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gigslist · 1 year

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Symbolism Of Pearls In Art

This is part of a series that will be on the new GigsList. It’s a whole book’s worth of research and coded art history.

Symbolism Of Pearls In Art

"There have been two pearls that were the largest in the whole of history; both were owned by Cleopatra, the last of the Queens of Egypt. They had come down to her through the hands of the Kings of the East....In accordance with previous instructions the servants placed in front of her only a single vessel containing vinegar, the strong rough quality of which can melt pearls. She was at the moment wearing in her ears that remarkable and truly unique work of nature. Antony was full of curiosity to see what in the world she was going to do. She took one earring off and dropped the pearl in the vinegar, and when it was melted swallowed it....With this goes the story that, when that queen who had won on this important issue was captured, the second of this pair of pearls was cut in two pieces, so that half a helping of the jewel might be in each of the ears of Venus in the Pantheon at Rome." Pliny, Natural History (IX.59.119-121; also Macrobius, Saturnalia, III.17.14-17

Madonna Surrounded by Seraphim and Cherubim by Jean Fouquet

What pops out is that the color of the Madonna and infant’s skin is the same luminous off-white as the pearls on the Madonna’s crown and throne. Her left breast is as round and luminous as a perfect pearl. According to the pearls, crown, rubies and ermine cloak the Madonna is a coronated monarch. A high queen or empress. The infant is pointing to her ermine clock, emphasizing that she is a coronated royal. Young royal women today are given pearls on their 16th birthday and their “coming out into society” at age 21. Pearls have always been a symbol of Mary Magdalene but also of one of her Grail ancestors. Venus, but that is another story.

The main colors of the painting are red, white, and blue, the colors of the French flag. Around her waist is a rope woven in Celtic knots. The Gaulish King Vercingetorix, during his 6 year imprisonment, had regular meetings with Julius Caesar. They became friends and Julius Ceazar came to respect the Celts and their Druids, but not their practice of human Sometime after his release, or escape, Vercingetorix looked after the son of Jesus, when the Holy Family escaped to France.

“Pearls have been used as adornment for centuries, at least as far back as ancient Greece, where they believed pearls were the tears of the gods. The oldest known pearl jewelry was discovered in the sarcophagus of a Persian princess who died in 520 BC. Because natural pearls were very rare throughout history, only the richest nobles could afford them. During the Byzantine Empire, rules dictated that only the emperor was allowed to wear these treasured gemstones. Ancient Egyptians were often buried with their prized pearls.” https://www.americangemsociety.org/page/pearlhistory

Museum Commentary

“Jean Fouquet’s Madonna Surrounded by Seraphim and Cherubim looks remarkably modern. Yet the French court painter Jean Fouquet painted it in the middle of the 15th century. The work was commissioned by Etienne Chevalier, treasurer to King Charles VII of France. Fouquet presents the Virgin Mary as the Queen of Heaven, the exalted mother of God. The unusual, intense use of colour and bold representation make the painting fascinating. Nine angels throng around her. The three blue cherubim represent purity and air, the six red seraphim love and fire. Mary is dressed in the aristocratic style of the 15th century. Her cloak and crown emphasize her eminence. The cinched waist accentuates her full, bare breast, which lends an almost erotic touch to the painting. Fouquet broke with tradition to paint the Madonna as a sensual and fashionable woman. Characteristic features are the glassy detachment and absent gaze he gave his figures. The child on her lap seems totally uninterested in her breast, and Mary is not really encouraging him to suckle.The red and blue angels in Madonna Surrounded by Seraphim and Cherubim are typical of Italian painting in the 14th and 15th centuries. In other words, their colour is not an ‘invention’ of the artist himself but an established mode of representation for the time. Blue and red were also the colours of the Paris municipal arms, while white represented royalty. What’s more, Mary wears a cloak made of ermine – the royal fur – above her dress. The work also has a political dimension, therefore, as a glorification of France and its monarchs.” https://www.kmska.be/en/collection/artworks/madonna-surrounded-by-seraphim-and-

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onlandandonsea · 2 years

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Mary and Child Surrounded by Seraphim and Cherubim (1452-1455) by Jean Fouquet

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bylagunabay · 3 years

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Prophetic Consensus

ANGELIC PROTECTION FOR THE END TIMES

(1.5-min read)

The Blessed Virgin Mary to Luz de María (Nov. 02, 2011):

