“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
Isaiah 9:6 ESV
How wonderful is the fact that our Wonderful Counselor, our Prince of Peace, was born in a manger? Christ humbly set aside his heavenly crown to be born as a baby, so that one day, He would die a gruesome death on a cross for our sins. This idea is best said by Paul in Philippines 2:5-11;
“Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
In the spirit of Christmas day, here is a beautiful nativity advent calendar made by Robin Rice.
How she made it: “I embroidered the stable on felt and 25 little pieces. Then I drew out and measured the grid on the calendar and used the satin zigzag stitch to create the lines. Then centered and rebooked for each number in the calendar and embroidered the numbers. I didn’t like how wrinkling the direction one was but am not sure I like the stiffness either. However, I used a something that I found in grandmas stash that was meant for bowls or bags and used that to give it stability. She had the hanger and so I created the sleeve to fit the Star hanger which I felt was appropriate for a nativity scene.”
“Each piece has a felt foundation with different stabilizers that I experimented with as a gained more experience. The best stabilizer was the 2.5 cut away. It was a very big learning process. Taught me a great deal about using the software and transferring designs from the computer to the machine. Stabilizers threads and needles!! So many needles!!!”
It is amazing to see what wonderful creations people can make! Great work, mom! We will treasure this nativity advent calendar for many Christmas to come.
Before Isaiah declared “For to us a child is born…”, he prophesized that the Assyrians would invade Judah because they had rebelled against God for so long. Isaiah declares “And they will look to the earth, but behold, distress and darkness, the gloom of anguish and they will be thrust into thick darkness” ~ Isaiah 8:22. What a depressing declaration? This prophecy is the result of the Israelites sin against God. Even today, our sin and humanly desires make us turn our back on God and rebel. This leads us down a dark and painful path… But have hope! Isaiah doesn’t end there. Christ comes to all of us who are in darkness and seek after him. Isaiah describes this beautiful thought like this, “the people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone.” We are separated from God because of our sin, but He had a far greater plan. He loved us so much that he sent down his one and only son, to be born in a manger and to die on a cross for our sins. This great news that Isaiah declares to the Israelites is a future hope for them; however, for us, Christ has already come! This great news is not something we look forward too, but great news that we can rest our peace and hope in.
I pray that you find peace and a deep joy in the birth of Jesus Christ today and everyday. We need to celebrate this great news each day, not just during the holidays. Christ died for you, so that you may one day live with him in heaven! He loves you and desires to have a personal relationship with you! Merry Christmas from our family to yours !
Quilt Bus 