Volume 1 Number 5
Christmas Special Edition
In this Issue From the Editor.................................................... page 4 A Dominican’s Dithyramb...................................... page 6 A Christmas Tree from the Outside......................... page 8 A Word about Christmas Decorations.................... page 10 Faith and Tradition.............................................. page 12 Gifts................................................................. page 14 Christmas Is Coming!......................................... page 16 Shepherds......................................................... page 18 Katholic Kitchens................................................ page 20 Christmas Wordsearch........................................ page 34
Convergent Streams Vol. 1 No. 5
Guest Writers: The Very Rev. Terry Elkington Rev. Fr. Andrew Smith Rev. Mrs. Dollie Wilkinson
This publication is an outreach ministry serving the entire Independent Sacramental Movement, operated by the Independent Old Catholic Churches’ publishing office, the Office of Communications and Media Relations. Copyright 2013 All rights reserved.
Rev. Fr. Brian Wolf
Executive Editor: The Right Rev. Gregory Godsey Managing Editor: The Very Rev. David S. Jennings Editor-at-Large: The Right Rev. A. Edmund N. Cass Contributing Editors: The Very Rev. Prior Michael Beckett
From the Editor The Right Rev. Gregory W. Godsey editor@convergentstreams.org
W
hen I was first approached about creating a Christmas Edition of Convergent Streams I thought these people must be mad! However, the submissions started to role in and I found that there was far more interest than I had imagined. It seems that we all have a longing for that time of birth, presents and family. It is a time when we set aside the daily squabbles and come together to witness anew the birth of the Christ Child in the lowly stable in Bethlehem.
For unto us a child is born, and unto us a son is given. And leadership is placed upon his shoulder. And his name shall be called: wonderful Counselor, mighty God, father of the future age, Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6) We call this Child the Prince of Peace, but how often do we as representatives of this Child fail to spread that peace? Day in and day out we battle each other over who is the better Christian, who has more valid Apostolic Succession, who has more parishioners, who has the biggest...Church...and all while proclaiming to be an ambassador for the Prince of
Peace. This Christmas we have a chance to change our thinking. We can change our attitude and the way we look at each other and the world. We can begin to look at those around us, those in our churches, those in sister jurisdictions through Kingdom Eyes. (Props to Deacon Brian West for the phrasing!) We can begin to see each other, not as enemies, but as fellow workers in the Kingdom of God. We can set aside petty differences and work together on things we all agree on. We can actually start living like the followers of the Prince of Peace that we claim to be. Then and only then, will we see real change in the ISM, in the world and in those around us every day.
down. Give us the wisdom to discern those things which are necessary for salvation and those that are man-made hindrances to unity. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. This is truly my prayer for the ISM. It was the prayer of Jesus over 2000 years ago when he prayed that we would be one. I offer this prayer to each of you, I release it into Public Domain, and give you my blessings to use it as you see fit. That’s right, it is my Christmas Gift to the ISM. May the light of the Christ Child burn brightly in your hearts this Christmas season! +Gregory
At the end of each Mass the members of the IOCC pray a prayer for the Independent Sacramental Movement. It is a prayer that I wrote several years ago at the prompting of a priest in our church. That prayer reads: God of Love, through the intercession of Saints Cyril and Methodius, Grant the Independent Sacramental Movement unity in our diversity. Help us to work together to reach those that are left marginalized and alone in the world. Give us the strength to work together without ego and to build up your Kingdom, rather than tear each other
A Dominican’s Dithyramb The Very Rev. Prior Michael Beckett msgrbeckett@myiocc.org
I
Happy Holidays Debate
t’s that time of year again. The time for all and sundry to argue the finer points of holiday greetings: Merry Christmas versus Happy Holidays, and for the condemnation of using Xmas instead of Christmas. At the risk of being seen as a non-Christian minister, or a politically correct one, and abandoning or at least not defending my faith and my Lord, I feel compelled for some odd reason, to offer a defense of the use of Happy Holidays and Xmas. So here goes.... “Happy Holidays.” Now really, what’s wrong with that? It’s a pleasant wish that encompasses good wishes for an entire month and a half long season. Granted, that “season” is usually meant to be the period between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day, and is usually understood to include only Christmas and New Year’s Day. However, in that time period, what other holidays are there? “Happy Holidays” is a collective and inclusive wish for the period
encompassing Thanksgiving, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the Winter solstice, Christmas Day (The Nativity of the Lord), Boxing Day and St. Stephen’s Day, St. John’s Day, the New Year and Epiphany, and it would take me forever to get through the list, if I could remember the list at all, just to give a pleasant hello to someone! “Happy Holidays” is just easier! Most of the aforementioned holidays ARE Christian holidays, though, so what’s wrong with “Happy Holidays?” Leaving those “Happy Holidays” that are in the Christian calendar for a few minutes; let’s look at the ones that aren’t Christian holidays. Granted, I don’t really consider the Winter solstice a holiday, so I could omit that one altogether and not feel too bad about it. Kwanzaa is celebrated by our African American brothers and sisters and is not a substitute for Christmas, nor is it a religious holiday. Wishing
someone a happy Kwanzaa does nothing to deny Christianity, but it’s a holiday that I personally don’t celebrate, since I’m not African American. I DO have many African American friends, however, and most certainly wish them all a happy and joyous Kwanzaa, as well as Christmas! Hanukkah is a Jewish festival, celebrating a miracle that occurred way back in the 2nd century BCE. Also known as the Festival of Lights, it is an eight-day Jewish holiday commemorating the rededication of the Holy Temple (the Second Temple) in Jerusalem at the time of the Maccabean Revolt. The story of Hanukkah is alluded to in the book of 1 Maccabees and 2 Maccabees, but Hanukkah is not specially mentioned; rather, a story similar in character, and obviously older in date, is the one alluded to in 2 Maccabees 1:18, according to which the relighting of the altar fire by Nehemiah was due to a miracle which occurred on the 25th of Kislev, and which appears to be given as the reason for the selection of the same date for the rededication of the altar by Judah Maccabee. Now, 1 and 2 Maccabees are not considered canonical books by most Protestants, but are included in the Apocrypha, which IS in Catholic and Orthodox Bibles. So while Hanukkah is not a Christian holiday, per se, it can be considered Biblical. And since it celebrates the lighting of the rededication of the Temple and is celebrated with
lights, and Christ is “the Light of the World,” Happy Hanukkah to my Jewish friends! The day after Christmas is Boxing Day, which is celebrated in the Commonwealth countries. The tradition of Boxing Day has long included giving money and other gifts to those who are needy and in service positions, and the European tradition has been dated to the Middle Ages. Shouldn’t we, as Christians, do this year round, and not just during the “holidays”? New Years Day: Now, there’s a pagan holiday for you! The Romans dedicated this day to Janus, the god of gates, doors, and beginnings. The month of January was named after Janus, who had two faces, one looking forward and the other looking backward. It is from this Roman custom that we get the making of New Year’s resolutions: looking backward, we resolve to not do something or other, and looking forward, we resolve TO do something or other. Among the 7th century pagans of Flanders and the Netherlands, it was the custom to exchange gifts at the New Year. So, I guess I’m asking, should we as Christians NOT celebrate the new year and not wish everyone a “Happy New Year”? If this is the case, then we should certainly avoid making New Year’s resolutions, too. And then, there are the religious holidays that (Continued on page 26)
Guest Writer The Rev. Father Bryan Wolf frwolf@myiocc.org
A Christmas Tree from the Outside
T
he peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all this Advent.
