Heart Hope by Olga

My grandmother loved to make pottery. And with 8 children and 23 grandchildren she was busy making things all year long so that she could give each person a gift that she had made. Sometimes it was an ornament other times it was a place card holder or a clay package filled with sweet treats.  As each of her grandchildren married she would make them a nativity set. First with Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus, the second year the shepherds would be added and finally the wise men would complete the set.   This has been a prized possession of mine through the years, so when it was damaged in one of the moves that we made, I was disappointed and did my best to put the pieces back together and hide the flaws. Mary’s nose was chipped, the shepherd’s leg was gashed, and the wise man’s base was shattered. Every piece of the crèche was broken in some way—every piece except for one, baby Jesus was perfect. It’s that way with all of humanity; we are all imperfect...everyone except...

It was probably a normal night in the life of the shepherds. They were probably tired from a hard day of work, caring for animals that have become known as the livestock that needs the most attention from their caregivers. The shepherds had been dealing with the stubborn, fearful, stupid animals all day. They had to give them endless attention   and meticulous care to keep them fed, watered, safe, content, free of parasites and disease. People have been compared to sheep, so do you find it interesting that the announcement of the birth of the Good Shepherd was to a group of shepherds who would be able to relate to the person who would be the Shepherd to mankind? The angels could have appeared to anyone—the leaders of the church, the leaders of the Roman Empire, the wealthy, the famous or the beautiful, but they were sent to common poor shepherds. God chose to reveal Himself to ordinary people just like you and me.  On this particular evening they had gotten the sheep ...

Angels—we see them all around this time of year. All sizes, and shapes all colors and materials. Some are very ornate while others are simplistic and even comical. Our interpretation of them is probably very different than they really are in their visible state. Angels were created by God, just like we are. They are meant to serve God, worship and honor Him, to be His messengers when needed and to do special tasks for Him, not to be worshipped by us. In the Old Testament, they were known to appear for specific purposes, but they will also play a big part in the future, since they are mentioned about 90 times in the book of Revelation. My favorite mention of angels is around the time of Jesus’ birth. In fact, I think there must have been a flurry of activity in heaven during that time with preparations for the magnanimous event. An angel appeared to Zechariah to tell announce the birth of John the Baptist, the angel Gabriel also went to Mary to tell her about being chosen as ...

Most of the players in the Christmas story have wonderful attributes. They were human and imperfect, but they also had qualities that we should emulate. There are a few disappointing people, so today we will take a look at them—Herod and the religious leaders of that day. The wise men had been carefully studying the stars for a sign about the long awaited Messiah and found a clue in the sky that they followed to find Him. In their search, they paid a visit to King Herod one of the most powerful men in the world. When the Magi told him of their discovery of a star in the heavens announcing the arrival of the King of the Jews, Herod was disturbed.  Did you ever stop and wonder why he was concerned? Why didn’t Herod know and expect the arrival of the king of the Jews? Why would a powerful king be threatened by a baby that wouldn’t even be old enough to rule for a couple of decades? Do you think he was worried because he had heard about the God of the Israelites and thought it...

Grandchildren of Gail (Pugh) and Clay Mateer--aren't they precious Magi…Wise men….Astronomers… We are not exactly sure who these men were that were mentioned at the birth of Jesus. They have intrigued scholars for years, but there are some things we do know.  They came from the east and had probably heard about a promised Savior when the Israelites were in captivity in Babylon. Daniel and others had been leaders in the palace and had most likely told others about their faith in God and that there was a Messiah who would be born in Israel to save the world from their sins. Isn’t it interesting that people from heathen nations were expecting the promise more than the people who should have been looking eagerly?   They came to worship the newborn king. They didn’t come to Him looking to see what they could get from Him, but simply to honor Him, to bow before Him because He was deserving of it. When they saw the baby, they were overjoyed. They knew they had found ...