“Christmas Love”
The sincere warmth in the Love of Christmas
A striking thought and emotion occurred to me one day, I do not remember when or where. I don’t even remember what I was doing at that particular time. It was however just this December, Twenty-Fourteen. It may have been while listening to “Silent Night” “Away In A Manger” or some other similar Christmas song. The thought of a stable with people and animals passing in the cold night, and the ever-present warmth of Love.
The baby King Jesus was cuddled in the arms of his mother Mary. Because it was a cold night, he was wrapped in a blanket. My imagination takes on the thought of an Egyptian cotton blanket wrapped gently against his skin and a wool blanket of sheep’s wool as an outer layer. The emotion was that of the warmth of the Love he emitted to all that were gathered in the stable at that time of night or very early morning. At the same time you could feel the warmth of all the people and animals that were present. A Love of wonder and amazement that seemingly floated to encompass the entire area, and every minute space within the stable. Yet, outside of the stable there was the same sense of the Love that had been conceived. It was warm, comforting and everlasting in its presence.
In this scene, the stable is a quaint dusty confined space with wood timbers, rock walls on three, maybe four sides and there was a hard, compacted, smooth earthen floor with freshly strewn hay that Joseph had placed around the stable floor area where they were staying. It was all very earthly in physical context, however the ambient air was very light and full of space that conveyed the presence of the earth and universe as a whole. The senses are all engaged with the scent of hay, incense, oil’s, perfumes, cloth from distant and faraway places. Possibly even food and drink of assorted kinds. The colour palette was a warm pastel on the inside and the night sky was a dark royal blue with the piercing star light on a smooth background of dancing mountain shadows over the desert expanse. This was a place inhabited by royalty of the most noble and highest reign. The first of its kind. The only one of its kind.
I think of this and still the feeling of a warmth and of a Love so great, it stays with me as if I were there that evening. A comfort only God can provide. And to think that what we know or can imagine is only a small portion of what he has to offer or what we can perceive. This is truly an awesome GOD.
To Jesus Christ be the Glory and Praise forever,
Amen!
May God bless
You and your family
During this wonderful Christmas time.
The warmth of Christmas “Love”
Note: I did take liberty on this. The Birth, The Shepherds and The Magi all arrived atdifferent times (around 3 years apart). Reference Matthew 2 and Luke 2 of Matthew Henry’s Commentary or the commentary of your choice.