ℐ 𝓊𝓇𝑔𝑒 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓉𝑜 𝓇𝑒𝓂𝑒𝓂𝒷𝑒𝓇 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝒽𝒶𝓋𝑒 𝓉𝓇𝒶𝓋𝑒𝓁 𝒞𝑜𝓂𝓅𝒶𝓃𝒾𝑜𝓃𝓈, 𝓎𝑜𝓊𝓇 𝒫𝓇𝑜𝓉𝑒𝒸𝓉𝑜𝓇𝓈, 𝓎𝑜𝓊𝓇 𝒢𝓊𝒶𝓇𝒹𝒾𝒶𝓃 𝒜𝓃𝑔𝑒𝓁𝓈, 𝓌𝒽𝒾𝒸𝒽 ℋ𝓊𝓂𝒶𝓃𝒾𝓉𝓎 𝒽𝒶𝓈 𝒸𝑜𝓂𝓅𝓁𝑒𝓉𝑒𝓁𝓎 𝒻𝑜𝓇𝑔𝑜𝓉𝓉𝑒𝓃. 𝒯𝒽𝑒𝓎 𝒶𝓇𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓈𝒶𝓂𝑒 𝑜𝓃𝑒𝓈 𝑜𝒻 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒪𝓁𝒹 𝒯𝑒𝓈𝓉𝒶𝓂𝑒𝓃𝓉, 𝓌𝒽𝑜 𝓌𝑜𝓇𝓀𝑒𝒹 𝓌𝑜𝓃𝒹𝑒𝓇𝓈 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝒹𝑒𝒻𝑒𝓃𝒹𝑒𝒹 𝒢𝑜𝒹’𝓈 𝒫𝑒𝑜𝓅𝓁𝑒; 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓎 𝒶𝓇𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓈𝒶𝓂𝑒 𝑜𝓃𝑒𝓈 𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓈 𝒾𝓃𝓈𝓉𝒶𝓃𝓉, 𝑜𝒻 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒩𝑒𝓌 𝒯𝑒𝓈𝓉𝒶𝓂𝑒𝓃𝓉 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓌𝒾𝓁𝓁 𝒷𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓈𝒶𝓂𝑒 𝑜𝓃𝑒𝓈 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝒶𝒸𝒸𝑜𝓂𝓅𝒶𝓃𝓎 𝓉𝓇𝒾𝓊𝓂𝓅𝒽𝒶𝓃𝓉 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓇𝑒𝓂𝓃𝒶𝓃𝓉 𝒞𝒽𝓊𝓇𝒸𝒽. 𝒴𝑜𝓊𝓇 𝓉𝓇𝒶𝓋𝑒𝓁 𝒸𝑜𝓂𝓅𝒶𝓃𝒾𝑜𝓃𝓈, 𝓎𝑜𝓊𝓇 𝒢𝓊𝒶𝓇𝒹𝒾𝒶𝓃 𝒜𝓃𝑔𝑒𝓁𝓈 𝓇𝑒𝓂𝒶𝒾𝓃 𝑔𝓊𝒾𝒹𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓎𝑜𝓊, 𝒽𝑒𝓁𝓅𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓅𝓇𝑜𝓉𝑒𝒸𝓉𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓎𝑜𝓊, 𝒷𝓊𝓉 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓎 𝒶𝓈 𝑒𝓃𝓋𝑜𝓎𝓈 𝑜𝒻 𝒢𝑜𝒹, 𝓇𝑒𝓈𝓅𝑒𝒸𝓉 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝑒 𝓌𝒾𝓁𝓁. ℒ𝒾𝓈𝓉𝑒𝓃 𝓉𝑜 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓂 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝒶𝓈𝓀 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓂 𝓉𝑜 𝑔𝓊𝒾𝒹𝑒 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝒷𝓎 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓅𝒶𝓉𝒽 𝑜𝒻 𝓉𝓇𝓊𝓉𝒽.

Angels protect every human being (CCC 352), since: “From infancy (Mt 18:10) to death (Lk 16:22), human life is surrounded by their watchful care and intercession (Pss 34:8; 91:10-13; Job 33:23-24; Zac 1,12; Tob 12:12) “Beside each believer stands an angel as protector and shepherd leading him to life” (St. Basil, Eunomium 3, 1). Already here on earth the Christian life shares by faith in the blessed company of angels and men united in God. (CCC 336)

The totality of ways in which angels can interact with men is unknown, but some of them are known by Tradition, the Holy Scriptures and divine revelations to saints.