We were challenged by our Father General, to consider a sermon keeping the Christmas tree somewhat in mind when we consider the theme. There were at first many possibilities, but none that seemed to jump to the front. I thought of the traditional recollections, of how the Christmas tree came to be. The folklore story of Martin Luther walking back to his church on a winters’ night and pausing to gaze up at the stars twinkling beyond the branches of an evergreen. How he set up such a tree within his church adorned with candles, which reminded him of that night. Then I thought of the legend of St. Boniface and how, confronted by the pagans in Germany he was on a mission to convert, he cut down
the beloved oak tree they worshipped and built a church to St. Peter with it’s wood. After winter, an evergreen sprig sprouted from the stump of the oak he’d cut down- an evergreen that would endure winter after winter. As I wrestled with the thought for an idea to choose, the Spirit spoke to me in the musings of Sister Dollie. She compares herself to a Christmas tree, “nothing special under all [her] glittery adornments, but yet you [we] welcome me [her] as a sister in Christ.” Dearest child of God, you are indeed an inspiration and worthy of our love. How we all are like Christmas trees. We have somewhere to go, someone to see and we will spend hours preparing. We shower, pick out our nicest clothes or compare patterns and colors, then to the mirror to groom. Is my hair perfect? Does this shirt match my pants? Does it make me look fat? Is
this bling to much? Yes, we are adorned Christmas trees. Only when we have judged ourselves perfect, can we be good enough to go out- to be put in front of the window where everyone can see.
True, but they only see us then from the outside. Like carolers strolling by on a winter night looking at the beautiful Christmas trees beyond the frosty windows. They never see just the tree. Those imperfections hidden beneath the strings of lights, ornaments and tinsel- the broken branches, the twisted trunk and of course those bare spots. Before God, we are naked Christmas trees. God sees our broken branches, our twisted trunk and yes, our bare spots. God adorns us with love and, unlike our own critical review of ourselves- God embraces us with all our imperfections, faults and “bare spots.” God knows that we are indeed special-
for God is our Creator and we are his created. We are the sheep of His flock and He is our shepherd, regardless of the brightness and quality of our wool. It is as when we chose that naked tree, to become our Christmas tree. We chose it for it’s shape, its size, it’s fullness and most importantly- for it’s potential. Then we bring it home and adorn it with lights, tinsel and a star. It becomes a beautiful Christmas treeand we place it in front of the window. My almighty Creator. You see me as I am. Naked, I kneel before you in all my imperfection. I am like that evergreen tree- broken, twisted and bare. Make me into a Christmas tree, almighty Godso that I might radiate your love and bring joy to all those that I meet on this journey through life. Make me worthy of their friendship, and of your love and promise of eternal life. I kneel before you, my Lord Jesus, as you lay in the manger. I adore and worship you. May the joy, peace, hope and promise of Christmas never end! Amen. “For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given- and the government will be upon his shoulders; and he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.” [Isaiah 9:6]
Guest Writer The Very Rev. Terry Elkington friarterry1@gmail.com
F
A Word about Christmas Decorations
or this Advent Season let us explore and understand the meaning of the Christmas Tree. Although I have no reference as to when this story came about. I feel all of us from adults to children will understand it. The History of the Christmas Tree According to tradition: The Christmas Tree originated in Riga, Latvia. The Christmas legend says that a monk named Boniface used its triangular shape to to explain the trinity – that God was Father, Son and Holy Spirit. From that point on, the Germans call the tree “God’s Tree.” By the 16th century they Western Germany in the 16th century, they were used in plays to represent the tree in the garden with Adam and Eve and were decorated with apples. They were called “Paradeisbaum” (Paradise
Trees) and were soon brought into homes and still decorated with apples and other fruits to celebrate Christmas. Later, dates, pretzels, and nuts were also used to decorate the tree. The evergreen was recognized as a symbol of eternal life. Soon candles were soon added the evergreen branches to represent the stars and that Jesus was the light of the world. Besides apples and other fruits, tradition says they also added Communion wafers wrapped in gold and silver foil that represented the fact that Jesus came into the world to save it, that like the communion bread, his body would be broken to save us from sin. Later the wafers were replaced with cookies cut into the shapes of bells, angels, stars, and hearts. Gold Christmas Bulb The Gold Christmas bulb reminds us of Heaven which is filled with the glory of 10
God. The Bible tells us that in Heaven, the streets of the city are pure, clear gold-like glass (Rev.21:21). God wants you to be with Him in Heaven someday. Red Christmas Bulb Red Christmas Bulb The Red Christmas Bulb shows the way God made for you to have your sins forgiven-taken away. God loves you. He sent His own Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, from Heaven to take the punishment for your sin (John 3:16). Jesus came into the world to save us from punishment for sin. He is called our Savior! “…the blood of Jesus Christ, God’s Son, cleanses us from all sin” (I John 1:7). White Christmas Bulb The white Christmas bulb reminds us that you can be made clean from sin. When we sin, we can tell god about our sin, and ask forgiveness and when we do his blood washes away our sin and makes us white as snow! (I John 1:9). The Green Christmas Bulb The green Christmas bulb reminds us of the new life, everlasting life, we can receive from God. The Bible tells us to “grow in grace in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ” (II Peter 3:18).
