A Christmas Miracle

My most recent poem! It really happened, but it was actually a couple nights ago, not last night. :-) May you be encouraged.

Last night I stood beneath the starry sky
So like that sky in Judah long ago.
A radiant light glowed 'round the half-lit moon,
Illuminating all the fallen snow.

Beholding then that peaceful, wintry sight,
I should have felt the joy it stirs within.
Instead I looked up to the sky and asked,
"Throughout my life, Lord God, where have you been?

"I've prayed and prayed for that soul to be saved,
And yet he hasn't turned to You at all.
And often when I come and try to pray,
I feel we're separated by a wall.

"Where is the peace and joy of which men speak?
Why is it, Lord, that people always say
That miracles take place at Christmastime?
I do not think they do, or every may."

These doubts did fill my heart like demon spies;
I wondered whether God was even there.
Alone in misery, I bore within
Those burdens never meant for me to bear.

I turned away from all that starry host
And came inside to mull over each thought,
And though I could not see it, there within
A battle of the heart was being fought.

But God is God, and Victor is His Name,
And through His Word He whispered to my heart,
"My child, I am your God, and yes, I have
Been working in your life right from the start.

"Perhaps the darkness veils Me from your eyes,
But darkness does not mean that I'm not there.
I am your refuge, and I'm always near,
So cast on Me your each and every care."

And as those words fell softly on my heart,
A seed of faith inside began to grow.
Emmanuel, "God with us", came to earth,
So we His love and presence now may know.

That moment as the stars peered in my room,
My failing, fleshly eyes began to see
A Christmas miracle of all the best:
Emmanuel, my Savior, God with me.

The Night the Angels Sang, Part 2

For the rest of his days, Judah could not explain how it all happened, but it was as though God directed them directly to the stable where the Messiah lay.

The three shepherds entered the old stable warily. Judah’s senses immediately took in the surroundings. First was the mixed smell of moldy hay and fresh, clean hay and the unsavory odor of manure from the pens. Filling the room were the chorus of hee-haws; the soft, snorting and nickering and pawing of horses; the low, brooding moo of cattle, which were all very numerous with the huge influx of people that had come to Bethlehem for the taxation. As Judah’s eyes began to adjust to the darkness of the indoors—his eyes were still dazzled by the sights of the angelic visit—he could see dusty cobwebs hanging from rafter to rafter and netting across the hay. He could depict the forms of the cattle, donkeys, horses, and even a few camels. Finally his eyes rested on the sight he was looking for: a young girl, lying amongst the strewn hay; a young man sitting next to her; and before them a low manger, the animals’ feeding trough. Instinctively, Judah took a step closer.

The young man sitting by the woman looked up with large brown eyes, his face marked with rigor, courage, contentment, and love. A brief glance of his eyes served as a survey of the visitors—the very impromptu and perhaps intrusive visitors, Judah felt that he might be thinking. Then the man spoke with a hint of surprise in his voice: “My good men. To what do we owe this visit?”

Alphaeus, the leader as usual, stepped forward. Judah’s eyes flashed from him to the young man to the little figure in the manger—tiny, red, and still. Awe enveloped him as his father spoke: “Forgive us for barging in on you in the way. But—we were given a grand announcement from heaven and—well, we came to see if we might see the—the Messiah. They—they said we would know him by—they said he would be wrapped in swaddling clothes and—and lying in a manger.”

The young woman, who had awakened upon the shepherds’ entrance, turned her wan face towards them, and a light of joy—or something more, Judah could not tell—crossed her tired face, and her parched lips parted in a soft smile. The smile was all the answer the shepherds needed. They reverently approached the very modest, rough feeding trough to have a full glimpse at the one promised by God from the days of Adam. Judah took in the sight with awe. There was nothing apparently outstanding about this baby. He was tiny, and wrapped in plain white swaddling cloths, his eyes were shut tight and he was puckering his mouth a little; and on his head was a soft black fuzz. He was beautiful, and it awed Judah’s heart that this tiny, helpless little baby was actually the Messiah of the world.

“But why are you here?” Alphaeus spoke up with a note of concern in his voice. “This is no place for One so great to enter the world—any child, for that matter.”

