Showing posts with label Journey Through The Gospel of Luke. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Journey Through The Gospel of Luke. Show all posts

Sunday, October 20, 2019

The Adoration of the Shepherds by Guido Reni

The entire painting of "The Adoration of the Shepherds" by Guido Reni may be viewed at
the National Gallery in the United Kingdom. Above left, is a close up of his version and
 right, is a portrait of Guido Reni.
       "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 Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you ; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, Iving 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. And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another. Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger." (from the Gospel of Luke, second chapter)
An engraving inspired by "The Adoration of the Shepherds" by Guido Reni.
       The decree of Caesar was, correctly speaking, "that an enrollment, or census, of the people should be made," and, Cyrenius, " an active soldier and rigid commissioner," was, probably, sent upon this service, so unpleasant to Herod, and so unpopular in Syria. The government of Herod had not given satisfaction to the emperor, who rejected all attempts of the tetrarch to explain his conduct, and even added, "that having hitherto treated him as a friend, he should henceforth treat him as a subject." After this sentence, it was resolved that Syria should be degraded to the rank of a Roman province; a change which took place eleven years after the birth of Christ. Much strictness was observed in taking the Roman census; the returns of age and property were made on oath, and under the penalty of confiscation of goods in case of delinquency. The object of the census was the imposition of a capitation tax, males from fourteen years, and females from twelve, being included within its operation. As the collector was, in all probability, accompanied by a strong armed force, to secure the ready execution of his orders, none ventured to disobey them, and Joseph, knowing the peremptory nature of the decree, not-withstanding Mary's pregnancy, immediately proceeded with her to Bethlehem, "his own city," to be there enrolled.

Tuesday, April 10, 2018

The Responsibility of The Christian

"To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace. And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his shewing unto Israel." Luke 1: 79, 80

       The question, Where is thy brother? comes to those who follow Christ, not only as it comes to other men, but also with another meaning, a meaning which enables us to give a very blessed answer to it. Abel was a type of Christ. Abel's sacrifice is the first recorded type of the sacrifice on Calvary. He who died on the cross is our Brother. As we hear the voice of God calling to us, Where is thy brother? we answer, Here is our Brother, crucified for sin, buried, risen, ascended, seated at the right hand of the Majesty on high, ever interceding for us. It is a new demand, a new question.

O sweetest Blood, that can implore
Pardon of God, and heaven restore,
The heaven which sin had lost:
While Abel's blood for vengeance pleads,
What Jesus shed still intercedes
For those who wrong Him most.

       And not only is Jesus the Brother about whom the question is asked of each of us, Where is thy brother? but in Him we all are brethren. Again, the question comes with a new meaning. "A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another." Accordingly the perfect life does not consist in the cultivation of an isolated personal perfection. Christ lived in God; He was detached from the world, He spent whole nights in prayer; but the account of Him is incomplete until we add, "He went about doing good." "He came to seek and to save the lost." "As I have loved you," He said. In these solitary hours which He spent in communion with the Father He renewed the fires of His love for men, maintained and augmented His strength for serving them. While deepening His own delight in the Father's love. He added intensity to His passion for raising the most miserable of mankind into the same transcendent blessedness. And so the true imitation of Christ includes not only the discovery of the immeasurable strength which a devout soul may find in God, but the actual use of that strength for the service of mankind. Divall, A Believer's Rest 

Focus Your Thinking & Lather up with a bit of SOAP:
Scripture: "And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his shewing unto Israel."
Observation: This child Jesus grew stronger everyday in his spirit while exiled with his parents in Egypt and again when tested in the desert by the evil one. He was prepared for ministry and service to us in these lonely, dry places. But he was not truly alone. He was with God.
Application: God prepares us in our solitude, quietly, tenderly, and He waits for us to grow through our devotions and study, so that someday we all will return to the world to share our faith with others.
Prayer: Dear Lord, help me to take full advantage of our quiet moments together. Lead me forward on a path of deeper reflection, so that I may be made more like Christ. So that I may be made better prepared to share your wisdom with others. Amen.

Focus On Illuminating The Scripture: 
      I've created a free sample of an illuminated text that I colored for my personal copy of The Praise Bible. Because this coloring bible emphasizes garden motifs among it's illustrations, I have chosen to highlight planting, growth and harvest scriptures among it's pages in my copy.
     There are literally hundreds of literary motifs in the pages of scripture. Any number of these motifs may be selected among the Bible's pages to illustrate the faithfulness of God and the fruitfulness of the believer.
Print the following free illuminated scripture from kathy grimm. She hand-colored it with pencils and tipped it into her Praise Bible with copper washi-tape.
Free design of Luke 1:80 for Bible journaling by kathy grimm.

Focus On Listening:
"Come Holy Spirit" sung by City Harvest Church