was giving his life to God was baptized in water. Christmas Lights Jesus was born as a light of the world. He came to bring us out of darkness and into the light. Do you want to walk in the light of Jesus this Christmas? A Silver or Gold Star You can add a star at the top of the Christmas tree as a reminder that the wise men followed the star looking for Jesus. Will you seek Jesus this Christmas? Now as you look upon a Christmas tree you will appreciate what you see .
The Very Rev. Terry Elkington is the Vicar General of the Diocese of the Four Corners in the International Old Catholic Churches, Inc. He and his husband Scott live in Salt Lake City, Utah. They are working to build the Oratory of Saints Raphael and Dominic.
The Blue Christmas Bulb The blue bulb is the same as water. Jesus, to show he 11
Guest Writer Reverend Father Andrew Smith sscyrilandmethodius@yahoo.com
Faith and Tradition
A
s the holidays approach, I am reminded of the many traditions that my family had to make the season special. The special Christmas Eve supper of sausage at Grandma and Grandpa’s before going to church, decorating cookies and hanging them on the tree, gathering around the piano and singing carols or just playing the Christmas records on the record player (I still have those LP’s) ; all to celebrate the birth of a baby some two millennia ago.
One would think that a birth that long ago would be long forgotten, but this was no ordinary baby and no ordinary birth. This was the birth of our
Savior. It was then, as it is now, a time of joy. It is a time filled with many traditions, a time when we do certain things because of the specialness of the time. We often get caught up in the commercialism of the holiday season and forget that if it were not for this remarkable birth, we would not be gathered here together. The stories are familiar, we have heard them all of our lives. Is it just me or do you find the stories NEW each year? I have found something different each year in the telling and hearing of the birth narratives; some new aspect, some new insight that brings a new understanding of the importance of what happened that night in Bethlehem. Most of which involve the importance of faith and family, from the genealogy of Jesus, to the importance of the Holy Family itself and how all of it relates to us and our families. I think about two Christmases in my family that, for very different reasons, illustrate the importance of family and the heart of the Christmas spirit. The first was in 1972. My mom, 12
dad, sister and I all had the flu. Not to “spoil family traditions”, we still baked and decorated cut out cookies, strung them, and hung them on the tree. This was, normally a one-day affair. It however became a four- day adventure. My brother came home from college to find us in various stages of being sick. He took on the role of “nursemaid” and kept things going. Afterward he said it was the most relaxing vacation he had had because the rest of us were sleeping 90% of the time. This was also the year my dad gave my mom a new bicycle, which she rode back and forth in the living room (which was 30 feet long) and ended up falling over and slicing her ankle; all in all a memorable Christmas. I have one photo of that Christmas. It is of my sister in the living room, looking like warmed over death, with the aforementioned bicycle in the background. The other Christmas that stands out is the Christmas of 1994. This was by far the most poignant Christmas in my life. Six months earlier, my dad had been diagnosed with cancer. Christmas was his favorite holiday, and he always tried to get some new decoration or ornament for the occasion. That year he was very weak from the chemotherapy, his diabetes and having had two strokes in the previous year. He somehow managed to purchase a Toy Soldier nutcracker. Why a nutcracker? We never did find out. He also made two of his special sugar-free apple pies for the pastor of our church (which
never got delivered). On Christmas Eve morning I was having my coffee before leaving for work. Dad surprised me by getting up early and having coffee with me. He also got a phone call from his brother. I left for work and was there for maybe two hours when my mom called to tell me that she had called 911; that dad had had a heart attack. Dad passed peacefully on the operating table at 1:00 that afternoon. When the doctor came in to tell us of dad’s passing, my then 4-year-old niece said, “Grandpa went to Baby Jesus’ birthday party”. The doctor almost broke down crying. Once again this did
not stop certain traditions. After all the duties of making arrangements were taken care of, we gathered at my sister’s (Continued on page 29) 13
A Dominican’s Dithyramb The Very Rev. Prior Michael Beckett msgrbeckett@myiocc.org
Gifts What you are is God’s gift to you. What you become is your gift to God. During this time of the year, many of our thoughts turn to gifts: giving and receiving, what we want to give, what we want to receive, what will please those we love, the shopping, the ordering, the wrapping, the general hustle and bustle of the Christmas season centering around gifts ad infinitum, donating to the people with the red kettles and bells so the less fortunate can have gifts..... And then there’s the practice of ‘re-gifting,’ passing along that unwanted or unusable gift that we were given, to someone else, so that they will have SOMETHING, and so that they too, can possibly pass that pink and orange and green plaid scarf along, re-gifting it themselves to someone else who won’t use it either.... and sometimes by some freak chance that unwanted item comes back to us several years later....and not much too worse for the wear.... And is regifting, as amusing (and cheap)
as it may seem, necessarily a bad thing? Why all this focus on giftgiving and gift-receiving at this time of year? The union of Christmas and gift giving was a gradual one; actually, the full story of the bright packages beneath the tree, like most of our Christmas customs, begins in the days before the birth of Christ. In ancient Rome, gifts were exchanged during the New Year’s celebrations. At first these gifts were simple, such as a few twigs from a sacred grove and small items of food. Many gifts were in the form of vegetables in honor of the fertility goddess Strenia. During the Northern European Yule, (yep, the yuletide season is a pagan thing) fertility was celebrated with gifts made of wheat products, such as bread and alcohol. Like many of the old and pagan customs, exchanging gifts was difficult to get rid of 14
even as Christianity spread and gained official status. Early church leaders tried to outlaw the custom, but the people cherished it too much to let it go. St. John Chrysostom urged no compromise with heathen abominations, but he, too, failed in this tenacity of hanging on to the tradition of gift giving. Since there was no general agreement about the exact date of the birth of Jesus, it must have seemed helpful to have it supersede the Saturnalia, so the rebirth of the sun became instead the birth of the Son of God, and the church leaders looked for a Christian justification for the practice of all this gift giving. This justification was found in the Magi’s act of bearing gifts to the infant Jesus, and in the concept that Christ was a gift from God to the world, bringing in turn the gift of redemption and everlasting life.
