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Love

God is with us

 

18Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. 19Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly.  20But just when he had resolved to do 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 as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” 22All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: 
23  “Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, 
          and they shall name him Emmanuel,” 
which means, “God is with us.”  24When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife, 25but had no marital relations with her until she had borne a son; and he named him Jesus.

Matthew 1:18-25

 

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The Angel Visiting Joseph in a Dream

LA TOUR, Georges du Mesnil de

1628-1645

Musée des Beaux-Arts

Nantes

France

 

https://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu//act-processquery.pl?code=ACT&SortOrder=Title&LectionaryLink=AAdvt04

  

Fourth Sunday in Advent, Year A:  This image depicts the theophany of Joseph, when an angel appears to Joseph in a dream, telling him of the virgin birth.  The image reflects the lectionary text from Matthew.

 




Georges De La Tour painted ‘The Dream of St Joseph’ around the year 1640. Until 1913, it was believed to be the work of Rembrandt, even though De La Tour‘s signature was in the top right-hand corner of the painting. Apparently, due to the beauty and magnificence of the painting; many sought a famous name to place on it. It displays a young child in biblical clothing standing before an old man who is still holding on to his book after falling asleep. The artist’s dramatic use of lighting gives the room a supernatural atmosphere and creates a feeling of serenity.

Interpretations of the Painting

The most common interpretation of ‘The Dream of St Joseph’ suggests that the elderly man in the painting is Joseph, and that he is dreaming of a visit from an angel who is announcing to him the upcoming arrival of his blessed son. 

Another theory is that the young child is Samuel, who has been summoned by Eli, his priest. When Samuel arrives to find Eli sleeping, he realizes that the voice he heard was in fact the voice of God calling to him. The child’s hand gestures and the intricately detailed curve of his fingers add powerful meaning to the scene. The arm covering the flame of the candle causes an illumination of the face that results in a dream-like aura found in very few masterpieces of the era. 

Analysis and Reviews

“Georges de la Tour's works can be distinguished most especially through the unique use of lighting in his nocturnal scenes. The paintings are lit with a candle, a nightlight, or a torch, which are sometimes visible or are, at other times, hidden behind a subject's hand or object. As for his less numerous and less popular daylight scenes, the figures are rendered with an acute eye to detail and a simplicity within the scene that is not found in the works of any other artist at the time.” (Misty Amanda Vandergriff – Sweet Briar College study page)

‘The Dream of St Joseph’ is currently located at the Musee des Beaux-Arts in Nantes, France.

http://www.aaronartprints.org/delatour-thedreamofstjoseph.php

 

 

 

 

 

When we ask our children, ‘What do you want for Christmas?’,

we are asking a question that breeds selfishness.

In order to develop selflessness we should be asking,

‘What are you going to give?’

Christmas is the celebration of God’s great gift giving —

‘For God so loved the world that he gave … (John 3:16)

~ Robert Flatt

 

 

 

Love is what’s in the room with you at Christmas

if you stop opening presents and listen.

~ A 7-year-old named Bobby

 

 

 

I am not alone at all, I thought. I was never alone at all.

And that, of course, is the message of Christmas.

We are never alone. Not when the night is darkest, the wind coldest,

the world seemingly most indifferent.

For this is still the time God chooses.

~ Taylor Caldwell



 

 

 

Chew and Chat 

Monday lunch at Jin Asian Fusion

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Sondra Kellogg, Karla Byrd, Marilee Ross, Carolyn Alexander

 

Dinner with Sharron

Monday evening at Wind Crest

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John Farnsworth, Jim Gilbert, Lynn Gilbert, Sharron Leonard, Carolyn Alexander, Van Farnsworth

Thank you, SHARRON!

 

Book Club at Lynn's

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Marianne Loritz, Lynn Gilbert, Sharron Leonard

 

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Van Farnsworth, Lynn Gilbert

 

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Joan Evashevski, Kelly Selva

 

Bible Study Luncheon at Joann’s

Wednesday noon

(The electricity was already off but Joann’s home has a generator.

I charged one of my batteries while we were there.)  

We had a tasty and gorgeous Taco Salad to which we all contributed!

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Dianne Palmer, Judy Wonning, Laura Mehmert

 

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Dee Demming, Vicky Hildreth

 

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Sue Phelps, Joann Burnham

 

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Jan Thulin (our speaker), Carolyn Alexander

 

 

Christmas Bells

I heard the bells on Christmas Day
Their old, familiar carols play,
    And wild and sweet
    The words repeat 
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

And thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
    Had rolled along
    The unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

Till ringing, singing on its way,
The world revolved from night to day,
    A voice, a chime,
    A chant sublime 
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

Then from each black, accursed mouth
The cannon thundered in the South,
    And with the sound 
    The carols drowned
Of peace on earth, good-will to men! 

It was as if an earthquake rent
The hearth-stones of a continent,
    And made forlorn
    The households born
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

And in despair I bowed my head;
"There is no peace on earth," I said;
    "For hate is strong,
    And mocks the song 
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!"

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
"God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
    The Wrong shall fail,
    The Right prevail,
With peace on earth, good-will to men."

