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The Christmas Story of the Holly Tree
I usually tell this traditional story in the character of Mrs. Alice Porter, my southern storytelling character. When Jesus was born, the evil, wicked King Herod tried to kill all the boy children so he could murder the young king. Angels had shown up in Joseph’s dream and told him to take Mary and Jesus and hightail it for Egypt until the trouble was done. And so he did. It was about the third day on the road to Egypt, when trouble started. Joseph had stopped to rest Jack the donkey, who was seeing the world for the first time. Joseph climbed a large rock to look around the countryside.…
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Advent: The Coming of Christ Past, Future – and Present
The First Coming “In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be enrolled. This was the first enrollment, when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be enrolled, each to his own city.” “And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be enrolled with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to be delivered. And she gave birth to her first-born son and wrapped Him…
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Three-Fold Advent
“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6) Advent is traditionally the four weeks leading up to Christmas. In the West it also begins the church year. (Eastern tradition begins the church year on Sept. 1.) It starts on the 4th Sunday before Christmas, which is why it often starts on the heels of Thanksgiving. Our English word comes from the Latin Adventus, meaning “coming.” The Latin is itself a translation from the Greek parousia which refers to the coming of…