Our Dear Saviour's Birth!!!

The Holy Gospel Of Jesus Christ, According To Luke

Luke 2, verses 1-52

Geneva Bible

 

 

 

Augustus Caesar taxeth all the world. 7 Christ is born. 13 The Angels` Song. 21 Christ is circumcised. 22 Mary purified. 28 Simeon taketh Christ in his arms. 29 His Song. 36 Anna the Prophetess. 40 The child Christ. 36 Jesus disputeth with the doctors.

 

01 And it came to pass in those days, that there came a decree from Augustus Caesar, that all the world should be taxed. 02 (This first taxing was made when Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 03 Therefore went all to be taxed, every man to his own city. 04 And Joseph also went up from Galilee out of a city called Nazareth, into Judea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem (because he was of the house and lineage of David,) 05 To be taxed with Mary that was given him to wife, which was with child. 06 ¶And so it was, that while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. 07 And she brought forth her first begotten son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a cratch, because there was no room for them in the inn. 08 ¶And there were in the same country shepherds, abiding in the field, and keeping watch by night over their flock. 09 And lo, the Angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone about them, and they were sore afraid. 10 Then the Angel said unto them, Be not afraid: for behold, I bring you glad tidings of great joy, that shall be to all the people, 11 That is, that unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. 12 And this shall be a sign to you, Ye shall find the babe swaddled, and laid in a cratch. 13 And straightway there was with the Angel a multitude of heavenly soldiers, praising God, and saying, 14 Glory be to God in the high heavens, and peace in earth, and toward men good will. 15 And it came to pass when the Angels were gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said one to another, Let us go then unto Bethlehem, and see this thing that is come to pass, which the Lord hath showed unto us. 16 So they came with haste, and found both Mary and Joseph and the babe laid in the cratch. 17 And when they had seen it, they published abroad the thing that was told them of that child. 18 And all that heard it, wondered at the things which were told them of the shepherds. 19 But Mary kept all those sayings, and pondered them in her heart. 20 And the shepherds returned glorifying and praising God, for all that they had heard and seen, as it was spoken unto them. 21 ¶And when the eight days were accomplished, that they should circumcise the child, his name was then called Jesus, which was named of the Angel, before he was conceived in the womb. 22 And when the days of her purification, after the Law of Moses, were accomplished, they brought him to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord, 23 (As it is written in the Law of the Lord, Every man child that first openeth the womb, shall be called holy to the Lord,) 24 And to give an oblation, as it is commanded in the Law of the Lord, a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons. 25 And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon: this man was just, and feared God, and waited for the consolation of Israel, and the holy Ghost was upon him. 26 And it was declared to him from God by the holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen that Anointed of the Lord.

27 And he came by the motion of the spirit into the Temple, and when the parents brought in the babe Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the Law, 28 Then he took him in his arms, and praised God, and said, 29 Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word, 30 For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, 31 Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people, 32 A light to be revealed to the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.

Appalachia: The "final" frontier

Bold, hearty and pious. This is the typical description of those hale and hearty Scotch and Scotch-Irish who settled in Apaalachia. Their general deference to Protestant William of Orange (above) is where the term "hillbilly" is believed by many to have originated.

Among the joys I have been blessed to savor in my worship life, one of the more eclectic actually takes place prior to it. There is no landscape on Earth, as far as I'm concerned, as captivating as the Autumn foliage in western Pennsylvania. I know I speak for untold millions in expressing my adoration for it. Settling centuries ago in those hills; some being perhaps unwittingly catalytical in the forging of a new nation. Others would boldly exude the vigilance to this end;either in the temporal or ecclesiastical vein, as the elect are called to do. Brings to my mind people like Lazarus Stewart from the Paxton Boys, who railed for parity in the then Quaker dominated commonwealth. Or Elder Hugh Wylie of Washington,Pennsylvania , who was expelled from the Presbyterian Church in 1809 for sorting mail on the Sabbath!


A rich heritage! Indeed, a most hale and hearty bequest that could only have been the result of Divine favor! Have we always been good stewards of that bequest? Or does the debacle of Presbyterian mission in the 18th and 19th centuries serve as a regrettable blueprint/ harbinger of the tendency of some of our most illuminated and academically inclined to misguage and confuse the methods with the objectives? The latter goes the distance in explaining why our faith is nowhere near as prevalent as it should be in our region.

Braving a relentless barrage of inclimate conditions, sleep deprivation and hostile Indians, itinerant Methodist circuit riders  spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ in Appalachia. If you believed in the Word of God and knew the mechanics of Scripture, horsemanship and the use of a firearm, you pretty much met the Methodist criteria for mission.

One of the more celebrated of the itinerant riders was a  Methodist cleric named James "Gip" Hardin. Rev Hardin travesed much of the Lone Star state; finally settling in Trinity County, Texas. He would establish a school there in honor of the mortal catalyst in the founding of Methodism, John Wesley.
It's sad that the man's son would become even more well known as the murderous outlaw that once killed a man for snoring.

The Baptist and Methodist traditions thrived in Appalachia due in part to their more practical approach to witness. I admit to a measured envy of their pragmatism.Presbyterians on the other hand were so engrossed in making certain a defender of the Gospel had his accreditative ducks in a row that we missed many a boat- in terms of timely and consistent witness for Christ; who is the SOLE author of all legitimate academia.

 We as Presbyterians pride ourselves on the scholasticism inherent in our walk with God. Consequently, we tend to blur the line between method and objective. I'm not saying we abandon Hosea 4:6. What I'm saying is we should bear Daniel 12:10 in mind a bit more consistently. I praise God that more and more light is being shed to on this and many have been led to a resolve not to perpetuate the near- debacle of centuries past!

Hats off the the Orthodox Presbyterian Church for its extensive grassroots work here at home! The enshrinement of pluralistic thinking has left no less an uncatechised vaccuum than that which exists in the former Soviet block.