In his painting “An Allegory of Prudence,” 16th-century Venetian artist Titian portrayed Prudence as a man with three heads. One head was of a youth facing the future, another was of a mature man eyeing the present, and the third was of a wise old man gazing at the past. Over their heads Titian wrote a Latin phrase that means, “From the example of the past, the man of the present acts prudently so as not to imperil the future.”
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A friend of mine has a 5-year-old daughter who is on her way to becoming a theologian. One day she asked her father, “Do angels sleep?” After pondering the theological dimensions of her question, he answered, “Yes, I think they might.” His daughter moved in with a follow-up question, “Well, then, how do they get their pajamas on over their wings?”
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A quote in Sports Illustrated magazine expresses a truth that we as people of faith sometimes neglect: “What counts most in creating a successful team is not how compatible its players are, but how they deal with incompatibility.” When we don’t get along with others, we are tempted to ignore them and shove them aside.
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Thunder rolls across the Sawtooth Mountains, crashing and echoing through the peaks and canyons, shaking the ground with celestial sonic booms. My old dog cuts and runs. I stand amazed and delighted.
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A lot of attention was suddenly focused on the small town of Bethlehem. Jews from many parts of the world came to be counted in a census. Mary and Joseph traveled there from Nazareth. Shepherds came from the fields to see the Baby lying in a manger (Luke 2:15-16) after a multitude of angels had come to announce, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!” (vv.13-14).
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The night of Jesus’ birth was exciting for Mary and Joseph. There before their eyes was the miracle Baby whose coming into the world had been announced by an angel. The shepherds too were excited when they saw and heard “a multitude of the heavenly host praising God” and heralding His birth (Luke 2:13).
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A Baltimore congregation found the answer to their financial troubles on the wall of their church. And it had been “hiding” there for more than 25 years! Someone finally recognized a piece of art hanging in the chapel—it was a valuable woodblock print by Albrecht Dürer, dated 1493. The work shows the angel telling Mary she would give birth to God’s Son.
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Although millions celebrate Jesus’ birthday, few seem to be aware of its real significance.
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Why do we celebrate Jesus’ birthday so differently from other birthdays? When it’s time to honor historical figures who have a day set aside for them, we don’t think about them as babies. We don’t have pictures of cute little Abe Lincoln in his log cabin in Kentucky. No, we remember him for his contributions as an adult.
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In June 2002, the Hayman fire destroyed more than 137,000 acres of beautiful mountain forest in Colorado. Smoke darkened the skies, choking residents of cities 40 miles away. Thousands of people evacuated their homes, and millions of dollars were spent fighting a blaze that began with a single match.
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