One of the ways in which their help can be manifested is through physiological reactions in our body, which in some cases move us to hurry, others to stop or change a path, and in others they try to move us to reflect or warn us before doing something. At other times, thoughts may suddenly arise that move us to do something good or get away from something sinful. Finally, their actions could even extend into some dreams (exceptionally), as happened to the Wise men from the East (Mt 2:12) and to St. Joseph, warning him to flee to Egypt taking the child and His Mother because Herod wanted to kill Him (Mt 2:13).

It is easy to see then, how we can often avoid dangers and remain safe with their help, mostly from sinful occasions, preserving our souls and spiritual health, not excluding the risks to our body and our physical health when this is God’s will.

A tender way of entrusting ourselves to their help is to make the sign of the cross and say by mental prayer where one will go before leaving your home, hoping for our guardian angel to protect and warn us from the dangers we could meet. This can be taught to children so that they get accustomed to request their help and have a significant advantage during their lives.

It is necessary to voluntarily request the assistance of the angels, since they do not violate our free will, as well as not to expect to count on their help if we devote ourselves to a sinful life away from God. It is required to invoke them through prayers.

(deunanube.com)

PRAYER TO ALL THE ANGELS FOR A SPECIAL FAVOUR

Bless the Lord, all you His Angels!

You who are mighty in strength and do His Will, intercede for me at the throne of God.

By your unceasing watchfulness, protect me in every danger of soul and body. Obtain for me the grace of final perseverance, so that after this life, I may be admitted to your glorious company and sing with you the praises of God for all eternity.

All you holy Angels and Archangels, Thrones and Dominations, Principalities and Powers and Virtues of Heaven, Cherubim and Seraphim, and especially you, my dear Guardian Angel, intercede for me and obtain for me the special favour I now ask (mention your request).

Amen.

Offer the "Glory Be" three times.

#catholic church #catholic #traditional catholic #angels #st michael #bible #scripture #prayers #protection #end times #apocalypse

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faithtreasurescatholic · 3 years

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Prophetic Consensus

ANGELIC PROTECTION FOR THE END TIMES

(1.5-min read)

The Blessed Virgin Mary to Luz de María (Nov. 02, 2011):

The totality of ways in which angels can interact with men is unknown, but some of them are known by Tradition, the Holy Scriptures and divine revelations to saints.

(deunanube.com)

PRAYER TO ALL THE ANGELS FOR A SPECIAL FAVOUR

Bless the Lord, all you His Angels!

You who are mighty in strength and do His Will, intercede for me at the throne of God.

Amen.

Offer the "Glory Be" three times.

#catholic church #catholic #traditional catholic #angels #guardian angel #bible #scripture #book daniel #prayers #protection #end times

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ebenrosetaylor · 7 years

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Angels In Northern Renaissance Art

I decided to post my final paper for my class in Northern Renaissance Art, because I’m really proud of it! Anyways, here’s the essay, as well as the bibliography to go along with it if you want to do more reading on the subject.

Abrahamic religions discourage the depiction of God and other supernatural beings into an image, and yet the visualization of them is one of the most widely created. The visualization of angels was a hot topic for religious art, and during the Northern Renaissance, there was a sharp increase in the iconography of the Virgin Mary, which is almost always accompanied by various angels. Through Northern Renaissance paintings, such as Virgin and Child in the Rose Arbor by Martin Schongauer, The Annunciation by Jan de Beer, and Christ Surrounded by Musician Angels by Hans Memling, we are able to see how artists during this period explored the use of symbolism of color to express the different hierarchies and roles that angels have, and how they use this to create a visualization for these otherworldly beings.

Virgin and Child in the Rose Arbor is a painting featuring the most popular subject of painting in the Northern Renaissance; Mary and the baby Jesus. The dominant figure in the painting is Mary, surrounded by green foliage with pink roses dotted around her head. Jesus is a darker and more desaturated brown, making him seem less important compared to his mother and the arbor around them. The color of God emerging from the sky with a dove underneath him has robes of deep salmon and skin that matches the darkness of Jesus, showing repetition and harmony that alludes to the Holy Trinity. There is also repetition in color with God and Mary, as they are wearing the same color of robes, except Mary’s is slightly more saturated. What holds the greatest contrast in this painting’s composition is the angels holding a crown above Mary’s head. These angels are physically smaller than all of the humanoid figures, yet the most striking contrast is the blue color of their robes, which are out of place in the complementary red and green color scheme (1).

