2401AFC010524 – The Light at the Beginning of the Tunnel (Podcast 😊 Link)
Read it online here, please. And please – when you visit there – use one of the social media links at the bottom of the page to share this post. Thank you! And remember, we now have a READER VIEW available, so share this link or this email often.
Do you know someone who enjoys Bible study, or who might like to read this? Ask them to email us or to subscribe on our blog-site.
Isaiah 60:1 –
1 Arise, shine; for your light has come, (↔ Music Link)
and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.
Psalm 72:11 –
11 May all kings fall down before him, (↔ Music Link)
all nations give him service.
Ephesians 3:5 – 5 In former generations this mystery was not made known to humankind, as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit
Matthew 2:9 b –12 – … there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. 11 On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.
¡Que la bendición esté siempre con ustedes y que Dios los bendiga, Amados! (May blessing always be with you and may God bless you, Belovéd!) welcome to 2024. At the end of this year we will either finish post 1,000 or be on the brink of it for 2025. I’m inviting you today to go on a journey back through the years as we reorient ourselves to the miracle we are about to celebrate.
Today is January 5, 2024, and in just a couple of days it will be the Feast of the Epiphany. Over the years we’ve always had something to say about that so, for 2024 let’s see what previous years held in store. We will only go back as far as 2012. As you will soon see, that’s way far enough! First, though, why “The Light at the Beginning of the Tunnel?” Our orientation will always be what we read in John 1:1-12 (← Check it out!) Pay special attention to this: “What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people.” John confirms that the Christ of God was in the beginning and through him all things were made. THAT is the Light at the beginning of the Tunnel. Perhaps we will have something to say about the other end when we get there. As we go, I will leave links (the index numbers NNNAFCNNNN) to the previous posts – JIC you’re operating in Vay-Cay mode and want to do some additional reading. Let me tell you, the Holy Spirit has had some pretty good stuff for us in these preceding years! Here we go!
1201AFC010612 – An Epiphany Message: An epiphany is a showing forth, or shining forth. It modern times it has come to mean a sudden realization that puts everything into perspective – a paradigm shift where our understanding is “suddenly” brighter and clearer. I put that “suddenly” in quotes, because generally an epiphany comes about after much laborious thinking and working. Those “A-HA” moments are rare, but they are usually preceded by intense effort even if the moment of understanding seems to come effortlessly. Famous “epiphanies” in recent history might include Isaac Newton and Arthur Fry (he invented Post-It Notes), and there have been a few in politics recently which we will not mention today. The basic idea is that genuine innovation comes through inspired thinking based on hard work. They are wonderful experiences whether we feel them ourselves, or watch others “see the light go on.” That experience is the Central Joy of Teaching!
For Christians, Epiphany is the commemoration not so much of the visit by the magi, but the fact that Jesus is revealed to the whole world – Jew and gentile, rich and poor, righteous and sinner, young and old, and whatever other earthling set of opposites you can think up. He came here for every single soul on earth before or after his birth. All of us can turn our eyes toward Jesus and see God with us – Emanuel. That always gives me goose-bumps. God. With. Us. The Manifestation of The Christ. Born of a virgin in abject poverty in a tiny village outside Jerusalem, he grew up in obscure places in Egypt and Galilee, and was anointed with the Holy Spirit at about age 30 (we assume).
1501AFC010215 – Watch out! (←one of my favorites) Beloved, watch out! Satan is always on the prowl for “silly little, harmless mistakes,” our flirtations with evil, and one by one these little easy betrayals of God build up until – like Samson – we are captured by the very sins we dared to try. That is when we realize that what Paul said about the wages of sin is true. It is death. Better to put the temptation to death by knowing the purpose of the Devil’s deceptions. Remember, his “little mistake” was the sin of rebellion. Read what God says about that in this passage from 1 Samuel as he prophesies against Saul. And Samuel said, “Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obedience to the voice of the Lord? Surely, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams. For rebellion is no less a sin than divination, and stubbornness is like iniquity and idolatry. Trusting in occult practices is rebellion.
Don’t.
1701AFC010817 – Showing Up (a personal epiphany) “80% of the job is showing up.”
That’s what we’ve told employees, musicians, teachers, students, and church-goes for years and years. We can’t get the job done, we can’t contribute, and we can’t get the benefits if we don’t show up. Why is that? Because that’s the way God intended it to be. “Oh come on!” you say, “God never said anything like that!” Well, there’s another expression that covers it. “What we do says who we are. Actions speak louder than words.” When God sends people, they show up. When God calls people, they show up. When God blesses people, they show up. When God saves people, they show up – forever! How do we know? We can look at the action God takes when he shows up.
When God calls us, he has expectations. He doesn’t call us to come and sit by him during lunch. He calls us to do something, usually something important to him, and he expects us to show up. Just like members of a band, or a team, or an army, there is a purpose to being called. We are called to ACT, to go and do something. We’ve heard this one: Don’t just stand there. DO something! In Ephesians 6, Paul tells us: “Don’t just do something. Stand there!” (↔ Click it) In this case the “something” we are to do is to “stand firm.” We must definitely show up to do that!
