It was just nice to have someone else plan the work party events, that’s how I adapted to an event choice that I thought at first was a bit iffy for the crew [and what a great crew we have]. Well, I was wrong about the iffy, we were grateful to have had a good time with great people. And we invited some of the former members of the department as well. 

So yeah, I originally thought “well I didn’t NEED yet another trinket nor mug from a ceramics painting event”, and I don’t, but I was GRATEFUL to see on the top shelf of ONE I really COULD add to my Christmas collection, inside and out, and so I painted Mary and Joseph holding Jesus. 

Ah, the Christmas scene is one envisioned much better than I could paint, and yet Isn’t that true where we put our own colors upon the opportunity of life. And therefore, and since the piece was just within our budgeted level, I embraced it and started painting 88 fleshtone, 13 basic brown, 35 bright blue, and prevailing purple to represent royalty in the Lord, even as a babe, in which scripture tells us Jesus was plain and unremarkable in appearance. I was grateful to have no embarrassment in expressing faith at work, especially with us having a multi-faith ERG employee resource group now at work, SO I gleefully painted and remarked how nice it was to simply sit and paint and relax. Ahhhh…

Embracing the Faith, gifted of the Lord, Who embraced us before we were even born.

Immanuel is “God With Us” and the scriptures remind us that God with us is also now: “GOD WITHIN US”. I enjoy the image portrayal of the ceramic showing the surround of Joseph around Mary around Jesus.  It is the inside glow and greatness, for which I did attach earthly golden and deep purple colors to. It will show vividly after the ceramic has gone through the fire.

Isn’t that us too? Our spirit shines brighter after going through the fire. Faith is kindled and cools our furnace fiasco, our unquenchable burn through life. God gives direction from within, Holy Spirit flames and Living Water become steam to keep moving us like a locomotive, simmering like a cup of tea, and in awe of quiet peace in our souls like a sweet moment of a baby, a mom, a dad. 

Now, we envision this scene from a little bit of clay, but really the simplest of portraits would not capture our hearts image. Isaiah said Jesus would be plain: “There is no beauty that we should desire Him” – so isn’t it most remarkable what our souls see over earthly eyes.

God With Us is Now God Within Us. Can not have a better view than that.

” A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, And the glory of Your people Israel.”

Amen

—

Matthew 1:20-25 NKJV… behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”

So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.”

Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife, and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name Jesus.

—

Isaiah 53 NKJV 

Who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, And as a root out of dry ground. He has no form or comeliness; And when we see Him, There is no beauty that we should desire Him. He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.

Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.

He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, And as a sheep before its shearers is silent, So He opened not His mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment, And who will declare His generation? For He was cut off from the land of the living; For the transgressions of My people He was stricken. And they made His grave with the wicked – But with the rich at His death, Because He had done no violence, Nor was any deceit in His mouth.

Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, And the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand. He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, For He shall bear their iniquities. Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great, And He shall divide the spoil with the strong, Because He poured out His soul unto death, And He was numbered with the transgressors, And He bore the sin of many, And made intercession for the transgressors.

—

Luke 2:25-35 NKJV 

Simeon Sees God’s Salvation

And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was just and devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. So he came by the Spirit into the temple. And when the parents brought in the Child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of the law, he took Him up in his arms and blessed God and said:

“Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, According to Your word; For my eyes have seen Your salvation Which You have prepared before the face of all peoples, A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, And the glory of Your people Israel.”

And Joseph and His mother marveled at those things which were spoken of Him. Then Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary His mother, “Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against (yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”