gift of His Son, Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He has given us the gift of eternal life: “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23 (NIV); The gift of salvation: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.” Ephesians 2:8 (NIV); And the gifts that are unique to each of us: “We each of us have our own individual gifts: But each of you has your own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that.” 1Corinthians 7:7 (NIV)
What you are is God’s gift to you. What you become is your gift to God.
We learn about the 7 Gifts of the Spirit in Isaiah 11:2-3: “2 The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him— the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the LORD— 3 and he will delight in the fear of the LORD. He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears;” (NIV)
Wikipedia defines a gift as the transfer of something without the expectation of receiving something in return. Although gift-giving might involve an expectation of reciprocity, a gift is meant to be free. By extension the term “gift” can refer to anything that makes the other happier or less sad, especially as a favor, including forgiveness and kindness. God’s gifts to us are free and clear. He has given us the
Besides the obvious gift of His Son, and the forgiveness that we receive through Him whom we receive by faith, what other gifts has God given specifically to you? What talents have you received? What blessings have been given to you?
And more importantly, what are you doing with those gifts? What are you giving back to God? What are you “becoming” (Continued on page 30) 15
Guest Writer The Rev. Father Bryan Wolf frwolf@myiocc.org
Christmas Is Coming!
W
e can sense the excitement in the air! Christmas is but a couple of weeks away! The joyous birthday celebration of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. But what of that very first Christmas? It really wasn’t even Christmas then. Bethlehem. A small town located in the hills of Judea, a not ten miles from Jerusalem. Rich in the history of the Jewish people. Rachel is buried here, and it was here that Ruth and Boaz met and were marriedultimately becoming the great grandparents of David, second king of the Jews. “Thus says the Lord, you Bethlehem... from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler of all Israel.” [Micah 5:2] “He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord, his God. And they will live securely, for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the
earth. And he will be our peace...” [Micah 5:4-5] When it was announced that a census was to be taken by Quirinius (Roman Governor of Syria), Joseph “... went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, to whom he was pledged to be married and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for her baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in the manger, because there was no guest room available for them.” [Luke 2:4-7] “And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them: ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will 16
be for all people. For unto you this day in the town of David, a Savior has been born- he is Christ, the Lord. This will be a sign unto you, you will find him wrapped in clothes and lying in a manger.” [Luke 2:8-12] We can imagine this chaotic scene. The small town of Bethlehem crowded and brimming with people, many of them extended families as the census required them to travel to their ancestral villages. Sharing homes and rooms. Bustling with activity and of course, noise. Hardly conducive to the stress and strain of childbirth. But with this information, we tend to overlook an important point. Our savior was not abandoned, nor born in conditions to harsh. We learn from scripture, that shepherds were nearby in the fields tending to their sheep at night. Normally, winters in this part of the world are deary, cold and rainy. This seems not to have been the case. Had it been, shepherds normally would have moved their sheep inside barns. We may believe that this winter’s night was somewhat mild. Scripture all tells us that there was no “guest room” for Mary to deliver her child. It is a likely assumption, as they traveled to Bethlehem to register in their ancestral home, that Joseph and Mary had family there. Being pregnant, we could assume she would not have been turned away. But with each house filled to the
rafters with noisy relatives, where to birth a baby in peace? In a manger, of course! A manger, a small attachment to the main house were animals were quartered. It is dry, warm and cozy. Close enough for
family, but removed enough for quiet. There Mary and Joseph, could rest from their tiresome journey and insure the baby Jesus was comfortable too. We needn’t paint a picture of harsh uninviting conditions. Yes, babies were born in more comfortable conditions such as a house or bed, but this was a frenzied night. We must remember too, God had provided a magnificent star and a chorus of angels to serenade his birth- could we truly believe God would allow Jesus in a mess? I cannot think of a more beautiful and tranquil way in which to enter the world at the time. A dry warm manger, laying peaceful under the watchful eyes of mother- and a (Continued on page 33) 17
A Dominican’s Dithyramb The Very Rev. Prior Michael Beckett msgrbeckett@myiocc.org
Shepherds
A
nd there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto
Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them. Luke 2:8-20 King James Version (KJV) After 2000 years of Christmas sermons, in hundreds of languages, in different countries throughout the world, and by way of innumerable faith traditions, is there anything new or original left to be said about Christmas, and what it means, that hasn’t been said before? Perhaps not. However, like re-reading that favorite book for the 17th time, or watching that favorite movie or television 18
show for the 358th time, even when you know exactly what comes next, what the very next word is going to be, often we find a new meaning or a new slant on something that is as tried and true as Christmas itself. And so it is with me this year. This Gospel reading recalls the story of the angels bringing the news of Christ’s birth to the shepherds. Now, we all know that story. We’ve heard it many times over, and those of us who cherish “A Charlie Brown Christmas” will always, in some ways, hear
Linus quoting from Luke, no matter who is reading that passage of the Bible to us. We know the story. We SEE the story in every Nativity scene we pass by. There is almost always a shepherd near the manger carrying a lamb on his shoulders and another lamb or sheep to be seen somewhere hanging around. It’s always seemed to me that the sheep and the shepherds were just THERE, minor players in a Christmas play, the “extras” assigned to the kids who didn’t quite measure up to the roles of Mary