“I am afraid we had no other choice, save the streets,” replied the man Joseph, gravely. “There was no room in the inn, but they let us stay here.”

“No room!” Alphaeus repeated the words in the same tenderness. “No room for the Messiah, the Savior?” He looked softly at the sleeping child, and then carefully lifted him out of the manger to his broad chest. “Oh, my Lord,” he whispered, resting the Christ Child against his shoulder, “but there is room in my heart for You.”

To an uninformed beholder, the child in Alphaeus’ arms would seem like just any other baby. But Judah’s eyes, which had beheld the wondrous sights of the angelic heralds of goodwill, knew that this was no ordinary baby. Inside that infant body was the Spirit of the Living God Himself, God in the form of a created human being. This was fully God—and yet He was fully human. It was in that moment that a thought dawned on Judah. The Messiah did not come to overthrow Roman tyranny in a powerful wield of the sword, with banners flying over Him and the shouts of warriors around Him. He had come that night in human flesh to fleshly humans to turn their hearts to Himself—He came quietly, and yet He would change the world.

Couldn't Help but Share :-)

We had our Christmas celebration tonight and I just had to share some of the lovely surprises of the night. :-)

Thank you, dear sister Bethany! :-) Isn't it beautiful!? I always wanted a necklace with my initial on it.

Now this was obviously from someone who knows me well!!

Thank you again, Bethany! I am such a helpless [pea]nut! :-)

Beautiful. Thank you, Teddy dear!! This Willow Tree figurine is called Wisdom. I angled the picture to catch name (white scanned paper on the right) and picture (center back) of two friends that have allowed the Lord to instill in them His wisdom and have been such an encouragement to me. It is the same with Teddy. I am so blessed and humbled as I reflect all the wonderful friends the Lord has brought into my life.

Thank you, Amanda, for the lovely "Day Book"! It is SO me!! :-D

Each page has room to record thoughts for each day, as well as a quote.

My dear pappa and mamma also got me an MP3 player!! I have been wanting one so that I could listen to music when I'm sewing and worshipful music before going to bed (instead of on my computer). I can't show you a picture though, because it's plugged into my computer, synchronizing. :-)

And this is what Daddy and I got for everyone! WOOHOOOO!!! We taped this off of TV ages ago but the tape is getting old and hard to watch, plus it has commercials on it. So when we saw this at the Christian bookstore, we snatched it up for an "everyone" Christmas present! :-D It is, like, such an awesome movie!! It is amazingly close to the Biblical account compared with a lot of "Bible" movies, and Ben Kingsley is amazing as Moses. I highly recommend it.
Daddy also painted for us some adorable Christmas tree ornaments; they have circles in the middle for us to put in pictures! :-D

This Christmas I have been thinking almost more along the lines of thanksgiving. I am so blessed! The Lord is so good! Even though I am so difficult and SO unworthy to even be able to come before Him (and I mean it-- SO unworthy), He loves me and He forgives me and is helping me to know Him better and become more like Him. Because of Jesus Christ, come in the flesh, dying for my sin and rising again, I can have the eternal life that I do not deserve. I am amazed.

Second to all those "spiritual blessings in heavenly places", I'd have to say my favorite Christmas gifts are:and:
What would I do without my family? Daddy, Mommy, Amanda, and Bessie, I love you all SO MUCH!!! The happiest of Christmases to you all.

And to all my friends! You don't know how much each of you means to me. For several years as a pre-teen and young teen, I had very few friends, and often longed for someone my age whom I could really fellowship with over the things of the Lord. Now the Lord has provided me with SO MANY dear sisters in Christ who edify me in my walk with the Lord and challenge me to serve Him. Not only that, but we also share a variety of interests and can enjoy late night chats, share Christmas gift secrets and smuggle presents for our moms, share book/story ideas, dress up together, and so on! You all are so special and I hope you all have the most wonderful Christmas and New Year!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS! :-D

The Night the Angels Sang, Part 1

I wrote this story back in March when reading through the book of Luke. I hope you will enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!