The blue in these angels’ robes was not an aesthetic choice to make a split-complementary color scheme, but a strong use of symbolism, as blue, has been historically used as a color connected to heaven. In different contexts and hues of blue, it can be used to symbolize chastity in the heavenly sphere, which would be fitting in the painting of the Virgin Mary, (2). Other uses of symbolic color that these angels bring out are the use of gold in the crowd descending on Mary’s head, which symbolizes heavenly light and absolute divine wisdom that was bestowed upon her when she became the mother of Jesus. These two uses of color symbolism work together between the two angels and Mary to create unity in the painting where there was originally contrast and linked the concept of angels into the painting successfully. But other uses of color symbolism between the subject of the Virgin Mary in different paintings are not in agreement with this particular painting. Rainbow wings are used in multiple images of angels in paintings about Mary, and rainbow wings symbolize the alliance between God and men and are used in another subject altogether, (3).

In The Annunciation, the angel Gabriel announces to Mary that she will be the mother of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Gabriel flies in from the left, colored with rainbow wings, shimmering gold clothing, and a rod of the ostiaries in hand, with a scroll of words unraveling from it. Mary is on the left looking downwards and her hands cupping the air over the heart, humbling herself as she receives this divine message. The linework is careful and smooth, and it guides the eye throughout the painting with the use of the architecture and the perspective, creating a realistic plane of space for Gabriel, Mary, and the other figures. The color values in the painting are another significant feature, as most of the colors are dull and dim, but the angel Gabriel contrasts this with his brightly lit body and his multicolored wings and robes (4). Even though the subject of the painting is Mary receiving God’s message, Gabriel is the center of the piece, as the use of color and value makes him the focal point.

Gabriel is the messenger of this good news to Mary, as it is his place in the hierarchy to be the focal point in both Abrahamic religions and art. In the book of Job, the first account of Satan and the book of Daniel gives the name of two angels, Michael and Gabriel (5). These two accounts, from the last two undisputed Hebrew texts, would lead to the important development in the way people think about angels. The Abrahamic religions begin to view angels in a hierarchy. “In the fifth century, an anonymous Christian monk, writing under the name Dionysius, examined various scriptural passages and suggested there was a nine-level angelic hierarchy: angels, archangels, principalities, powers, virtues, dominations, thrones, cherubim, and seraphim. A similar theme is seen in later Jewish tradition, especially in the medieval Jewish thinker Moses Maimonides,” (6). The archangel Gabriel is God’s messenger and delivered important messages to the prophet David to interpret his dreams, and to announce the birth of John the Baptist and Jesus Christ.

There is no coincidence that malac, the Hebrew word for angel, can also be translated to the messenger. The Archangel Gabriel, as well as many other nameless angels, have been reported to give messages to human beings for various reasons. The most famous message delivery by an angel in the Northern Renaissance is Gabriel telling Mary that she would give birth to Jesus, and would be visualised numerous times by countless numbers of artisans. This message reflects how angels are also thought to be involved in the conception of every child, since so many messages were delivered about the birth of a baby. “The Jewish Midrash and the early Christian theologian seem to suggest that the soul is introduced by the angel at conception, for this is when the angels announce the forthcoming birth,” (6). Angels are believed to be present at the start of life, and a message is delivered to their parents before or after their conception to announce their birth. This notion has also connected with the concept of guardian angels, and if every person were to have a guardian angel, then the guardian angel would have to begin serving and protecting that human from the very moment it’s life began (6), which is more ambiguous than modern conservative Christians would believe. As it is written in the book of Ecclesiastes, “As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the spirit is formed in a mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things,” (11:5) (5). Though it is unclear to humans when angels will begin showing their presence in our lives, their influence in their duties is always present.

Another task that angels are given is the praise of God with music. Their musical talents are not the most popular subject in the Northern Renaissance art, but not many pieces of art can contain angels without praising God in one way or another. Christ Surrounded by Musician Angels (7) is a beautiful example of where angels and music making is at the focus of the piece, directed at Jesus Christ in the center. This triptych is made up of two outer panels with five angels on each outer panel, and three angels on either side of Jesus on the center panel. The panels are dominated by gold coloring, with a variety of reds, blues and silvers within Jesus and the angels surrounding him. This variety in color and detail in the painting that brings out the shape and form of these figures into a believable space among the silver clouds around the border. The placement of this triptych was originally inside the organ in the monastery of Santa María la Real de Nájera, and combined with the numerous angels playing a variety of instruments acknowledge angels as beings who worship God through song, and give them importance within paintings with the goal to glorify God. One of the most notable details of this painting is the realism of the figures and the musical instruments the angels play, so realistic that allowed manufacturers to use this painting as reference for the accurate reproduction of these instruments, (8). This realism also served as a reminder of how confident artists of the Northern Renaissance were of the design and visual appearance of angels.