or Joseph; they enter stage left, ooh and aah over the baby, and exit stage right, singing “Go tell it on the mountain”, singularly unimportant and taking secondary roles to the more illustrious wise men (who in reality weren’t there at all) and most definitely playing supporting roles to the Holy Family, or just standing around as so much scenery, contributing to the mood and filling up the bare spots in the Nativity scene. I overheard a conversation recently that made me really think about the shepherds. While visiting some friends, their cat jumped into the midst of the family crèche and knocked over the obligatory shepherd. It was chipped. The younger daughter of the family was somewhat distressed, and to make the little girl feel better, the mother said to her, “Don’t worry about it, Honey. It’s just the shepherd. He’s not all that important.” I didn’t think much about it at the time, but when reading the Scripture appointed for today, it struck me. Not all that important? But weren’t they? Who WERE these shepherds? Why were they there in the first place? Why did THEY get the news of Christ’s birth in such a spectacular way? Who were they that they should be eyewitnesses of God’s glory and receive history’s greatest birth announcement? In Christ’s day, shepherds (Continued on page 31) 19
Katholic Kitchens Convergent Streams Staff and Readers staff@convergentstreams.org
Old Fashioned Glazed Ham Ingredients 3/4 cup Dijon mustard 1/2 cup light brown sugar, plus more for sprinkling 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves 1 (14-pound) cooked and smoked cured ham, shank end 3/4 cup pineapple juice 20 canned pineapple rings 1/2 cup maraschino cherries Directions Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Put oven rack in the middle of the oven. In a small bowl, mix together the Dijon mustard, brown sugar, and thyme. Put the ham in a large roasting pan, fat side up. Rub the ham with mustard glaze. Pour the pineapple juice into the bottom of the pan. Put the ham in the oven and bake for 2 hours, brushing every 20 minutes with the pineapple juice. Remove the ham from the oven. Turn oven to 400 degrees F. Using toothpicks, decoratively adhere the pineapple rings around the ham and put a cherry in the center of the pineapple ring. Sprinkle the pineapple rings lightly with brown sugar. Return to the oven, uncovered, and bake until the pineapples turn a light golden brown. Remove from the oven to a serving platter and let rest for 15 minutes before slicing.
Prime Rib with Rosemary salt crust Ingredients 1 whole boneless rib eye (12 to 15 pounds) Olive oil 20
1/4 cup tri-color peppercorns 5 sprigs fresh thyme 3 sprigs fresh rosemary 1/2 cup kosher salt 1/2 cup minced garlic Directions Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. Cut the rib eye in half (roast halves separately for more controlled/even cooking). Heat some oil in a large skillet over high heat. Sear both rib eye halves until a nice dark golden color, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Place the peppercorns into a bag and crush with a rolling pin. Shred the leaves from the thyme and rosemary sprigs. Mix the salt with the crushed peppercorns, rosemary leaves, thyme leaves and garlic. Pour olive oil over the rib eye and pour on the rub mix. Pat slightly to get it to stick to the meat. Roast for 20 minutes, then reduce the heat to 275 degrees F and roast until a meat thermometer registers 125 for rare/medium-rare, about 20 more minutes (the roast will continue to cook slightly after removing from the oven). Remove from the oven and let rest for 15 to 20 minutes before slicing.
Bobby’s Cauliflower-Goat Cheese Gratin Ingredients 1 head cauliflower, cut into florets 2 cups heavy cream 1/2 pound Monterey Jack cheese, coarsely grated 2 cups grated Parmesan 6 ounces goat cheese, cut into small pieces Salt and freshly ground pepper Directions Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Layer the cauliflower, heavy cream, and the 3 cheeses in a medium casserole dish. Season with salt and pepper. Roast for 20 to 30 minutes or until the cauliflower is soft and the sauce has thickened slightly. Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 21
minutes before serving. Cook’s Note: Recipe can be doubled and made in a roasting pan.
Brussels Sprouts with Balsamic Cranberries Ingredients 3 pounds Brussels sprouts 1/2 cup olive oil 1 cup sugar 3/4 cup balsamic vinegar 1 cup dried cranberries Directions Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Trim/clean the Brussels sprouts, then cut them in half. Arrange on 2 baking sheets and toss with the olive oil. Roast until brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Combine the balsamic vinegar and sugar in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and reduce until very thick. Drizzle the balsamic reduction over the roasted sprouts, then sprinkle on the dried cranberries.
Chocolate Cherry Trifle Ingredients 2 (approximately 12 ounces each) chocolate pound cakes 1/2 cup black cherry jam 1/2 cup cherry brandy 2 cups drained bottled sour cherries (recommended: Morello) Custard: 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, minimum 70 percent cocoa solids, chopped 1 1/3 cups plus 1 tablespoon milk 1 1/3 cups plus 1 tablespoon heavy cream 8 egg yolks 22
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar 1/3 cup cocoa Topping: 3 cups heavy cream 1-ounce bittersweet chocolate Special Equipment: Large wide trifle bowl Directions Slice the chocolate pound cake and make jam sandwiches with the cherry jam, and layer the bottom of a large wide trifle bowl. Pour over the cherry brandy so that the cake soaks it up, and then top with the drained cherries. Cover with plastic wrap and leave to macerate while you make the custard. Melt the chocolate on low to medium heat in the microwave, checking after 2 minutes, though it will probably need 4 minutes. Or you can place it in a bowl over a pan of simmering water. Once the chocolate is melted, ser aside while you get on with the custard. In a saucepan warm the milk and cream. Whisk the egg yolks, sugar, and cocoa in a large bowl. Pour the warm milk and cream into the bowl whisking it into the yolks and sugar mixture. Stir in the melted chocolate, scraping the sides well with a rubber spatula to get all of it in, and pour the custard back into the rinsed saucepan. Cook over a medium heat until the custard thickens, stirring all the time. Make sure it doesn’t boil, as it will split and curdle. Keep a sink full of cold water so that if you get scared you can plunge the bottom of the custard pan into the cold water and whisk like mad, which will avert possible crisis. The custard will get darker as it cooks and the flecks of chocolate will melt once the custard has thickened. And you do need this thick, so don’t panic so much that you stop cooking while it is still runny. Admittedly, it continues to thicken as it cools and also when it’s chilling in the refrigerator. Once it is ready, pour into a bowl to cool and cover the top of the custard with cling wrap to prevent a skin from forming. When the custard is cold, pour and spread it over the chocolate cake layer in the trifle bowl, and leave in the refrigerator to set, covered in plastic wrap overnight. When you are ready to decorate, softly whip the cream for the topping and spread it gently over the layer of custard. Grate the 23
chocolate over the top.