~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

https://poets.org/poem/christmas-bells

 

 

 

 

December 21, 2025  Fourth Sunday of Advent - Year A 

Previous OPQs may be found at:

 

 

Agnus Day, by James Weinstein

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Agnus Day appears with the permission of www.agnusday.org

 

 

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SANTA CLAUS

ATTENTION TO ALL PARENTS WHO NEED TO TELL THE TRUTH ABOUT SANTA 

 

Son: "Dad, I think I'm old enough now. Is there a Santa Claus?." 
Dad: "Ok, I agree that your old enough. But before I tell you, I have a question for you. You see, the “truth” is a dangerous gift. Once you know something, you can't unknow it. Once you know the truth about Santa Claus, you will never again understand and relate to him as you do now. So my question is: Are you sure you want to know?" 
Brief pause...
Son: "Yes, I want to know"
Dad: "Ok, I'll tell you: Yes there is a Santa Claus" 
Son: "Really?" 
Dad: Yes, really, but he's not an old man with a beard in a red suit. That's just what we tell kids. You see, kids are too young to understand the true nature of Santa Claus, so we explain it to them in a way that they can understand. The truth about Santa Claus is that he's not a person at all; he's an idea. Think of all those presents Santa gave you over the years. I actually bought those myself. I watched you open them. And did it bother me that you didn't thank me? Of course not! In fact it gave me great pleasure. You see, Santa Claus is THE IDEA OF GIVING FOR THE SAKE OF GIVING, without thought of thanks or acknowledgement.
When I saw that woman collapse on the subway last week and called for help, I knew that she'd never know that it was me that summoned the ambulance. I was being Santa Claus when I did that." 
Son: "Oh."
Dad: "So now that you know, you're part of it. You have to be Santa Claus too now. That means you can never tell a young kid the secret, and you have to help us select Santa presents for them, and most important, you have to look for opportunities to help people. Got it?"
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https://raising-teaching-children.blogspot.com/2022/01/to-all-parents-who-need-to-tell-truth.html

 

 

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Happy Hanukkah 

Celebrating Light over Darkness

Sun, Dec 14, 2025 – Mon, Dec 22, 2025

 

 

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LECTIONARY

Isaiah 7:10–16 

Psalm 80:1–7, 17–19 

Romans 1:1–7 

Matthew 1:18–25

 

Christmas Eve:

Isaiah 9:2-7 

Psalm 96 

Titus 2:11-14 

Luke 2:1-14 (15-20)

 

 

“Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary into your home.  For it is through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her.”
Matthew 1: 18-24

THE WORD:

The last week of Advent shifts our focus from the promise of the Messiah to the fulfillment of that promise in the events surrounding Jesus' birth.

Today’s Gospel is Matthew’s version of Jesus’ birth at Bethlehem.  This is not Luke’s familiar story of a child born in a Bethlehem stable, but that of a young unmarried woman suddenly finding herself pregnant and her very hurt and confused husband wondering what to do.  In Gospel times, marriage was agreed upon by the groom and the bride’s parents almost immediately after the age of puberty; but the girl continued to live with her parents after the wedding until the husband was able to support her in his home or that of his parents.  During that interim period, marital intercourse was not permissible.  Yet Mary is found to be with child.

Joseph, an observant but compassionate Jew, does not wish to subject Mary to the full fury of Jewish law, so he plans to divorce her “quietly.”  But in images reminiscent of the First Testament “annunciations” of Isaac and Samuel, an angel appears to Joseph in a dream and reveals that this child is the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy.  Because of his complete faith and trust in God’s promise, Joseph acknowledges the child and names him Jesus (“Savior”) and becomes, in the eyes of the Law, the legal father of Jesus.  Thus, Jesus, through Joseph, is born a descendent of David.

Matthew’s point in his infancy narrative is that Jesus is the Emmanuel promised of old – Isaiah’s prophecy has finally been fulfilled in Jesus: the virgin has given birth to a son, one who is a descendent of David’s house (through Joseph).  Jesus is truly Emmanuel – “God is with us.”

 

Isaiah 7:10-16

10Again the LORD spoke to Ahaz, saying, 11Ask a sign of the LORD your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven. 12But Ahaz said, I will not ask, and I will not put the LORD to the test. 13Then Isaiah said: “Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary mortals, that you weary my God also? 14Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel. 15He shall eat curds and honey by the time he knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good. 16For before the child knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land before whose two kings you are in dread will be deserted.

Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19

1   Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, 
          you who lead Joseph like a flock! 
     You who are enthroned upon the cherubim, shine forth 
2        before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh. 
     Stir up your might, 
          and come to save us! 

3   Restore us, O God; 
          let your face shine, that we may be saved.

4   O LORD God of hosts, 
          how long will you be angry with your people’s prayers? 
5   You have fed them with the bread of tears, 
          and given them tears to drink in full measure. 
6   You make us the scorn of our neighbors; 
          our enemies laugh among themselves.

7   Restore us, O God of hosts; 
          let your face shine, that we may be saved. 

17   But let your hand be upon the one at your right hand, 
          the one whom you made strong for yourself. 
18   Then we will never turn back from you; 
          give us life, and we will call on your name.

19   Restore us, O LORD God of hosts; 
          let your face shine, that we may be saved.

Second Reading Romans 1:1-7

1Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, 2which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy scriptures, 3the gospel concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh 4and was declared to be Son of God with power according to the spirit of holiness by resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord,  5through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for the sake of his name, 6including yourselves who are called to belong to Jesus Christ,

7To all God’s beloved in Rome, who are called to be saints: 
     Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Gospel Matthew 1:18-25

18Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. 19Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly.  20But just when he had resolved to do 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 as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” 22All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: 
23  “Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, 
          and they shall name him Emmanuel,” 
which means, “God is with us.”  24When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife, 25but had no marital relations with her until she had borne a son; and he named him Jesus.