Judah stretched himself out on his back on the grass which was dampened by the cool night mist. He let out a quiet, contented sigh as he gazed on the immaculate dome above him. How he loved a night like this! Not a cloud marred the sparkling display above. A slight, cool breeze swept over the hill and down to the town of Bethlehem slightly beyond. The sheep grazed peacefully, at ease in the knowledge of the care and skill of their keepers. And Judah could lay there in the same peacefulness, as though he were under a spell cast by the beauty of the night, and he could pick out pictures made by the stars above—beautiful pictures that his father had taught him to find during the many nights out in the fields, watching sheep. Judah liked to think that all the pictures worked together to tell a marvelous tale of excitement and adventure.

Some perhaps might find a shepherd’s life dull, inferior, and undesirable. True, there were long, hot days, and long, cold nights; exposure to wind, rain, dust, and the scoffing of others; there were stubborn sheep that refused to listen and caused no end of trouble to the shepherds: searching, shouting, climbing, putting themselves into all kinds of peril to bring them back. And yet there was something about this work that drew Judah. What it was, he could not exactly tell. Perhaps it was the freedom to roam. Maybe it was the delight of caring for—and even bonding with—God’s creatures, out in God’s creation—something few people had a chance to do. But perhaps the reason was nights like these—all the tumults and struggles of the world were quietly left behind, forgotten, for some time, in the mere joy and peace of being as close to God’s original desire for beauty and order as possible. Rome might control the land, it might lay heavy taxation on the people and require registrations—as was the new decree of Caesar’s, in action that very day in the town below—, people might hate and hurt each other… But no one could touch those beautiful, twinkling skies overhead or mar the massive dome. No one could hurt them or move them or change them. Those were God’s stars, and, in Judah’s perspective, like little peepholes into His even more magnificent splendor. Judah wasn’t sure he could ever bear to see a full display of God’s glory and splendor—how terrifying it would be!—and yet he was glad for these peepholes.

“I say it’s time He step in and do something. This world is going down fast.” Judah’s reverie was broken by these agitated words, spoken by a fellow-shepherd, Jonas. Judah hadn’t noticed that there was a conversation going on until just then, and, as much as he wished to hold to the glory of the moment, his interest was too piqued now to return to that. He propped himself up on his elbow and listened to his father’s reply.

“Yes, I also long for the day when God vindicates His people Israel and shows us His glory and redemption,” Alphaeus was answering, his tone of voice confirming the word he had used—“long”.

“Does He not care?” Jonas exclaimed, almost despairingly. “Come, Alphaeus, do you not also wonder that such a great and mighty God can look upon the plight of His own people and let it go on as if it were none of His business?”

His question was following by a long pause, broken only by the soft whisper of the breeze and the quiet bleating of a few sleepless sheep. Judah knew his father well enough to know that this pause was not caused by doubt on his part, or from a feeling of being beaten. He was merely collecting his thoughts, which at least he voiced: “We do not deserve His attentions. We, our people, have rejected His Word, His work, His prophets… We have stubbornly chosen to go our own way, despite His invitation to return. Why would He want to aid us now? And yet—” Jonas had been about to protest, but the “yet” caused him to fall back silently and wait. “And yet,” Alphaeus continued, “I think—I hope—I believe, even—He does see. He must see. He is a God of mercy. If He were not, this world we live in would be burnt to a crisp in no time at all. God has promised redemption, salvation… Messiah. I do not know when He will fulfill this promise, but I know—I know He will, at the perfect time, just as he did in rescuing our people from bondage in Egypt. But oh, that He would act soon!”

This brought a lull in the conversation, which gave Judah time to think. He loved to hear his father speak in this way. He knew that when Alphaeus was a child, he had listened in rapture to the Scriptures read and expounded on the Sabbath, and gleaned all he could of the Sacred Writ. What he had learned, he had taken to heart and then shared them with his children. Judah loved to sit at his father’s feet on the long, lone days of watching sheep, and listen to the great stories of God’s miraculous works in Israel, and to His precious promises in the Psalms and the Prophets. Judah never felt it was his place to voice it, but he, too, wanted to see God fulfill His promise to send a messiah to free His people from this bondage under Rome. And yet he had heard the promise so often repeated by his father, and it sounded so far away—in the past or the future, he knew not—but he wondered if it could possibly happen in his lifetime.