Chocolate Chess Pie Ingredients 1 refrigerated pie crust 1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted 1 1/2 cups sugar 1/4 cup unsweetened baking cocoa 3 eggs 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 tablespoon cornmeal Whipped cream, if desired Directions Heat oven to 350째F. In deep bowl, stir together butter, sugar and cocoa until blended. Add eggs and vanilla. Beat, using whisk, until mixture is blended and thickens. Stir in cornmeal just until combined; pour into crust. Bake 35 to 45 minutes or until pie is set and top puffs up and forms hard crust. Cool completely. Serve at room temperature with a dollop of whipped cream.
24
25
Happy Holiday Debate (Continued from page ) most Christians don’t really celebrate, and some don’t even know about. The Feast of Saint Stephen, who was the first Christian martyr on 26 December, the Feast of St. John who was the “Beloved Disciple” on 27 December, the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary on 8 December, and the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe on 12 December have already been mentioned. Finally, there is Epiphany, which is perhaps one of the most important holidays of the liturgical or church year. It is the last day of the Twelve Days of Christmas of which we sing in the (often-denigrated) Christmas carol, and which is overlooked by most nonliturgical churches. Epiphany, which falls on January 6, is a Christian feast day that celebrates the revelation of God the Son as a human being in Jesus Christ. Western Christians commemorate principally (but not solely) the visitation of the Biblical Magi to the Baby Jesus, and thus Jesus’ physical manifestation to the Gentiles. The early Christian Fathers fixed the date of the feast on January 6. Ancient liturgies noted Illuminatio, Manifestatio, Declaratio (Illumination, Manifestation, Declaration) taken from Matthew 3:13–17;
Luke 3:22; and John 2:1–11; where the Baptism and the Marriage at Cana were dwelt upon. Western Christians have traditionally emphasized the “Revelation to the Gentiles” mentioned in Luke, where the term Gentile means all nonJewish peoples. The Biblical Magi, who represented the non-Jewish peoples of the world, paid homage to the infant Jesus in stark contrast to Herod the Great (King of Judea), who sought to kill him. In this event, Christian writers also inferred a revelation to the Children of Israel. Saint John Chrysostom identified the significance of the meeting between the Magi and Herod’s court: “The star had been hidden from them so that, on finding themselves without their guide, they would have no alternative but to consult the Jews. In this way, the birth of Jesus would be made known to all.” The earliest reference to Epiphany as a Christian feast was in A.D. 361, by Ammianus Marcellinus. St. Epiphanius says that January 6 is hemera genethlion toutestin epiphanion (Christ’s “Birthday; that is, His Epiphany”). He also asserts that the Miracle at Cana occurred on the same calendar day, and it was on this day, too, that John the Baptist baptized Jesus in the Jordan River. So on 6 January, after all the Christmas trimmings have been put away, the gifts exchanged, New Years resolutions have been made (and some broken already), and the kids are back in school, we can still say, with 26
all feeling, “Happy Holidays.” Honestly, don’t you think “Happy Holidays” is so much easier? Now, What about that pesky “Xmas” that annoys so many people?
arose as the uppercase forms of the Greek letters χ and ρ used in ancient abbreviations for Χριστος (Greek for “Christ”), and are still widely seen in many Eastern Orthodox icons depicting Jesus Christ. The labarum, an amalgamation of the two Greek letters rendered
To begin: Look around in your churches, my friends, especially those of you from a liturgical background, and see how many X’s you can find. “Xmas” is a common abbreviation of the word “Christmas”. The “-mas” part is from the Latin-derived Old English word for “Mass”, while the “X” comes from the Greek letter Chi, which is the first letter of the Greek word Χριστός, translated as “Christ”. There is a common misconception that the word Xmas is a secular attempt to remove the religious tradition from Christmas by taking the “Christ” out of “Christmas”. While “Xmas” is considered to be an informal abbreviation, and should never be used in formal writing, it is historically correct. The word “Christ” and its compounds, including “Christmas”, have been abbreviated in English for at least the past 1,000 years, long before the modern “Xmas” was commonly used. “Christ” was often written as “XP” or “Xt”; there are references in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle as far back as AD 1021. This X and P
Figure 1 as in Figure 1, is a symbol often used to represent Christ in Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox Christian Churches. The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) and the OED Supplement have cited usages of “X-” or “Xp-” for “Christ-” as early as 1485. The terms “Xpian” and “Xtian” have also been used for “Christian”. The dictionary further cites usage of “Xtianity” for “Christianity” from 1634. According to Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary of English Usage, most of the evidence for these words comes from “educated (Continued on page 28) 27
(Continued from page 27) Englishmen who knew their Greek”. In ancient Christian art, χ and χρ are abbreviations for Christ’s name. In many manuscripts of the New Testament and icons, Χ is an abbreviation for Χριστος, as is XC (the first and last letters in Greek, using the lunate sigma); compare IC for Jesus in Greek. Thus, really and truly, the use of the “X” isn’t taking Christ out of Christmas at all. And instead of protesting the use of “X” during the Christmas season, wouldn’t we ALL be better people, the world be a better place, and Christ be better served, if we kept that “X” in our words and deeds every day of the year? Should we not celebrate Him always, 24/7/365? So, having said all of the above, Happy Holidays (all of them) to all of you, and may you keep Christ, not only in Christmas, but also in your hearts and minds and lives, every day and always. Amen.
Prior Michael Beckett is the Prior of the Order of Preachers, Old Catholic in the International Old Catholic Churches, Inc. He is the Bishop-Elect of the Diocese of West Virginia.