Though the first mention of angels having wings is the description of cherubim carved on the Ark of the Covenant (5), the first written account of all angels having wings in sacred text is in the Quran. ‘Praise be to Allah . . . Who made the angel messengers with wings— two, or three, or four (pairs)’ (35: 1)(9). Of course, this was after the popularity of angels having wings has already been established, and more than just cherubim had wings. Since the fourth century, perhaps influenced by pagan images of the gods Nike and Eros, not only cherubim but all spirits have wings of different kinds (6). This visual theme carries well into the Northern Renaissance period, as it is seen as the paintings addressed before. Virgin and Child in the Rose Arbor shows the two angels hovering above Mary with tiny blue wings, but only seem small in comparison to the human figures in the painting; compared to their own bodies, the wings are the perfect size. The wings shown in The Annunciation are completely unidentifiable from their original species of bird because of its colorful nature, but the archangel Gabriel has the clearly identifiable trait on his back like any other angel would. Christ Surrounded by Musician Angels show angels with various types of wings inspired by different types of birds seen in nature, all pointed upward and on display as a confident proclamation of how angels, without a doubt, all have wings.

Aniconism is suggested to be against one of the ten commandments, specifically stated in Deuteronomy, “'You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth,” (5:7-8) (7). Many Jewish and Muslim scholars have concluded that any imagery of God and angels could be teetering on idolatry, where people might begin worshiping these images and focus on their appearance and stray against the one true God. Christians on the other hand are less worried about depicting The Trinity and angels, and almost entire Renaissance period focuses on the commissioning of visual interpretations of holy figures, ranging from icons of saints to artists trying to capture what an unfathomable spirit might look like. There is a possibility that artists might have been overwhelmed by thinking about this challenge, and submit to the wishes of their commissioner to give them a generic physical form that is reoccurring in Northern Renaissance art.

But are angels completely without bodies? Thomas Aquinas says that angels are completely intangible yet completely realm, in the same way that an image of a memory in our brain is as real as the event when it happened, (10). “For example, the three angels who visited Abraham sat down and shared a meal. Thomas Aquinas responded that, in order to be seen, angels sometimes took on a material body that they made from condensed air. This looks like a human body, but it is not a living body. It is more like a puppet moved by the angel,” (10). This theory for how angels were able to make themselves known to humans may have not been in the thoughts of those who created paintings of them during the Renaissance, but it is something to consider when trying to comprehend how angels were even able to be seen to be able to make images of them based off of experiences. Artists in this period, in a time where was a boom of demand by commissioners in depicting heavenly figures, were forced to capture how an angel would look spiritually while still showing how they appeared in their illusionary physical disguises.

Angels in Northern Renaissance art have been incorporated into countless works of art, and because of this, it is no wonder that their influence in society still stands, even after the initial interest in religion in the public sphere has diminished. The depiction of angels, through the works stated previously by Martin Schongauer, Jan de Beer, and Hans Memling has been influenced in many ways by religious texts as well as religions other than Christianity. Their use of color symbolism and the physical appearance of angels in their wings help illustrate their position in the hierarchy of angels and try to make sense and establish order in an artistic movement where humans try to capture the elegance and complexity of supernatural beings beyond their understanding.

Bibliography:

(1) Schongauer, Martin. Virgin and Child in a Rose Arbor. 1450-1491. Isabelle Stuart Gardener Museum, 25 Evans Way, Boston Massachusetts.

(2) Researcher, Renaissance Clothing. "Renaissance Clothing." The Meaning of Renaissance and Medieval Clothing Colors. January 01, 1970. Accessed May 16, 2017. http://renaissanceclothing.blogspot.com/2011/02/meaning-of-renaissance-and-medieval.html.

(3) Giorgi, Rosa, and Stefano Zuffi. Angels and demons in art. Los Angeles: J. Paul Getty Museum, 2005.

(4) Beer, Jan De. The Annunciation. 1515-1525. Museum of Fine Arts Boston, 465 Huntington avenue, Boston Massachusetts.

(5) God. The Holy Bible: containing the Old and New Testaments ; translated out of the original tongues and with the former translations diligently compared and revised. New York: American Bible Society, 1986.

