Christmas Drips 1 - 31
1.
Light, a flash, a star, a planet; water splashed
from rain to sea. Green things grew, skies turned blue, birds flew, presaging
animals and man.
2.
Light, creative flash of glory; man and woman
tell the story; all of science balanced perfectly. Don’t eat that fruit, or
else the balance breaks.
3.
Smoky meat burned on the fire. Smoky bread, lesser
desire. Grain-grower spurned the shepherd, killed, and spilled blood fed the
earth, but God will save.[i]
4.
Villages grow by river’s flow, caring, sharing,
learning seed and hoe, till rivers go. Just when sunshine burned them dry,
Noah’s flood raised waters high.
5.
We’ll build a tower to heaven they said but
couldn’t agree on how. My way. This way. Obey. Or not, leaving the tower to
rot.
6.
King of a city? Cheddar[ii]
guy’s king of a tribe and the cities are razed. King of a castle? Abraham
rescued his nephew. Melchisedek prayed.
7.
Doing no more sin than everyone else—than God’s
own people did[iii]—it’s
the way of the world. Then Sodom and Gomorrah burned and died.
8.
If you loved Him you’d give Him your son. Prove
undying faith by sacrifice. Or by obedience. God provided Abraham a ram,
provides the Lamb.
9.
Cheated his brother, deceived his father, ran
away from his mother, least of the low. Then Jacob saw stairways to heaven; God
raised him high.
10.
Little brother drove his siblings crazy so they
sold him. Little slave believed and prayed, let God interpret dreams, then
saved the world, including brothers.
11.
Build a city. Name it after me. Where shall it
be? Find some builders. Turn them into slaves. Who shall they be? Ah,
shepherds! Mine.
12.
The women always cause trouble. Pharaoh’s
daughter fell in love with the baby and brought it up. Dear Moses. Now
Granddad’s[iv]
going to get him.
13.
Run away. Give up your dreams, your hope, your
people. See. But fiery mountain, burning bush, and God—“I am”—sent Moses back
to save.
14.
One rule—don’t eat that tree. Ten commandments.
623 laws. One rule—love God alone. One law—love your neighbor; God loves your
neighbor too.
15.
Twelve tribes; they split and recombine; they
take the land, ally, and re-ally—somewhere along the line forgot—alliance with
God’s people means with God.
16.
One nation under God and king, and from his line,
his tribe, his town where shepherd tended flocks, the Lamb will come. His
people watch.
17.
The enemy’s at the door, the army’s at the
gates, and more. The prophet smiles and promises a child, called “God with us.”
God saves.
18.
The people were enslaved, but that’s okay. They
had good food, good jobs; just follow different gods and prosper here. Or feed
the royal lions.
19.
He saw the future, statues, kingdoms, saw them
rise and fall, and over all, he saw one like the Son of Man who saves us.
20.
Exiles return. New enemies burn. Oil’s gone and
the candle’s burned dim. Sufferers pray. God wins the day. Eight days and their
victory’s in Him.
21.
The noisy wife begged, “Pray for a child.” The
noisy priest planned his speech. The quiet angel promised a son and the father
fell silent.
22.
The prophet promised a maiden’s child. The angel
promised it too. Then maiden carried the heavenly babe all wrapped in a human
womb. Rejoice. Rejoice.
23.
Astrologers promised a glorious king. The stars
proclaimed it too. Then wise men rode the desert wide to find where heaven’s
holy child might lie.
24.
Shepherds watched their flocks by night. Glory
shone around too bright. Then shepherds cried, afraid. “Fear not.” God’s angel
promised hope, an infant born tonight.
25.
No room at the uncle’s, the aunt’s, the friend’s
or the lodging house. No room but the stable; it’s warm; there the baby was
born.
26.
He fled to Egypt—Moses fled from there. He lived
in poverty like David did. He healed the sick as prophets did before. He is…
27.
He read God’s word, declared it now fulfilled.
He slipped away from crowns’n crowds. He stilled the storm, as only God can do.
He is…
28.
He raised the dead. He gave sight to the blind,
opened men’s ears. He rode a donkey when they offered warriors and war. He is…
29.
He is the Lamb. He gave his flesh as food. He is
the Man. He gave his blood as wine. He answered them, “I am.”
30.
My every sin led to the cross, my every lie a
thorn, my pride a sword to pierce his side. My savior died for me.
31.
On the third day He rose. Though soldiers
watched and politicians planned, though dreamers ran away. On the third day He
rose. So shall we.
[i]
Abel sacrificed meat to God while Cain sacrificed grain. Jealous of God’s
seeming acceptance of Abel’s sacrifice, Cain killed his brother.
[ii] While
Lot lived in Sodin, the Cities of the Plain rebelled against Chedolaomer who
marched down on them, taking their kings and people hostage. Abraham led an
alliance of nomads to the rescue, and Melchisedek, king of Salem, made an
offering of bread and wine to the most high God.
[iii]
Judges 19
[iv]
If the Pharaoh’s daughter was Moses’ mother, the Pharaoh must be his Granddad.
Comments