Life from the Middle

Another day closer to Christmas 2oo7. Yeah! (sarcasm). I’m not a big fan of the holidays, never really have been, never will. I do get a kick out of watching the kids. “A” had fun on her birthday, she got 10 clues to help lead her to her new bicycle. She was very happy. She has been playing on Club Penguin lately and having a ball. “M” is having fun there as well. It is a heavily moderated gathering of “penguins” that can do things or just waddle around and play games. It is part of the Disney company.

The other night at the table we were quizzing each other on the manger scene and it came up as to what Frankencense and Myrrh were. I discovered that Frankincense is a resin that is burned for its aroma and that Myrrh was used for incense, perfume, and medicine. But while finding this information I also found out that there are several things incorrect with the nativity scene we are all familiar with. Matthew 2:1 tells us that wise men came from the east, it does not say how many or how they got there. So we do not know that there were three or that they even rode camels, it does not say. It is assumed that there were three because Matthew 2:11 tells of bringing the gifts of gold, Frankencense, and Myrrh. The names of the wise men Gaspar, Melchior, and Balthasar did not come from the bible and don’t even show up in Christian literature until 500 years after the birth of Jesus. There is no mention that the wise men were kings either. And they did not visit him in the stable in the manger, according to Matthew 2:11 “And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshiped him..” So they came in to a house. And according to Luke 2 , it was shepherds who visited him in the stable not the wise men. Just a bit of trivia that I ran across on Snopes, and Life of Christ. Just thought it was interesting.

Not much else going on right now, so I bid you Adieu /mlm