Good morning, Father.<\/p>\n
When I put out the Nativity set in my home and remove each piece, I can’t help but wonder at this odd assemblage of people. I have to wonder, what kind of relationship with God did they have to merit such a prominent roll in His story?<\/p>\n
First,\u00a0let’s take out Baby Jesus\u00a0and place Him in the manger in a stable.\u00a0Stables, being dark\u00a0and dirty, remind us of the kind of place the Messiah has come. A stable is not the kind of place you would expect the Savior, Christ,\u00a0and Lord to be born.<\/p>\n
Next to\u00a0Jesus,\u00a0I’ll place His mother, Mary. Although a young girl when she was told of God\u2019s plan for her life, she responded with faith, obedience,\u00a0and praise.<\/p>\n
Then there is\u00a0Joseph, Mary\u2019s husband. We remember that he was a righteous man. His faith, being stronger than his circumstances,\u00a0led to\u00a0obedience to what was revealed to him.<\/p>\n
In the corner of the stable, I place the shepherds. They were open to God\u2019s message of hope, readily heard the angels\u2019 Good News, and\u00a0immediately responded as they set out to find the Babe.<\/p>\n
I put the Magi (the wise men) outside the stable. They followed the star\u00a0and didn’t reach Jesus until at least\u00a0two\u00a0years after His birth. The Magi were overjoyed\u00a0to find Jesus with his mother, Mary. Upon arrival they bowed, worshiped\u00a0Jesus, and gifted Him with treasures of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.<\/p>\n
Again this year, I have placed a figurine of a girl in the stable. She represents me. I have to ask myself, how do I respond to God\u2019s interruptions in my life? If my life is connected to Him, I, too, will respond out of faith and obedience\u00a0and with praise. Being in partnership with God for His redemption purposes is a precious gift to bring Jesus. \u201cO Come Let Us Adore Him, Christ The Lord.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know, O Lord, that a man\u2019s life is not his own; it is not for man to direct his steps.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 (Jeremiah 10:23)<\/p>\n
In the power of Jesus’ name, Amen.<\/p>\n
Janet Waters, Preschool Sunday School Teacher\/Prayer Room Intercessor<\/address>\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Good morning, Father. When I put out the Nativity set in my home and remove each piece, I can’t help but wonder at this odd assemblage of people. I have to wonder, what kind of relationship with God did they have to merit such a prominent roll in His story? First,\u00a0let’s take out Baby Jesus\u00a0and…","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n