~*~*~*~*~*~

“Oh! Oh, God, have mercy! Have mercy on us!”

The terrified voices again brought Judah to reality. He hadn’t realized until now that at some point his thoughts had grown muddy and he had drifted off to sleep. Now he jerked up at the sound of the voices and became aware of a strange brightness—bright, brighter than the sun—surrounding them, tearing the night sky. Judah looked—and instantly the terror that had enveloped his father and Jonas jumped at him and wrapped him up like a spider does a fly that wandered into her net. For there, in the sun-like magnificence was a man—or at least he looked like a man, and yet at the same time was quite unlike anything Judah had ever seen. The man’s clothes were white and reflected the light so that it almost pained Judah’s eyes to behold. The shining man, the shining garments, the shining sky terrorized the boy, and he fell on his face with muffled cries similar to that of the other shepherds. What was happening? Was this God? Woe to them if it were, for no man could see God and live, Judah had heard, and now he had an inkling why. The brightness nearly blinded him, and he covered his eyes in terror. He clung to the grass, as he seemed to be whirling around in the dizziness of the moment.

“Fear not,” said a warm, unfamiliar voice. The words were like a warm breeze passing over Judah, and his soul began to feel a calmness. He slowly unscrewed his eyelids and peered warily at the glorious display. The shining man was still there, and he was speaking with a tone of mixed compassion, joy, authority… and many other things that Judah couldn’t make out.

“Fear not,” he was saying, “for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy that shall be for all people.”

A tingle of thrill shot down Judah’s back at the words—“good tidings”, “joy”, “all people”. The dread of the moment did not seem quite so great as those words of goodwill came from the heavenly man’s mouth.

“For unto you,” the shining man continued with joy, “is born this day in the city of David—”

That’s Bethlehem, thought Judah.

“—A Savior, who is Messiah, the Lord.”

The words struck Judah like a blacksmith’s anvil, and he could sense the shock from Alphaeus and Jonas as well. Messiah? The Savior? The promised redeemer? Could he really be hearing this man right? Or was this a dream, carried over from the conversation he had overheard that very night?

It was as though the angel anticipated or sensed their doubt, for he then said, “This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby, wrapped in swaddling cloths, and lying in a manger.”

A manger? Judah scarcely had the time to register the thought—Messiah, born in a stable?—for suddenly the angel was joined by an innumerable host. It was as though all the stars had drawn close and were all ablaze on that Palestinian hill, singing in loud, triumphant strains:

“Glory to God in the highest,

and on earth peace, good will toward men!”

The glory was petrifying; the news was petrifying. For a moment, Judah wondered if he had actually died in his sleep and was actually at heaven’s gates. But then, quietly, like a fire being smothered, the heavenly host vanished, the herald among them, and there was again the still night and the cloudless dome of sky—only the stars seemed so much dimmer.

It seemed like a whole minute had passed when Jonas finally said in a shaking voice, “Alphaeus, did you just see what I just saw?”

Alphaeus nodded mutely.

“Did you hear what I just heard?” Jonas added.

Again, Alphaeus nodded, but no words came from his gaping mouth.

“Judah!” Jonas hurried to the boy on shaky legs and grabbed his shoulder as if to make sure he was real. “Judah, did you see a bright light, and a shining man, and a heaven-like choir, and did you hear them say that Messiah was born in Bethlehem yonder?”

“I did.” Judah nodded, realizing that his whole body was in tremors. Silence, strange silence, filled the night air. Realization settled on Judah. He had just seen an angel—a whole host of angels. He had just heard the announcement that God had indeed remembered his promise, made so long ago, and that Messiah Himself, the Savior, was there, in Bethlehem, not a mile away, sleeping in a manger—which meant, a stable. Could it be? Could it really, truly be?

The silence was broken as Alphaeus lifted his palms towards heaven, his eyes still fixed on the spot where they had seen the angel, and said aloud, “Praise be to God, who has visited his people from on high and revealed this glorious news to men of no significance.” Then, on impulse, he stood up and said in a voice almost jolly, “Jonas! Judah! Did you realize? Messiah is come! Come with me; let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us!” And he began to almost run in the direction of the sleeping town.

