St. Nicholas of Myra

Today we celebrate St. Nicholas, the bishop of Myra. This has become one of my favorite saint's days! In Crozet, at the preschool, the kids in my class would decorate their own clogs and then we would stick hay and carrots inside of them. On St. Nicholas's day I would empty the clogs and fill them with chocolate coins! If you would like to celebrate St. Nichaols's day, here is a great website - St. Nicholas Center. I also found the trailor to this movie that was made about St. Nicholas. It might be a good family film.

Candy Canes

My mom wrote me in an email about how she took Ruby to go get their Christmas tree and gave Ruby a candy cane. She told Ruby that the candy cane is shaped like a staff to remind us of the shepherds that visited Jesus. I had always thought that the candy cane was to remind us of St. Nicholas's staff, but found that I was wrong. My mom was right. I found this interesting article on the Christianity Today website. It says that it originated at the Cologne Cathedral when the choirmaster was frustrated with the children that couldn't stop moving during the nativity. He thought it might be a way to preoccupy them.

The candy cane is symbolic.

It is hard to remind us that God's church is founded on the rock.

It is white to represent Jesus's purity.

Red to represent Christ's blood.

(Sometimes) green to represents Christ's gift to us.

Pepperment to remind us of cleansing hyssop.

Shaped like a staff to remind us of the shepherds who visited the Christ child.

And upside down it makes a J for Jesus!

Father Abraham had many sons ...

Gen. 12:1-3

1 Now the LORD said to Abram,

"Go forth from your country,

And from your relatives

And from your father's house,

To the land which I will show you;

2 And I will make you a great nation,

And I will bless you,

And make your name great;

And so you shall be a blessing;

3 And I will bless those who bless you,

And the one who curses you I will curse

And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed."

To refer to why I am doing this - check out my entry on NT Wright and the Tree of Jesse.

God's Judgment and Grace

Gen. 6:5-8, 13-22; 7:17, 23, 24; 8:1, 6-22

5Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

6The LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.

7The LORD said, "I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, from man to animals to creeping things and to birds of the sky; for I am sorry that I have made them."

8But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD.

13Then God said to Noah, "The end of all flesh has come before Me; for the earth is filled with violence because of them; and behold, I am about to destroy them with the earth.

14"Make for yourself an ark of gopher wood; you shall make the ark with rooms, and shall cover it inside and out with pitch.

15"This is how you shall make it: the length of the ark three hundred cubits, its breadth fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits.

16"You shall make a window for the ark, and finish it to a cubit from the top; and set the door of the ark in the side of it; you shall make it with lower, second, and third decks.

17"Behold, I, even I am bringing the flood of water upon the earth, to destroy all flesh in which is the breath of life, from under heaven; everything that is on the earth shall perish.

18"But I will establish My covenant with you; and you shall enter the ark--you and your sons and your wife, and your sons' wives with you.

19"And of every living thing of all flesh, you shall bring two of every kind into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female.

20"Of the birds after their kind, and of the animals after their kind, of every creeping thing of the ground after its kind, two of every kind will come to you to keep them alive.

21"As for you, take for yourself some of all food which is edible, and gather it to yourself; and it shall be for food for you and for them."

22Thus Noah did; according to all that God had commanded him, so he did.

17Then the flood came upon the earth for forty days, and the water increased and lifted up the ark, so that it rose above the earth.

23Thus He blotted out every living thing that was upon the face of the land, from man to animals to creeping things and to birds of the sky, and they were blotted out from the earth; and only Noah was left, together with those that were with him in the ark.

24The water prevailed upon the earth one hundred and fifty days.

1But God remembered Noah and all the beasts and all the cattle that were with him in the ark; and God caused a wind to pass over the earth, and the water subsided.

6Then it came about at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made;

7and he sent out a raven, and it flew here and there until the water was dried up from the earth.

