Monday Reflection \u2013\u00a0 2017<\/p>\n
Watchword for Christmas Day (American Version)<\/p>\n
Jesus is the reflection of God's glory and the exact imprint of God's very being, and he sustains all things by his powerful word. Hebrews 1:3<\/p>\n
Notin no de weh God cyaan du. Luke 1:37 (Patois)<\/p>\n
Merry Christmas my dear Brothers & Sisters!<\/p>\n
As this Season began, I started, as usual, to reflect on the nativity story. I listened yet again to the same story but for a new word. It is these words in Luke 1:37 that came home to me anew. And this time, not in English,\u00a0
"For nothing is impossible with God"
\u00a0but in our own Jamaican language,\u00a0
"Notin no de weh God cyaan du."<\/p>\n
These words were offered to Mary by the angel Gabriel. The angel reveals to her that she will bear a son name Jesus. Understandably, Mary queried how such a thing can happen since she is a virgin. The angel reveals that it would be by the Holy Spirit. Gabriel also reveals that Elizabeth, though past child-bearing age, is also six months pregnant. With that revelation, Gabriel declares,\u00a0
"Notin no de weh God cyaan du."<\/p>\n
Jesus, the reflection of God\u2019s glory and the exact imprint of God, transcends space and time. His sustaining power is beyond boundaries and he has absolutely no limitations. Isaiah confirms this in one of his prophecies about Jesus:\u00a0
F
or to us a child is born,
\u00a0to us a son is given,\u00a0and the government\u00a0will be on his shoulders. And he will be called\u2026Mighty God\u2026 Of the greatness of his government\u00a0and peace there will be no end\u2026The zeal\u00a0of the\u00a0
Lord\u00a0Almighty
\u00a0will accomplish this.\u201d (Isaiah 9:6-7)<\/p>\n
On this day when we pause to celebrate the birth of the Christ, may we recognize that he is the almighty omnipotent God for whom nothing is impossible. Whatever the challenges of life may be, we cast our cares on him since,\u00a0
"Notin no de weh God cyaan du."<\/p>\n
Only last year as some Elders and I went to visit some shut-in members did I first encounter the hymn,\u00a0
\u201cI heard the bells on Christmas Day\u201d.
\u00a0It is such a beautiful, yet powerful hymn. By divine providence, last week I came upon the story behind the hymn (approximately one year later). This heightened my appreciation of it. I share it with you.<\/p>\n
In the summer of 1861, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow\u2019s wife, Frances, died tragically in a fire. That first Christmas without her, he wrote in his diary, \u201cHow inexpressibly sad are the holidays.\u201d The next year was no better, as he recorded, \u201c \u2018A merry Christmas,\u2019 say the children, but that is no more for me.\u201d In 1863, as the American Civil War was dragging on, Longfellow\u2019s son joined the army against his father\u2019s wishes and was critically injured. On Christmas Day that year, as church bells announced the arrival of another painful Christmas, Longfellow picked up his pen and began to write, \u201cI Heard the Bells on Christmas Day.\u201d<\/p>\n
The poem begins pleasantly, lyrically, but then takes a dark turn. The violent imagery of the pivotal fourth verse ill suits a Christmas carol. \u201cAccursed\u201d cannons \u201cthundered,\u201d mocking the message of peace. By the fifth and sixth verses, Longfellow\u2019s desolation is nearly complete. \u201cIt was as if an earthquake rent the hearth-stones of a continent,\u201d he wrote. The poet nearly gave up: \u201cAnd in despair I bowed my head; \u2018There is no peace on earth,\u2019 I said.\u201d<\/p>\n
But then, from the depths of that bleak Christmas day, Longfellow heard the irrepressible sound of hope. And he wrote this seventh stanza. The war raged on and so did memories of his personal tragedies, but it could not stop Christmas. The Messiah is born!<\/p>\n
I heard the bells on Christmas Day
Their old, familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet, the words repeat
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!<\/p>\n
And thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along, the unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!<\/p>\n
Till, ringing, singing on its way,
The world revolved from night to day,
A voice, a chime, a chant sublime
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!<\/p>\n
Then from each black, accursed mouth
The cannon thundered in the South,
And with the sound, the carols drowned
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!<\/p>\n
It was as if an earthquake rent
The hearth-stones of a continent,
And made forlorn, the households born
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!<\/p>\n
And in despair I bowed my head;
"There is no peace on earth," I said:
"For hate is strong, and mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!"<\/p>\n
Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
"God is not dead; nor doth he sleep!
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail,
With peace on earth, good-will to men!"<\/p>\n
Till next week, let\u2019s entrust our entire lives to God, for\u00a0
"Notin no de weh God cyaan du."<\/p>\n
Jermaine Gibson<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
God’s glory and the exact imprint of God’s very being, and he sustains all things by his powerful word. Hebrews 1:3 Luke 1:37 (Patois) Merry Christmas my dear Brothers & Sisters! As this Season began, I started, as\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"template":"","watchword_topic":[13],"class_list":["post-44","watchword","type-watchword","status-publish","hentry","watchword_topic-christian-living"],"yoast_head":"\n