“But stay!” Jonas grabbed his elbow. “Are you sure? I mean—what if this is all a dream?”

Alphaeus shook off the hand and replied with conviction, “I cannot think it was a dream—we all saw it, and it was too real to be a dream. Here we all are—I can feel the roughness of my cloak on my back sure as day, and I do not remember waking up either.” At that, he turned and headed towards the village.

“But father,” Judah called after him, “what about the sheep?”

“Leave them, leave them, my son!” Alphaeus called over his shoulder. “The Messiah is born!”

If one had been looking in the direction of the hill that night, they would have seen a running procession as the three shepherds, each becoming more and more convinced and excited, sped down the hill towards the sleeping city of David.

(to be continued)

Hebrews 2:5-18

For unto the angels hath he not put in subjection the world to come, whereof we speak. But one in a certain place testified, saying,

"What is man, that thou art mindful of him?
or the son of man, that thou visitest him?
Thou madest him a little lower than the angels;
thou crownedst him with glory and honour,
and didst set him over the works of thy hands:
Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet."

For in that he put all in subjection under him, he left nothing that is not put under him. But now we see not yet all things put under him. But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.

For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren, saying,

"I will declare thy name unto my brethren,
in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee."

And again,

"I will put my trust in him."

And again,

"Behold I and the children which God hath given me."

Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.
For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham. Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

My thoughts: This morning while reading through Hebrews, I was struck and awed by the thought of Jesus taking on flesh, identifying with sinful man, "not ashamed to call [us] brethren", tasting death for us so that we might taste life eternal. In the words our Pastor used last Sunday, "Jesus stooped to the lowest possible place to bring us to the highest possible place." This is the mercy and grace of our wonderful God! This is the meaning of Christmas!

Rejoicing in our living Savior,

~Melanie

Memories of Christmas Past

I remember that Christmas vaguely... it must have been the Christmas when I was seven years old. I remember going to the R's house and Megan giving us little ornaments that she and her mom had made themselves. Each of us received an ornament in red and white stripes of clay bearing the first initial of our names.

Year after year, these ornaments found a place on our tree, and year after year, we thought of our dear friend Megan who had moved far away to Maine.

Then for several years we did not have a Christmas tree, and the ornaments did not go up. Two years ago we got a new tree and pulled the ornaments out again. Finding a place for my clay ornament on the tree, I thought of my friend Megan and wondered where she was and what she was doing. Perhaps she is married, I wondered. Or perhaps she is at college. Wherever she was, I dreamed of meeting up with her one day in the future.

Most of you may remember the shock we experienced this April at the news that Megan had been accidentally shot and killed by a hunter in December of 2006 (see posts here and here). Today is has been three years since she went to be with the Lord, though to us it hasn't even been a year yet. Looking at those ornaments, I remember the sweet friendship we had with Megan, the pain of learning of her death, and the joy and comfort in knowing that we will see her one day in Heaven.

Losing someone you love is a hard thing. This Christmas will be our second without our Grandma Wolfe; it will be Brian W's first with his wife and kids; it will be my Aunt Lois' first without her niece Angela; it will be the R's third without Megan. And yet, at this time so often associated with peace and joy, we can have peace and joy. When Jesus Christ came to earth, it was to live a perfect life and take our sins upon Himself, redeeming us to Himself so that we might have life in His Name and access to the Father. Christmas is about life-- eternal life. Without Jesus, Emmanuel, we would not have this life, and yet He came and lived and died and rose again-- and He has given us abundant life! Because of Him, death does not have that same sting that it has for others, as we know that beyond it lies eternal life in the presence of God-- never-ending, joy-filled, wondrous LIFE!

We can rejoice in the this hope that we have in Christ, for it is a well-grounded hope, a promise from One who is always faithful and true. While we may miss the people who have gone Home before us, we may joy in the fact that theirs and our relationship with Jesus is unshakable, and we are pressing on towards that day when we will be with those others, with Jesus, in heaven.

With the Christmas season underway, I encourage you to not be swept up in the false joy that the world has during this time, but set your eyes on Jesus Christ-- "In Him was life, and the life was the light of men" (John 1:4). We have so much to praise Him for!