8Then he sent out a dove from him, to see if the water was abated from the face of the land;

9but the dove found no resting place for the sole of her foot, so she returned to him into the ark, for the water was on the surface of all the earth. Then he put out his hand and took her, and brought her into the ark to himself.

10So he waited yet another seven days; and again he sent out the dove from the ark.

11The dove came to him toward evening, and behold, in her beak was a freshly picked olive leaf. So Noah knew that the water was abated from the earth. 

12Then he waited yet another seven days, and sent out the dove; but she did not return to him again.

13Now it came about in the six hundred and first year, in the first month, on the first of the month, the water was dried up from the earth. Then Noah removed the covering of the ark, and looked, and behold, the surface of the ground was dried up.

14In the second month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, the earth was dry.

15Then God spoke to Noah, saying,

16"Go out of the ark, you and your wife and your sons and your sons' wives with you.

17"Bring out with you every living thing of all flesh that is with you, birds and animals and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, that they may breed abundantly on the earth, and be fruitful and multiply on the earth."

18So Noah went out, and his sons and his wife and his sons' wives with him.

19Every beast, every creeping thing, and every bird, everything that moves on the earth, went out by their families from the ark.

20Then Noah built an altar to the LORD, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar.

21The LORD smelled the soothing aroma; and the LORD said to Himself, "I will never again curse the ground on account of man, for the intent of man's heart is evil from his youth; and I will never again destroy every living thing, as I have done.

22"While the earth remains,


Seedtime and harvest,


And cold and heat,


And summer and winter,

And day and night

Shall not cease."

To refer to why I am doing this - check out my entry on NT Wright and the Tree of Jesse.

The Fall

Gen. 3:1-7 and 23-24

1Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, "Indeed, has God said, 'You shall not eat from any tree of the garden'?"


2The woman said to the serpent, "From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat;

3but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, 'You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.'"

4The serpent said to the woman, "You surely will not die!

5"For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."

6When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate.

7Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin coverings.

23therefore the LORD God sent him out from the garden of Eden, to cultivate the ground from which he was taken.

24So He drove the man out; and at the east of the garden of Eden He stationed the cherubim and the flaming sword which turned every direction to guard the way to the tree of life. 

To refer to why I am doing this - check out my entry on NT Wright and the Tree of Jesse.

Adam and Eve

Gen. 2:7-9, 18-25  

7Then the LORD God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.

8The LORD God planted a garden toward the east, in Eden; and there He placed the man whom He had formed.

9Out of the ground the LORD God caused to grow every tree that is pleasing to the sight and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

18Then the LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him."

19Out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the sky, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called a living creature, that was its name.

20The man gave names to all the cattle, and to the birds of the sky, and to every beast of the field, but for Adam there was not found a helper suitable for him.

21So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then He took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh at that place.

22The LORD God fashioned into a woman the rib which He had taken from the man, and brought her to the man.

23The man said,


"This is now bone of my bones,


And flesh of my flesh;


She shall be called Woman,


Because she was taken out of Man."

24For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh.

25And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.

This reminded me of the theology of the body and specifically the CDs Naked without Shame. The 10 CD series only cost about $5. Chris and I listened to six hours on our way to Florida and then six on the way back to Virginia. It made the ride go fast and it was so interesting. It's the kind of thing I'd want to listen to again just so I could more fully steep myself in it. Also, for a bit of a taste of the theology of the body, you can go to the book review I wrote on Heaven's Song.

To refer to why I am doing this - check out my entry on NT Wright and the Tree of Jesse.

A Meditation on Creation with Francis de Sales

This meditation made a big impression on me when I read (or partially read) Introdcution to the Devout Life by Francis de Sales. Maybe you'll like it too ...

CHAPTER IX. FIRST MEDITATION.
Of Creation.

Preparation.

1. PLACE yourself in the Presence of God.

2. Ask Him to inspire your heart.

Considerations.

