Actually!!??

So this week at work we were talking about some things that we all take for granted in the Nativity story, but, well to be frank, they aren't really in the bible.

Now I don't want to ruin Christmas for anyone, so if you're sensitive about these sorts of things, I suggest you skip the next paragraph and your sacred cows will remain unscathed for this year.

I'm not going to write about these things in great details, as well, actually they aren't the point, but the truth is that the donkey, the innkeeper and the stable (most likely) are non-existent in the gospels and the 3 Kings (who weren't kings at all) visiting Jesus as a baby didn't happen until much later.  it's not even noted that the angels were singing, it just says they were praising God.  That's just a few of the things that you're likely to see on Cards, or in Nativity plays or sing in carols!  (We won't even start with whatever i-o, i-o-i-o has got to do with anything!

Now all that is not to suggest that we ought to re-write the traditional nativity scenes that delight parents of rambunctious children as they declare with passion the birth of Jesus.  (We even knew of one child who wanted to come to church dressed as a Jedi for the Christmas play! I think light sabres would have definitely added to the stable scene).

But, it is to say this; how often do we accept something as truth, entirely convinced that it is in the bible?  In John it says "And ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free."  (John 8:32)
If you are not experiencing freedom in an area in your life, the problem could be that you don't know the truth!  Maybe you have no idea, or maybe you think you know, but today I want to challenge you to go back to basics: reading the Word and seeing what it ACTUALLY has to say, not about the donkey or the 3 Kings, but about the really important stuff.

I know I talk a lot about the Word, but really, it's the foundation for all that we are as believers!

As I won't get any more blogs out before the festivities begin, I just want to take the opportunity to wish you all a very Merry Christmas.  I trust that the truth of God's love and grace will fill your homes and hearts as we celebrate the coming of our Immanuel.

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