Guidelines If you would like to submit an article or if you have a comment or complaint, you may send them to editor@ convergentstreams.org in Microsoft © Word format or Adobe © PDF format. You may also mail submissions, query letters or comments to Bishop Gregory Godsey, 118 Frances Drive, North Augusta, SC 29841, USA. All submissions will be considered, but no guarantee or promise is made that said submission will be published. The editorial staff of Convergent Streams reserves the right to publish, refuse to publish or hold for publishing at a later date any submission without explanation. if you require materials returned, please enclose SASE. Advertising Advertising space can be purchased for ads that are considered relevant to members of the Old Catholic Church or Independent Sacramental Movement. Please contact Bishop Godsey at bishopgodsey@myiocc.org for more information. As always, for more information, you can visit our website at http://www. convergentstreams.org.
28
Faith and Tradition (Continued from page 13) house for Christmas dinner and gift opening. My brother, sister and I jointly gave mom the gift that dad had gotten her, the traditional bottle of Estee Lauder White Linen perfume. Oh, you may be wondering what became of those apple pies. We served them for dessert at dad’s funeral lunch, which is in itself an example of dad’s sense of humor. It was probably the first time that the deceased provided the dessert for their own funeral lunch! Tradition goes on despite adversity. We draw strength from our faith in the Lord, in that baby that was born so long ago. It is through him that meaning is given to our lives. It is to him that we come for solace in hard times, it is to him we come to celebrate our joys and accomplishments. It is through him that we pray to our God for guidance, support, comfort, and forgiveness. Because of that birth some two millennia ago we are made children of God, brothers and sisters of that baby, the family of God. Keep this in mind as we celebrate the sacrifice that that baby came to give. Christ is born to save, to reconcile us to our God. We all know this, but we often forget that God became incarnate in the form of a baby to reconcile the world to himself. This is the greatest gift. Though we hear the stories every year they
take on new meaning and give us new insights each time we hear them. So, remember and recall your Christmas memories and traditions in light of the big picture. They all hold the message of the love that God has for us.
Fr. Andrew grew up in Appleton. WI. He studied Theology, Philosophy and Sociology at Lakeland College in Sheboygan, WI and completed his theological studies at Holy Redeemer Seminary of the UICC. Fr. Andrew was ordained to the diaconate in December of 2010 and to the Order of Presbyters in May of 2011. Fr. Andrew enjoys cooking, reading and is an avid history buff.
A Christmas Prayer God grant you the light of Christmas, which is faith; the warmth of Christmas, which is purity; the righteousness of Christmas, which is justice; the belief in Christmas, which is truth; the all of Christmas, which is Christ?.
29
Gifts (Continued from page 15) as you use your gifts and talents? Which of the gifts that you have been given are you “regifting?” In other words, when we’ve received a gift from God, do we share that gift with others? Do we “regift?” We are told in 1 Peter 4:10, “Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.” (NIV) Jesus himself addresses this very thing in the parable of the talents in Matthew 25:1430. By using our gifts, they multiply and we bring others to know God, and by recognizing what we have been given and using them for God’s glory, we are giving back to God. What is the most precious thing we can give to God? The most precious gift we can give is what God wants the most. God wants us to make the fervent attempt to repent, get right with Him, and not lead a double life, trying to follow two contradictory paths, but living our lives according to His will. God simply wants us to give ourselves to Him. This is the best gift we can give! Our gift to Him is how we respond to the gifts He has given us which are the gifts of life and of grace. We can best do this when we are headed in His direction, following His precepts with a grateful, willing heart and mind-set, and by striving to be the best that we can be by becoming what it is that He
wants us to be. Barbara Streisand sings in “The Best Gift:” The best gift That I ever got Didn’t really weigh a lot It didn’t have a ribbon ’round And it sometimes made a terrible sound The best of all it seems to me It wasn’t ‘neath the Christmas tree And yet, I guess I’d have to say That it made all the other presents twice as gay The best gift that I’ve ever known I’d always wanted most to own Yet in my dreams of sugar and spice I never thought it could be so nice The best gift that I ever get Was sometimes dry and sometimes wet Was usually pink but oftentimes red As it lay so innocently in it’s bed The best gift of the year to me The one I hold most dear to me A gift that simply drove me wild Was a tiny new born child... As we celebrate the birth of THE tiny newborn Child, God’s greatest and best Gift to us, let us strive to make ourselves the best gift we can give to others, and to God. Amen.
30
Shepherds (Continued from page 19) stood on the bottom rung of the Palestinian social ladder. They shared the same unenviable status as tax collectors and dung sweepers. Only Luke mentions them. When the twelve tribes of Israel migrated to Egypt, they encountered a lifestyle foreign to them. The Egyptians were agriculturalists. As farmers, they despised shepherding because sheep and goats meant death to crops. Battles between farmers and shepherds are as old as they are fierce. The first murder in history erupted from a farmer’s resentment of a shepherd. Smug religious leaders maintained a strict caste system at the expense of shepherds and other common folk. Shepherds were officially labeled “sinners”—a technical term for a class of despised people. Into this social context of religious snobbery and class prejudice, God’s Son stepped forth. How surprising and significant that God the Father handpicked lowly, unpretentious shepherds to be the first to hear the joyous news: “It’s a boy, and He’s the Messiah!” What an affront to the religious leaders who were so conspicuously absent from the divine mailing list. Even from birth, Christ moved among the lowly. It was the sinners, not the selfrighteous, He came to save. So is it really all that surprising
