Immensity cloistered in thy dear womb,
Now leaves His well-belov'd imprisonment,
There He hath made Himself to His intent
Weak enough, now into the world to come;
But O, for thee, for Him, hath the inn no room?
Yet lay Him in this stall, and from the Orient,
Stars and wise men will travel to prevent
The effect of Herod's jealous general doom.
Seest thou, my soul, with thy faith's eyes, how He
Which fills all place, yet none holds Him, doth lie?
Was not His pity towards thee wondrous high,
That would have need to be pitied by thee?
Kiss Him, and with Him into Egypt go,
With His kind mother, who partakes thy woe.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Dinner Menus Through Friday
Mr. Honey gets paid Friday, so I am using up pantry, fridge and freezer foods until then. (We already ate up all our Thanksgiving leftovers, can you believe it?)
* Spaghetti with meat sauce, peas (use leftover hamburgers)
* Salsafied beans and rice, carrot sticks
* Pork short ribs with homemade barbeque sauce, biscuits, baked cubed sweet potatoes, dill pickles
* Smoked sausage sauteed with onion and garlic, add a can of tomatoes and heat, then serve over rice with salad (this is going to be my "experiment and add spices until it tastes right" recipe this week)
* Chicken noodle soup, cornbread or biscuits
(In case anyone is wondering what we do for lunches, my policy is "leftovers or a sandwich and back to work." Wouldn't you like to be one of my kids?)
* Spaghetti with meat sauce, peas (use leftover hamburgers)
* Salsafied beans and rice, carrot sticks
* Pork short ribs with homemade barbeque sauce, biscuits, baked cubed sweet potatoes, dill pickles
* Smoked sausage sauteed with onion and garlic, add a can of tomatoes and heat, then serve over rice with salad (this is going to be my "experiment and add spices until it tastes right" recipe this week)
* Chicken noodle soup, cornbread or biscuits
(In case anyone is wondering what we do for lunches, my policy is "leftovers or a sandwich and back to work." Wouldn't you like to be one of my kids?)
He was made low for us
Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits.
Romans 12:16
We had a visiting minister preach today (it was the Queen's father), and ever since this morning's sermon, I have been thinking about the humility of the Lord coming as a baby, submitting to being cared for by faulty human parents, placing himself, helpless, in the hands of sinners. Each Christmas song that I hear draws my mind back to that thought. He didn't have to do that, and he didn't have to do it in that way, but he did.
We normally don't do Advent, as our religious tradition does not follow the liturgical year, and in fact our ancestors had to fight hard for the right to worship in our simple way. But there is something to be said for a plan to follow, seasonal readings, reminders coming year after year of the amazing grace of God. I have been very interested in Mama Squirrel's plans for Advent, and I think we will follow the four weeks that she has listed of Simplicity, Solitude and Silence, Service and Submission this month.
(Update: Mama Squirrel got these four topics from Foster's Celebration of Discipline. Thanks for suggesting the need to clarify, Mama Squirrel. I meant to add a reference to the book, but got too caught up in my own thoughts. ;o)
Of course, I'm getting a little ahead of myself posting on Submission. But the preacher preached on condescension this morning, and, as he pointed out, the greatest instance of stooping to those of low estate is the beautiful example of our Lord. And especially our Lord as a child, subject to His earthly parents. Isn't that the wonder of this season?
Here are my notes on this morning:
Other posts that join these thoughts in my mind:
Our Lack of Wonder
Black Friday and Love
The Promise of Glory:
"The sense that in this universe we are treated as strangers, the longing to be acknowledged, to meet with some response, to bridge some chasm that yawns between us and reality, is part of our inconsolable secret. And surely, from this point of view, the promise of glory, in the sense described, becomes highly relevant to our deep desire. For glory means good report with God, acceptance by God, response, acknowledgement, and welcome into the heart of things. The door on which we have been knocking all our lives will open at last."
Romans 12:16
We had a visiting minister preach today (it was the Queen's father), and ever since this morning's sermon, I have been thinking about the humility of the Lord coming as a baby, submitting to being cared for by faulty human parents, placing himself, helpless, in the hands of sinners. Each Christmas song that I hear draws my mind back to that thought. He didn't have to do that, and he didn't have to do it in that way, but he did.
We normally don't do Advent, as our religious tradition does not follow the liturgical year, and in fact our ancestors had to fight hard for the right to worship in our simple way. But there is something to be said for a plan to follow, seasonal readings, reminders coming year after year of the amazing grace of God. I have been very interested in Mama Squirrel's plans for Advent, and I think we will follow the four weeks that she has listed of Simplicity, Solitude and Silence, Service and Submission this month.
(Update: Mama Squirrel got these four topics from Foster's Celebration of Discipline. Thanks for suggesting the need to clarify, Mama Squirrel. I meant to add a reference to the book, but got too caught up in my own thoughts. ;o)
Of course, I'm getting a little ahead of myself posting on Submission. But the preacher preached on condescension this morning, and, as he pointed out, the greatest instance of stooping to those of low estate is the beautiful example of our Lord. And especially our Lord as a child, subject to His earthly parents. Isn't that the wonder of this season?
Here are my notes on this morning:
Scriptures to read-- John chapters 9, 13; Luke 2; Matthew 25; Philippians 2:9.
1. Meet people where they are.
2. Be willing to hear truth, even if it comes from an unexpected or unlikely source. (This means we need to know when something has the ring of truth.)
3. Obey those in authority and fulfill the role assigned to you, even if you have more wisdom and knowledge than they. (In my own experience, often when I think I know more than someone in authority over me, the truth turns out to be that there is some information I have not considered. Not always, but often.)
4. When you have the opportunity to serve others doing menial, and even distasteful, tasks, do them as your service to the Lord because as often as you have served one of the Lord's people, you have served Him.
Other posts that join these thoughts in my mind:
Our Lack of Wonder
Black Friday and Love
The Promise of Glory:
"The sense that in this universe we are treated as strangers, the longing to be acknowledged, to meet with some response, to bridge some chasm that yawns between us and reality, is part of our inconsolable secret. And surely, from this point of view, the promise of glory, in the sense described, becomes highly relevant to our deep desire. For glory means good report with God, acceptance by God, response, acknowledgement, and welcome into the heart of things. The door on which we have been knocking all our lives will open at last."
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