Friday, December 24, 2010

No Lamb to Sacrifice

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son of the Father, full of grace and truth.  ~John 1:14
Consecrate to me all the first born.  Whatever is the first to open the womb among the people of Israel, both of man and of beast, is mine. ~ Exodus 13:2
And when the days of her purification are completed, whether for a son or for a daughter, she shall bring to the priest at the entrance of the tent of meeting a lamb a year old for a burnt offering, and a pigeon or a turtledove for a sin offering. ~ Leviticus 12:6
And if she cannot afford a lamb, then she shall take two turtle doves or two pigeons, one for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering.
 ~ Leviticus 12:8
 Now when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord (as it is written in the law of the Lord,) "Every male who opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord", and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the law of the Lord, "A pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons." ~Luke 2:22-24
But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, to redeem those who were under the Law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.
~Galatians 4:4-5

According to the law and the requirements of the day, Joseph and Mary were required to make a burnt offering and to present their Son to the Lord.  They could not afford a lamb to offer as a sacrifice.  I envision Mary going to the temple in Jerusalem to present her Son to the Lord with the turtle doves or pigeons, probably wishing she had a bigger sacrifice to offer...such as a lamb.   How could Mary have known that the child she carried to the temple is the Lamb?  The Lamb that would be sacrificed for us all!  He came to this earth as a simple baby.  He lived a simple life of humble means.  He died a horrible death to redeem me and to make me right before a Holy God.  I can barely comprehend His love and the sacrifice He gave, because I am so unworthy.   As I reflect on this Christmas Eve, I am so incredibly grateful.
~
Note:  My four year old is pouting in the last few pictures because she wants to be 'Mary!'  Seems she might be missing the meaning of it all! 
Children love to pretend and play dress-up!  This is a great tradition to start with young children!  We keep a big bin of clothes and items collected through the years to help with the re-enactment.  They can choose from this or use their own imaginations to create outfits.  I send them downstairs to dress and to decide who will do each part.   Even when they are older, have them do a puppet show or a skit.  It is a fun way to remember the birth of our Lord!"

Merry Christmas!

 



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20 comments :

Kathleen said...

Such beautiful children, what a wonderful thing do with them. I discovered your blog a few days ago and I love it! So many great things to see and read. Loved your description of HOME on your profile. Its simply the best I've ever read anywhere, ever!
Merry Christmas to you and your family,
Kathy
Coastal Ga
Upstate SC

Savannah Granny said...

So Precious are the little children. God Bless you and yours with Hope, Health and Happiness during this Holy Season and the New Year. Hugs, Ginger

The Decorative Dreamer said...

So cute! I just came from our church's 5:00o'clock service. It is basically the childrens christmas eve service. My children are older and we have never seen this service as they didn't grow up here so it was quite a treat. There were children dressed as Mary and Joseph, shepherds,wise men and all the animals too. The animals were the ones with the speaking parts. It was quite enjoyable! Merry Christmas to you and your beautiful family! God bless!

Mid-Atlantic Martha said...

How sweet -- they look like they enjoy this. Enjoy your Christmas with your family.

Jules said...

Beautiful post! I love the outfits your children picked out for each part. Very well done and what a great tradition to start with them! I have always invisioned doing something similar with our children one day. (Whenever the Lord provides them.) :o) Merry Christmas!

Margitta said...

Wonderful post on deep truths, beautiful bible passages and adorable children dressed up...

It's me said...

Merry Christmas.......



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Love Ria....

La Table De Nana said...

Oh my gosh this i s so sweet..How wonderful a 4 yr old can pout because she wants to be Mary:)

This is a treasure you have..this little family... Hold on tight..I love watching.

Unknown said...

That is a wonderful way to teach.
May you and your family be blessed this coming year.
Merry Christmas

Kathy said...

Adorable -and of course she wants to be Mary :-)
Bless her heart

Sandi (Meme) said...

How wonderful! They would make great Christmas Cards for next year too. thanks for sharing Sandi

Jennifer @ Her Southern Charm said...

Just discovered your blog and I'm SO inspired by your decor and words of wisdom! Hope you are having a very blessed Christmas season. :)

Maria Babin said...

what a wonderful tradition! such pretty pictures, so sweet!

Anonymous said...

Hi Christie

Happy New Year from Southern California. No snow here but a lot of rain storms and mud slides!

I hope you and your family had a Wonderful Christmas Celebration.

God Bless You, ~Ron

Happy To Be/ Gl♥ria said...

May your New Year be filled with many Blessings and abundances of Joy for 2011. From my mountain to yours, Until next year
Hugs and Smiles Gl♥ria

Sunny Simple Life said...

I so enjoy your blog and wanted to let you know I made your owl cupcakes for my daughter's bday yesterday and just posted them on my blog if you want to see them. I gave you credit though as I knew when I saw them on your blog I would make these for her. Thanks so much everyone loved them.

Crystal @ Ordinary Days said...

Love the pictures. What a great idea. These are precious memories your children will always remember. Happy New Year!

Shann said...

We also make Santa prints for our daughters. Except they are 15 and 12. :) My parents did the same for my sister and I some 40ish years ago. Where did you find those darling elf shoes? I love them!! Happy New Year!

Bonnie said...

I'm kinda glad you haven't posted a new blog. Your blog is on my fav's list and when I check... that adorable pic of the kids make me think of my own and how they would dress up for us on Christmas. Now they are in college, and won't do it for me anymore (sad).

Liz @ the Brambleberry Cottage said...

What a sweet post, Christie! I'm just now getting to catch up a bit on my favorite blogs - like yours - so I'm trying to go back a few weeks and see what I've missed. ;)

This is a beautiful way to teach the children the "true" meaning of Christmas - hands on!

By the way, Exodus 13:2 has been a favorite of mine for many years, since I am a firstborn and my name is Elizabeth, which means "oath or promise of God (loosely translated, it means consecrated to God)."

Blessings,
Liz @ the Brambleberry Cottage
http://thebrambleberrycottage.blogspot.com/

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