- Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them.
- And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre.
- And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus.
- And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments:
- And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead?
- He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee,
- Saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.
- And they remembered his words,
- And returned from the sepulchre, and told all these things unto the eleven, and to all the rest.
Archive of posts tagged Religion
Christmas 2011
The Gospel of Luke, Chapter 2
- And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed.
- (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)
- And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.
- And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David
- To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.
- And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.
- And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.
- And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
- And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
- And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
- For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
- And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
- And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
- Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
A happy Christmas to all
Luke 2:1-14
- And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed.
- (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)
- And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.
- And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)
- To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.
- And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.
- And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.
- And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
- And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
- And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
- For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
- And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
- And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
- Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
Yes, I’m fully aware that not all of the readers at IMAO are Christians. Not all of the authors at IMAO are Christians. But still, I just wanted to remind everyone — Christians and non-Christians alike — why Christians do celebrate this day. We all need to be reminded.
This month, I’ve spent a lot more time looking at pages on Amazon.com than I have pages in the Scriptures. So, yes, I need to be reminded, too. Like I said, we all need to be reminded.
I have no idea if Frank will be up and writing today. I don’t even know if he’ll be up and reading today. But, I strongly suspect he’ll be up playing husband and father today. So I’ll go first and wish Frank J., SarahK, and Princess Buttercup … as well as the authors, readers, and commenters … a very happy Christmas.
Jesus and the ants
Sounds like some band from Athens, doesn’t it: Jesus and the ants.
Maybe Seattle. Or Manchester.
Actually, it’s part of an exhibit that was at the National Portrait Gallery, which is part of the Smithsonian. I’ve been to the Gallery of Art, but never to the Portrait Gallery, so I can’t say if otherwise it’s worth a darn.
Anyway, they’ve had some exhibit going on there called “Hide/Seek: Difference and Desire in American Portraiture.” And that right there is the problem. Who says “portraiture” anyway? A bunch of snot-heads, that’s who. You hear somebody use “portraiture” in a sentence, hit them in the head with a stick. They’ll thank you for it. Or I will. Either way, you’ll be thanked.
But, about Jesus and the ants. One of the exhibits of portraiture is a video. Go figure. And, in the video, is an image of Jesus covered in ants. Only, now the Smithsonian has pulled the video. The guy in charge said “I regret that some reports about the exhibit have created an impression that the video is intentionally sacrilegious. In fact, the artist’s intention was to depict the suffering of an AIDS victim. It was not the museum’s intention to offend. We have removed the video.”
Which means it’s not his fault he had a video of Jesus covered in ants. It’s the fault of Fox News. Or blogs. Or Bush. Or someone else.
I think pulling the video was a mistake. I think they should have found some video of Mohammed covered in ants and included it. Somehow, I suspect that the problem would have been solved in short order, without any Christian having to say or do anything.
Draw Mohammed Day
Hello. I am Muhammad. And today is “Everybody Draw Muhammad Day.”
Actually, today is “Everybody Draw Mohammed Day.”
Who are you?
I am Mohammed.
Why are you spelling your name that way?
“M-O-H-A-M-M-E-D” is how my name is spelled.
No, I’m pretty sure it’s spelled “M-U-H-A-M-M-A-D.”
You are both wrong. My name is spelled “M-U-H-A-M-M-E-D.”
Whoa! You look familiar. I used to look a lot like you. And who’s that guy next to you?
He’s Jesus.
He’s like an infidel or something, isn’t he?
Actually, he’s a prophet.
Hold on a second. If he’s a prophet, then why do we want to kill his followers?
Uh. Hmmm. Ah. Mmmm. Ummmm. I, uh… Help me out here, Jesus.
Actually, “Jesus” is a transliteration of my name in Greek. I was called “Yeshua,” which is the same as “Joshua”…
This isn’t “Learn About Jesus Day,” it’s “Everybody Draw Mohammed Day.”
That’s right. And if you draw me today, you better watch out. Someone might cut off your head or stick a flag pole in you.
Yeah, it’s risky to mess with religious icons. Disrespect one of us, and you could be in trouble. Our followers are dangerous.
Not everybody’s followers …
Holiday
Today is a national holiday here in the U.S. It’s a day where we celebrate the birthday of a great American, born and raised in the south, who lived and died for what he believed…
Thank you.
What?
Thank you. Today is my birthday.
Um, I was actually talking about Martin Luther King.
Excuse me?
Yes, sir. You. Today’s a national holiday celebrating your birthday.
My birthday was Thursday.
Pardon?
I was born January 15th, 1929. 80 years ago. It was a Tuesday. I don’t remember, of course, but I was told it was a Tuesday.
I was born on January 19th. In 18-aught-7.
Shouldn’t that be “naught-7″…
Son, don’t correct your elders.
Um. Sorry.
As I was saying, I was born on January 19th, some 202 years ago. So, today’s my birthday.
But today’s the day we celebrate Dr. King’s birthday.
Son, I believe you said the birthday of a man “born and raised in the south, who lived and died for he believed” … didn’t you?
Well, yes.
And today is my birthday…
He’s right, son.
Yes, sir, I understand. But it’s your birthday, Dr. King…
No, son, it’s not.
I understand, sir. But it’s the day we celebrate your birthday.
Why on earth would you celebrate my birthday on a day other than my birthday?
Well, most federal holidays are moved to a Monday.
Why? Because it’s convenient?
Well, yes, actually, when you get right down to it.
Oh. So I’m remembered when it’s convenient? I’m honored with a sale at Sears and Roebuck? People who wouldn’t know our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, for whom I was but a poor spokesman, call on my name but have no idea what I was really all about?
He’s asking good questions, son.
Was it convenient when my house in Montgomery was bombed during the bus boycott? Does a sale at the shopping mall remind you of the dream of which I spoke in our nation’s capital? Does sleeping late and taking a day off work remind you of my tireless efforts in the fight against discrimination in Albany, Birmingham, St. Augustine, or Selma?
Um…
But you want to celebrate my birthday on a day when it’s convenient, so you can go out of town for a long weekend?
Ah. Um.
You don’t have to say anything, son. But, I didn’t give my life for a “convenient” birthday celebration. Besides, it’s not about me. It’s about freedom. It’s about equality. And as long as people strive for freedom and equality, that’s what’s important. But people shouldn’t take one day a year … particularly the wrong day … but should be fighting every day for freedom.
In, 1963, I said “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” We have not yet reached that day.
But tomorrow…
Tomorrow, a black man becomes president. And as long as people judge him as a black man, and not on his character, this nation will not have reached the day that my dream is fulfilled.
Some people voted against him because of his color. Others voted for him because of his color. Both of those votes are out of line with my dream. But those that voted for him … or for his opponent … because of the character of the man … those are the ones that are living my dream.
But many feel that Barack Obama’s election brings us closer to that day.
The teachings of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will bring us closer to that day. Jesus Christ taught us to all love one another. Jesus Christ taught us that we are all God’s children. Jesus Christ taught us that we are all part of the family of God, and that we’ll all be together one day. Jesus Christ taught us that He is the way to eternal salvation. And if He is the way to salvation, surely He is the way to peace and harmony in our land.
Do not remember me by saving a dollar at J.C. Penney. Remember instead that I was just a poor, black preacher, who was saved by the grace of God though His Son, Jesus Christ. And He can save us all. And our country, if we just follow Him.