1. Consider that but a few years since you were not born into the world, and your soul was as yet non-existent. Where wert thou then, O my soul? the world was already old, and yet of thee there was no sign.

2. God brought you out of this nothingness, in order to make you what you are, not because He had any need of you, but solely out of His Goodness.

3. Consider the being which God has given you; for it is the foremost being of this visible world, adapted to live eternally, and to be perfectly united to God’s Divine Majesty.

Affections and Resolutions.

1. Humble yourself utterly before God, saying with the Psalmist, O Lord, I am nothing in respect of Thee—what am I, that Thou shouldst remember me? O my soul, thou wert yet lost in that abyss of nothingness, if God had not called thee forth, and what of thee in such a case?

2. Give God thanks. O Great and Good Creator, what do I not owe Thee, Who didst take me from out that nothingness, by Thy Mercy to make me what I am? How can I ever do enough worthily to praise Thy Holy Name, and render due thanks to Thy Goodness?

3. Confess your own shame. But alas, O my Creator, so far from uniting myself to Thee by a loving service, I have rebelled against Thee through my unruly affections, departing from Thee, and giving myself up to sin, and ignoring Thy Goodness, as though Thou hadst not created me.

4. Prostrate thyself before God. O my soul, know that the Lord He is thy God, it is He that hath made thee, and not thou thyself. O God, I am the work of Thy Hands; henceforth I will not seek to rest in myself, who am nought. Wherein hast thou to glory, who art but dust and ashes? how canst thou, a very nothing, exalt thyself? In order to my own humiliation, I will do such and such a thing,—I will endure such contempt:—I will alter my ways and henceforth follow my Creator, and realise that I am honoured by His calling me to the being He has given; I will employ it solely to obey His Will, by means of the teaching He has given me, of which I will inquire more through my spiritual Father.

Conclusion.

1. Thank God. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and praise His Holy Name with all thy being, because His Goodness called me forth from nothingness, and His Mercy created me.

2. Offer. O my God, I offer Thee with all my heart the being Thou hast given me, I dedicate and consecrate it to Thee.

3. Pray. O God, strengthen me in these affections and resolutions. Dear Lord, I commend me, and all those I love, to Thy neverfailing Mercy. OUR FATHER, etc.

At the end of your meditation linger a while, and gather, so to say, a little spiritual bouquet from the thoughts you have dwelt upon, the sweet perfume whereof may refresh you through the day.

Our story begins with creation ...

Gen. 1:1-31; 2:1-4

¹ In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

2The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters. 

3Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light.


4God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness.


5God called the light day, and the darkness He called night And there was evening and there was morning, one day.


6Then God said, "Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters."


7God made the expanse, and separated the waters which were below the expanse from the waters which were above the expanse; and it was so.


8God called the expanse heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, a second day.

9Then God said, "Let the waters below the heavens be gathered into one place, and let the dry land appear"; and it was so.


10God called the dry land earth, and the gathering of the waters He called seas; and God saw that it was good.


11Then God said, "Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees on the earth bearing fruit after their kind with seed in them"; and it was so.


12The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit with seed in them, after their kind; and God saw that it was good.


13There was evening and there was morning, a third day.


14Then God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years;


15and let them be for lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth"; and it was so.


16God made the two great lights, the greater light to govern the day, and the lesser light to govern the night; He made the stars also.


17God placed them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth,


18and to govern the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness; and God saw that it was good.


19There was evening and there was morning, a fourth day.


20Then God said, "Let the waters teem with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open expanse of the heavens."


21God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarmed after their kind, and every winged bird after its kind; and God saw that it was good.


22God blessed them, saying, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth."


23There was evening and there was morning, a fifth day.


24Then God said, "Let the earth bring forth living creatures after their kind: cattle and creeping things and beasts of the earth after their kind"; and it was so.


25God made the beasts of the earth after their kind, and the cattle after their kind, and everything that creeps on the ground after its kind; and God saw that it was good.


26Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth."


27God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.


28God blessed them; and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth."


29Then God said, "Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you;


30and to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the sky and to every thing that moves on the earth which has life, I have given every green plant for food"; and it was so.

31God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

1Thus the heavens and the earth were completed, and all their hosts.



2By the seventh day God completed His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done.


3Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.


4This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made earth and heaven.

To refer to why I am doing this - check out my post on NT Wright and the Tree of Jesse.

NT Wright and the Tree of Jesse

I finished NT Wrights book Paul: A Fresh Perspective earlier this month and liked the way he ended the book. He talks about how we can understand the Bible better when we understand it as a five act play that is yet to be finished. The first act is creation itself. The second is the fall. The third act is the story of Israel BC. The fourth is when Jesus walked upon the earth culminating in his death and resurrection. We live in the fifth act which began on Easter! The opening scene is Pentecost – the giving of the Holy Spirit.

Part of playing our part in this story in the 21^st century is understanding the play itself. We must understand the story that we live in and then of course we must be open to God’s spirit working through us, his Church. Wright believes that we can do this through building a new culture today - one that takes into account “the reconstruction of the self.” Contrary to popular belief, our being is not centered on ourselves. With Paul, there is a “new way of being human, a way that is rooted, through baptism, in the Messiah, or more particularly in the love of the one God revealed in him. If anyone is in Christ – new creation!” So, our personal motto to remember is not “Cogito ergo sum” – I think, therefore I am, but “‘Amor, ergo sum’ – I am loved, therefore I am.”

Second, we must reconstruct our ways of knowing. With Paul, “the basic Christian mode of knowing is love. In love, the person who is loving is simultaneously affirming the Otherness of that which is loved and their own deep involvement with that Other.”

Third, we must reconstruct the great story.

The grand narrative of modernity, of progress and Enlightenment, has run out of steam in most areas, though still not, alas in western imperialism. With it, all grand narratives have been seen as exploitative, as power-plays, as attempts to snatch the high ground and rule other stories out of consideration. But, once more, the story which Paul tells, and equally importantly the story he lived out day by day, is a story not of great power but of love.

So, Wright reminds us of that story of God’s faithfulness to us and ultimately his great love for us through these passages of Scripture –

“Jesus is Lord, and at his name every knee shall bow.’

“The whole creation shall be set free from its bondage to decay and share the freedom of the glory of God’s children.”

“God will be all in all.”

And so, as advent will begin soon and we’ll be waiting in anticipation for the Christ Child to be born – LOVE HIMSELF! – I thought that it might be neat to begin a new family tradition (at home and on this page) of creating a “Jesse Tree.” For those of you who don’t know, the idea is to look through history (specifically Acts 1 to 3 from the great play) to the coming of Christ, as we prepare for Christmas, by reading Scripture that builds up to it. I’ll post the readings every day during advent along with a piece of art that in some way illustrates the passage. I wanted for the art to be found in Paris so I went on a search through the Louvre for the art that I will post. However, while I found an abundance of art portraying David, Mary and John the Baptist, I had a hard time finding Old Testament art and so I may have to pull from the web for a few of the pieces. I hope that you enjoy preparing for Christmas with us as we remember the story of Christ the King and ultimately, our own story!

To see our tree of Jesse, click here.

God's Face like a countenance beaming forth from the darkness: in order to see it we throw everything we possess into the fire - the world, our joys, our hopes. The flame leaps forth, consumes it all, and in its glow the beloved Face lights up. But the flame dies down, and we feed it with what little remains to us: honor, success, our will, the intellect, our temperament, finally our very self: absume et suspice - "take and receive." This is not simple self-giving but, increasingly, the knowledge that I am being taken, that I must surrender. Grace is everything: the moment of God's appearing; grace also every sacrifice the fire snatches from me.

The Grain of Wheat: Aphorisms
by Hans Urs von Balthasar