It was a little interesting to see this scene in my yard: the baby Jesus Christmas light had figure fallen face forward between Mary and Joseph from the big winter storm. But it’s a reminder to think… Think about Jesus STILL SHINING, no matter what… and since Jesus NEVER changes.  NEVER WOULD HIS LIGHT GO OUT. NEVER.  

We could say Jesus especially GLOWS when IN us He GROWS.

He is the Sight of Light Upright. 

…

It was a big windstorm with rain and I must have put the decoration on non-solid ground, simply collapse of the hinge, they are sturdy enough to survive. Would Jesus really do a Faceplant or even make an audible “ugh” from a misstep? Probably surely not. There is not something Jesus would be caught in by surprise. NEVER. Jesus KNOWS His Steps (and ours). Jesus IS the solid rock ground we stand on. Jesus is the One who holds us. He loves before we leap.

The interesting thing about this scene is that when the baby Jesus is glowing (upright or on the ground), He looks the SAME from the front or the back. You might say Jesus can SEE OUT THE BACK OF HIS HEAD. Yet we must realize Jesus KNOWS over seeing, like when the woman touched his robe hem secretly, He knows not only our coming and going, He knew us before we were born. 

A FaceSmack hand to head in disbelief is something I envision Jesus doing in response to my often missteps – giving Him a grimace or a  surprised face. But a FaceSmack from Jesus is highly unlikely since Jesus KNOWS our weaknesses already AND He uses BOTH hands to hold us in COMPASSION. Nope, Nothing surprises Jesus. Not ever. NEVER. 

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Consider the plight of Job, Satan getting a chance to test Him, the chapters of conversations of “WHY?” between Job and his friends, in similarities to God letting and making the placement of His Son into the World (*a path of the Light determined from the beginning*). In the world,  Jesus had to illuminate the darkness. Job says of God: “He reveals the deep things of darkness and brings utter darkness into the light.” In His crucifixion suffering, Jesus never turned away from God even though He stated His questions: ‘My God, My God, Why have You forsaken me?’ AND “Father, if Thou be willing, remove this cup from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Thine be done.” God’s Will was fulfilled and Jesus carried all the weight of our sins upon Himself. God shunned the sin but loved the Son. God made the Light burn bright enough to know how to send Jesus on this mission to remove our sin, and bring Jesus back with us, never to leave again. The Light NEVER goes out.

Jesus is the Word made flesh, a Light, a hope… 

Will Jesus change? Never. Not a chance. Nope. 

Look for the Light.

Be the Light.

Upright. 

Amen 

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Job’s friend Zophar said of God: “if you devote your heart to him and stretch out your hands to him, if you put away the sin that is in your hand and allow no evil to dwell in your tent, then, free of fault, you will lift up your face; you will stand firm and without fear. You will surely forget your trouble, recalling it only as waters gone by. Life will be brighter than noonday, and darkness will become like morning. You will be secure, because there is hope; you will look about you and take your rest in safety.” Job 11:13-18