"Hail the heav'n born Prince of Peace!
Hail the Sun of Righteousness!
Light and life to all He brings,
Ris'n with healing in his wings.
Mild He lays His glory by,
Born that man no more may die,
Born to raise the sons of earth,
Born to give them second birth."
-Charles Wesley, 1739

Merry Christmas!

TO MY DEAR BLOG FRIENDS,

MAY CHRIST, THE WORD MADE FLESH FOR YOUR REDEMPTION, BE THE CENTER OF YOUR CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION AND YOUR WHOLE YEAR.

A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU ALL!

LOVE,

MELANIE

THE WORD

"In the beginning was the Word,

and the Word was with God,

and the Word was God.
The same was in the beginning with God.
All things were made by him;

and without him was not any thing made that was made.
In him was life;

and the life was the light of men.
And the light shineth in darkness;

and the darkness comprehended it not...

And the Word was made flesh,

and dwelt among us,

(and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,)

full of grace and truth...

For the law was given by Moses,

but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.
No man hath seen God at any time;

the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father,

he hath declared him...

Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world."

(John 1:1-5, 14, 17-18, 29)

O Come, O Come Emmanuel

"O come, O come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

"O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free
Thine own from Satan's tyranny;
From depths of hell Thy people save
And give them vict'ry o'er the grace.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to Thee, O Israel!

"O come, Thou Dayspring, come and cheer,
Our spirits by Thine advent ehre;
And drive away the shades of night,
And pierce the clouds and bring us light!
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to Thee, O Israel!

"O come, Thou Key of David, come,
And open wide our heav'nly home;
Make safe the way that leads on high,
And close the path to misery.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to Thee, O Israel!"

-Latin Hymn, 12th century; trans. John M. Neale, 1818-1866

Malachi 4:2

"But unto you that fear my name shall the

Sun of righteousness

arise with healing in his wings."

Malachi 4:2

Malachi 3:1

"Behold, I will send my messenger,

and he shall prepare the way before me:

and the Lord, whom ye seek,

shall suddenly come to his temple,

even the messenger of the covenant,

whom ye delight in:

behold, he shall come,

saith the LORD of hosts."

Malachi 3:1

Isaiah 40:3-5

"The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness,

Prepare ye the way of the LORD,

make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
Every valley shall be exalted,

and every mountain and hill shall be made low:

and the crooked shall be made straight,

and the rough places plain:
And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed,

and all flesh shall see it together:

for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it. "

Isaiah 40:3-5

Genesis 49:10

"The sceptre shall not depart from Judah,

nor a lawgiver from between his feet,

until Shiloh* come;

and unto him shall the gathering of the people be."

Genesis 49:10

*Shiloh, according to Strong's Exhaustive Concordance, means tranquil and is a term for "the Messiah". Jamieson, Faussett, and Brown Commentary suggests it means "the sent", "the seed", and/or "the peacable and prosperous one".

Micah 5:2

"But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah,

though thou be little among the thousands of Judah,

yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel;

whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting."

Micah 5:2

Zechariah 9:9

"Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion;

Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem:

Behold, thy King is cometh unto thee;

He is just, and having salvation;

lowly, and riding upon an ass

and upon a colt the foal of an ass."

Zechariah 9:9

Isaiah 11:1-11

"And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse,

and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:
And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him,

the spirit of wisdom and understanding,

the spirit of counsel and might,

the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD;
And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD:

and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes,

neither reprove after the hearing of his ears:
But with righteousness shall he judge the poor,

and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth:

and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth,

and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.
And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins,

and faithfulness the girdle of his reins.
The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb,

and the leopard shall lie down with the kid;

and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together;

and a little child shall lead them.
And the cow and the bear shall feed;

their young ones shall lie down together:

and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp,

and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice' den.
They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain:

for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD,

as the waters cover the sea.
And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse,

which shall stand for an ensign of the people;

to it shall the Gentiles seek:

and his rest shall be glorious.
And it shall come to pass in that day,

that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time

to recover the remnant of his people..."

(Isaiah 11:1-11a)