1801AFC010518 – The Fruitful House of Bread A year ago we looked into the idea of Showing Up. The importance of showing up cannot be overemphasized. If you’re not there, you can’t be part of what’s happening. In school, it means you are unavailable for instruction. At work it means you are unavailable for production. In church, it means you are unavailable for praise. In life, it means you’re not available for days, nights, or weekends. In that message from a year ago, we looked into the day the Magi showed up at the house of Joseph, Mary, and Jesus. We don’t know if that house was in Bethlehem – the place where Jesus was born – but we should know a little more about that place – Bethlehem of Ephrathah. It is a very interesting name and an even more interesting place. Let’s start with the word, Bethlehem.
לֶ֣חֶם בֵּֽית־ Beit-Lechem or Beyth Lechem {bayth leh’-khem} means House (Beyth) of Bread (Lechem). What a perfect place for the birth of The Bread of Life! It is the place where Jacob buried Rachael. It is in the Tribal Possession of the Tribe of Judah. That area was very beautiful and fertile, abundant in figs, grapes, almonds, and olives. The country is what we’d call “hilly,” gently-rolling hills. It is just a bit uphill from Jerusalem and about 5.52 miles south of Jerusalem (straight line distance). ]In this post, you will find a table which show the rise in elevation from The Temple Mount (Moriah) to Galilee – a difference in elevation of about 3,314 ft ](← Check it out!)
1901AFC010419 – A Star is Born Belovéd, I’m going to have to skip most of this. I hope you will look at it because it lists the Scriptures that tie up the entire tunnel of The Light from Abram to Mary. I’ll just quote this: What’s a magus?
They were followers of a very ancient religion called Zoroastrianism Zoroastrianism (↔ Learning Link). Zoroaster, also known as Zarathustra, was an ancient prophet from the region which is what is now southwestern Afghanistan or northeastern Iran. His writings represent what might be called the first monotheistic religion based on the belief that there is only one God. In his writings there were two distinct persons, very much opposite, that held control over all creation and life. They were called Ahura Mazda – he is omnibenevolent (absolutely good), and Angra Mainyu who is his opposite and therefore “omnimalevolent” (absolutely evil)
Abram and his family originated in the same part of the world that Zoroaster inhabited. Perhaps the Magi who came to see the newborn king of the Jews also traveled from that region following a star that hovered over a location somewhere around Bethlehem – the House of Bread – and gave Jesus’ family things they would need later in life when the World came to realize that the King of Kings is the Bread of Life and The Rising Dawn – the Morning Star, the Lilly of the Valley (↔ Music Link).
2001AFC010320 – A King-Size Dose of Reality Psalm 72:10 – 10 May the kings of Tarshish and of the Isles render him tribute, may the kings of Sheba and Seba bring gifts.
Psalm 72:15 – 15 Long may he live! May gold of Sheba be given to him. May prayer be made for him continually, and blessings invoked for him all day long. (Please take a moment to see Psalm 72:10-15 to understand this in context.)
Isaiah 60:6 – 6 A multitude of camels shall cover you, the young camels of Midian and Ephah; all those from Sheba shall come. They shall bring gold and frankincense, and shall proclaim the praise of the Lord.
In these passages, we see the Three Gifts – gold, frankincense, and myrrh. [Explanations of the gifts and their significance are included in this post]
2101AFC010121 – Head for the Light Psalm 72:10-11 – 10 May the kings of Tarshish and of the isles render him tribute, may the kings of Sheba and Seba bring gifts. 11 May all kings fall down before him, all nations give him service. The short interpretation is that this passage signified “the whole world and every nation in it.” In fact, let me suggest that you read Psalm 72 top to bottom; David did an amazing job of describing today’s world. There’s more about today’s world in Isaiah chapter 60 – the source of our Key Verse. (↔ Click Link)
And finally!
2201AFC010722 – In the Beginning Genesis 1:2-4 [1] –
2 The earth was barren,
with no form of life;
it was under a roaring ocean
covered with darkness.
But the Spirit of God
was moving over the water.
The love of God is like the ocean, you can see its beginnings but not its end. The Grace of God is the Ocean of His Love. He is the source of the Ocean of Grace. When you acknowledge Him, it is as if you are submersed in a vast ocean being fed by a fountain of purest water. You are standing in that fountain in the center of the center of the Crystal Sea drinking from a crystal cup of the Endless Grace and Love, and this is available to every human soul alive today in Heaven and on Earth who chooses to stand in the Grace of God . This is “so that God may be glorified in all things through Jesus Christ. To him belong the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen.” And that’s the TRUTH!
And so, at the end we have The Beginning, the Light at the Beginning of the Tunnel. Stand in the Light, Belovéd. It is there, shining for thee (↔ Music Link) just like the star in Bethlehem, the House of Bread where was born the Bread of Life. Like that star, let the Light of Christ shine in you like a beacon. (↔ Music Link) That Light in you is the Light of Christ (↔ Music Link) at the end of the tunnel. It’s all in the Absolutely Perfect Plan. YOLO-F!
Whatever, whenever, wherever, whoever, however, if ever, forever —
at your service, Belovéd!
Please pray with us here at Share-a-Prayer.
Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture passages are from the New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE) New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Biblical languages inserts from Bible Hub (Bible Hub: Search, Read, Study the Bible in Many Languages) Visit at http://biblehub.com
Aloha Friday Messages by Charles O. Todd, III is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License
[1] Contemporary English Version (CEV)
Copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society For more information about CEV, visit www.bibles.com and www.cev.bible.