that the first announcement of Christ’s birth was to the lowly shepherds on Bethlehem’s hillsides? Consider the events leading up to Christ’s birth. Mary was barely 15. Christ was born to an unwed mother, Mary, a servant girl; Mary the young woman who delivered while only betrothed to Joseph. He was born in a stable, a cave! A holy God being born to a couple no different than immigrants, far from home and in a strange city, in a place where animals were kept. A couple who couldn’t even find a place to stay, turned out of every inn! It’s all too bizarre. Yet this is the God we experience. This is our claim; This is the meaning of his very name: Immanuel, meaning “God with us” -- with us not just in nice times, but most especially in the times of our lives when we are in the caves, and stables of our lives, when we are turned out of the places we’d like to be, when we are at the lowest of low points, when we are out in the dark, and in the cold like the shepherds. Our God, the God who comes to us in the person of Jesus Christ, is the God of the oppressed, the repressed, the depressed; the God of the sad, the grieving, the sorrowful; the God of the lonely, the lowly, the poor, the God of the Shepherds; the God of the despised, the destitute, the dejected. Our God (Continued on page 32) 31
(Continued from page 31) is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God who stood with the enslaved Hebrews in Egypt, who led them out of Egypt to a promised land of freedom. Our God is the God of widows and orphans and stranded travelers. Our God is the God who doesn’t stay neat and tidy and spotless, but comes and stands beside us in our times of deepest need, who comes among us as the child in the dirty manger and the God of the shepherds on the hillside. The God we’re speaking of dares to join the unsuccessful, the failures, the dispossessed, and the downtrodden; the God of the Shepherds. Wherever there is suffering, our God is there. He stands with Zacchaeus, the despised tax collector, and with Bartimaeus, the blind beggar. He is with us when we face cancer, chemotherapy, and radiation treatments. He is with us when we face amputations, operations, loneliness, the loss of a loved one, or even death itself. The God of the manger and the Shepherd is Immanuel, God with us. At our deepest times of loss and need, in the dirtiest and most embarrassing parts of our lives, God is with us, His rod and His staff, they comfort us. It is God who glues us back together when we become, like that figure in my friends’ Nativity scene, chipped, flawed, and much less than perfect. And it is up to us, to
demonstrate the love of God, the God of the lowly, the downtrodden, to the world. We, like the shepherds in the Christmas story, are to be the ones who are to proclaim the good news “which shall be to all people” to all the people of the world. It is our responsibility as Christians to be the instruments through which God can work in this world. As was most famously stated more than four centuries ago by Saint Theresa of Avila:
Christ has no body but yours, no hands, no feet on earth but yours, Yours are the eyes with which he looks with compassion on this world, Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good, Yours are the hands, with which he blesses all the world. 32
Yours are the hands, yours are the feet, Yours are the eyes, you are his body. Christ has no body now but yours, no hands, no feet on earth but yours, Yours are the eyes with which he looks with compassion on this world. Christ has no body now on earth but yours. My very favorite Christmas carol, “In the Bleak Midwinter,” includes the lines, “What, then, shall I bring him, empty as I am? If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb. If I were a wise man I would do my part. What can I give Him? I can give Him my heart.” Won’t you, this Christmas, give Him your heart? Won’t you, like the shepherds in the children’s plays of the Christmas story, be one to “go tell it on the mountain, over the fields and everywhere” that Jesus Christ is born? Amen.
Prior Michael Beckett is the Prior of the Order of Preachers, Old Catholic in the International Old Catholic Churches, Inc. He is the Bishop-Elect of the Diocese of West Virginia.
Christmas is coming! (Continued from page 17) donkey and a cow or two. A cow has such beautiful eyes. Jesus must have smiled and perhaps even giggled. Bethlehem- noisy, crowded, bustling. The manger- dry, warm, safe. “O holy Child of Bethlehem, acsend to us we pray. Cast out our sin and enter in- be born in us today. We hear the Christmas angel, the great glad tidings tell. O come to us, abide with us- our dear Lord Emmanuel!” [O Little of Bethlehem, fourth stanza by Fr. Phillip Brooks. (c) 1865.]
Fr. Bryan Wolf lives in New Jersey and ministers to Police Officers. He is working to build a parish community there as well.
A Short Christmas Prayer Lord, you know what it means to be vulnerable A fragile young life, a defenceless young babe So may this heart be vulnerable and open This Christmas with Christ, walking closer each day. 33
Christmas Wordsearch J E Z N O I T A N R A C N I I Y R E U D Z A L R S
N E F G A I I S Y M A N A G E R N T B W N E H J J
E Z R G I U Q T J I F H E D E R C A S A C H O Z U
W X G U L J B A M A S L P M H A H U H I B E L M Y
N I Y E S F Q B Q H R M L E E T P A K P V E Y S D
E W L P O A Z L P O E N E B S S G Y P C I N L T N
Q L V R D Y L E R Y G N U A I O I B R P Q P V M N
ADVENT ALLELUIA ANGELIC ANGELS ANNOUNCEMENT ASTROLOGERS BABE BABY BETHLEHEM BIRTH CAMEL CEREMONIES CHRISTCHILD CRECHE DONKEY EMMANUEL
A N Y O A L Q E B Y O A N I L R J W G R R B E B K
O R K P I J I S M I L N A D N P T G E I R Q F U B
I W R H R X U H T I O G M O V U C H A N E Q H F F
I W I E O S I A C H R E M V S E Y R G C I S J I N
S X U C L I M Z U T T L E A R R C R G E J Z S K R
A L Y Y G A S M B J S S V E A A I Y K O M T Q K R
Z N B G L K E K E W A I M M D R D M Z F K A X P B
O W N C C L H Z T J O O R V E X Z T R P Z T E S V
EPIPHANY FLOCKS FRANKINCENSE GIFTS GLORIA GOLD GOODWILL HOLY INCARNATION INN JERUSALEM JOSEPH LORD MAGI MANAGER MARY 34
M Y O O C V R W H R N T E H Y Y L R I E U M R P K
B R L A U S W N L I Y N X W C F L P L A L L X Z T
P F R L T N A I E A T A P I H S R O W C A M E L J
T I O F Q T C S H A N E Y B A B C U R E Z M Y Y R
M N I U I W C E E A Q G S H E P H E R D S Z V X T
W G F V O F V R M Y W A E L L I W D O O G G O U I
Z J I Q Z W A S E E N P K L C M A G I K C B A K E
P T Y K C D C T W C N N J K I G M P E D D C S U A
Y A V P O J H Q Y G H T I C P C Z S L N S Z Q B Q
MIRACLE MYRRH NATIVITY PAGEANT PRINCEOFPEACE PROCLAMATION PROPHECY SACRED SAVIOR SHEPHERDS STABLE STAR WISEMEN WORSHIP
F R A N K I N C E N S E D O N K E Y G O V C H E C