(6) Jones, David Albert. Angels : A History. Oxford, GB: Oxford University Press, 2010. ProQuest ebrary. Web. 15 May 2017.

(7) Memling, Hans. Christ Surrounded by Musician Angels. 1480. Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten, Antwerp.

(8) "Lute and other related instruments iconography (by Cuerdas Pulsadas)." Lutes in Art Timeline by Cuerdas Pulsadas RSS. Accessed May 17, 2017. https://www.cuerdaspulsadas.es/timeline/hans-memling-christ-surrounded-by-musician-angels-altarpiece-of-santa-maria-la-real-de-najera/.

(9) K̲h̲ān̲, Vaḥīduddīn. The Quran. New Delhi: Goodword Books, 2010.

(10) Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, trans. Fathers of the English Dominican (New York: Benziger Bros, 1947), www.newadvent. org/summa

#northernrenaissance #jan de beer #hans memling #martin schongauer #angel #judaism #christianity #islam #theology #iconography #northern renaissance #renaissance #renaissance art #painting #angels #ebenrose

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desperatemenministry · 7 years

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Twas the night before Christmas and what was God thinking?

Gigi and I attended the Christmas Eve service this morning, had lunch, and checked our list (one more time) to make sure I did not need to join the hoards of last-minute shoppers. Thankful I did not, my mind turned to hear what the Holy Spirit would breathe into mine regarding "just another Christmas Eve". All I knew was I really wanted to share a brief word of encouragement on this joyous eve of expectancy - for little children who cannot wait to see what Santa brings and Christians who manage to clear our heads of all the "Christmas clutter" and remember why we do this in the first place.

Expectancy. When I saw this picture of Mary kneeling beside the manger and holding her soon-to-be-born baby in her arms, as only an expectant mom can do, I knew this was the image that would best accompany these words of reminder to all who will celebrate the birth of Christ our Savior tomorrow.

Twas the night before Christmas, and there sat Mary (with Joseph not far away). We know, nine months earlier, the angel Gabriel appeared to her and shared the most amazing words ever. She was about to become pregnant and carry in her womb the Son of God Who would become the Savior of the World. You may also recall Joseph was told that "his son" would "save His people from their sins". Both wondered what God was thinking?

Mary's life was further disrupted and pregnancy made even more uncomfortable - if not dangerous - when Joseph told her they had to journey to Bethlehem for a census since he was of the line of David that originated in this small town outside Jerusalem.

As an expectant dad, I know from watching Gigi endure four full-term pregnancies what those last few weeks can be like for a woman. While she could not wait for the baby to be born, there was a lot of discomfort that leads up to the most uncomfortable part of all - labor and delivery.

We have no idea what Mary and Joseph thought after those "God invasions" into their lives, as no thoughts or words are shared. What we see are incredible demonstrations of faith and obedience that cause me to shrink back in amazement. Did Mary really think, as this picture presents, she would be giving birth to the Son of God in a nasty stable surrounded by animals and the fragrant aroma of ox poop?

Yet we see her kneeling faithfully beside a feed trough (where animals slobbered all over it as they ate) rubbing and comforting her son in her womb, awaiting His arrival. Surely she must have wondered if this was really what God intended or was it just because the inn was full when they arrived.

No sterile surroundings of a birthing room. No nurses or mid-wives standing by waiting to help. Just poor old Joseph, perhaps just as clueless as the rest of us men who stood around awaiting the birth of our first child. I am sure he did what he could, perhaps laid out "fresh" hay and kept animals at bay while they waited for the arrival of the King Who would be their's to raise.

One final "image of expectancy". It could not be shown here because it exists only in the hearts and minds of Christ-lovers who pause long enough to consider the expectancy in Heaven as all angels, cherubim, seraphim, and every living creatures await the incarnation of the One they know already as King of Kings and Lord of all. Surely they were amazed that God would condescend to sinful, created beings such as humans to save and redeem us from our deliberate decisions of defiance and disobedience.

As I wrap this up, there are about six hours left before the day calendar gets flipped and "just another Christmas day" arrives. I hope you receive this message in time to enjoy, with child-like excitement and expectancy, the imminent arrival of our Savior.

Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: when His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit. And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly. But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.“She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: "BEHOLD, THE VIRGIN SHALL BE WITH CHILD AND SHALL BEAR A SON, AND THEY SHALL CALL HIS NAME IMMANUEL,” which translated means, “GOD WITH US.” (Matthew 1: 18-23 NASB)

Expectantly waiting with you,

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