52:7-10
Psalm 98
Hebrews 1:1-4 (5-12)
John 1:1-14
First
Sunday after Christmas
Isaiah 63:7-9
Psalm 148
Hebrews 2:10-18
Matthew
2:13-23
Isaiah 63:7-9
I will recount the gracious deeds of the Lord,
the praiseworthy acts of the Lord,
because of all that the Lord has done for us,
and the great favor to the house of Israel
that he has shown them according to his mercy,
according to the abundance of his steadfast love.
For he said, "Surely they are my people,
children who will not deal falsely";
and he became their savior
in all their distress.
It was no messenger or angel
but his presence that saved them;
in his love and in his pity he redeemed them;
he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old.
Psalm 148
Praise God!
Praise God from the heavens;
praise God in the heights!
Praise God,
all you angels of God;
praise God,
all you host of heaven!
Praise God,
you sun and moon;
praise God,
all you shining stars!
Praise God,
you highest heavens,
and you waters
above the heavens!
Let them praise
the name of God,
for God commanded
and they were created.
God established them
forever and ever;
God fixed their bounds,
which cannot be passed.
Praise God from the earth,
you sea monsters and all deeps,
fire and hail, snow and frost,
stormy wind fulfilling God's command!
Mountains and all hills,
fruit trees and all cedars!
Beasts of the forest
and all cattle,
crawling things and flying birds!
Rulers of the earth
and all peoples,
nobles and all leaders
of the earth!
Young men and women alike,
old and young together!
Let them praise the name
of the Sovereign,
whose name alone is exalted;
whose glory is above earth
and heaven.
God has raised up a horn
for the people,
and praise for all the faithful,
for the people of Israel
who are close to God.
Praise be to God!
Hebrews 2:10-18
It was fitting that God, for whom and through
whom all things exist, in bringing many children to glory, should make the
pioneer of their salvation perfect through sufferings. For the one who
sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one Father. For this reason
Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters, saying,
"I will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters,
in the midst of the congregation I will praise
you."
And again,
"I will put my trust in him."
And again,
"Here am I and the children whom God has given me."
Since, therefore, the children share flesh and
blood, he himself likewise shared the same things, so that through death he
might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and free
those who all their lives were held in slavery by the fear of death. For it is
clear that he did not come to help angels, but the descendants of Abraham.
Therefore he had to become like his brothers and sisters in every respect, so
that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to
make a sacrifice of atonement for the sins of the people. Because he himself
was tested by what he suffered, he is able to help those who are being tested.
Matthew 2:13-23
Now after they had left, an angel of the Lord
appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, "Get up, take the child and his
mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is
about to search for the child, to destroy him." Then Joseph got up, took
the child and his mother by night, and went to Egypt, and remained there until
the death of Herod. This was to fulfil what had been spoken by the Lord through
the prophet, "Out of Egypt I have called my son."
When Herod saw that he had been tricked by the
wise men, he was infuriated, and he sent and killed all the children in and
around Bethlehem who were two years old or under, according to the time that he
had learned from the wise men. Then was fulfilled what had been spoken through
the prophet Jeremiah:
"A voice was heard in Ramah,
wailing and loud lamentation,
Rachel weeping for her children;
she refused to be consoled, because they are no
more."
When Herod died, an angel of the Lord suddenly
appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, "Get up, take the child
and his mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who were seeking the
child's life are dead." Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother,
and went to the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus was ruling
over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And after
being warned in a dream, he went away to the district of Galilee. There he made
his home in a town called Nazareth, so that what had been spoken through the
prophets might be fulfilled, "He will be called a Nazorean."