THE DAY AFTER CHRISTMAS

In Australia, Britain, New Zealand, and Canada, the day after Christmas is a Public Holiday, going by the name of 'Boxing Day'. No, it's not so named because you have had enough of your relatives already and would now like them to go home before you box them around the ears! Nor is it about getting rid of the mountains of boxes and wrapping paper we may well have accumulated the day before!

This holiday's roots can be traced to Britain, where Boxing Day is also known as St. Stephen's Day. Very simply, its origins are found in a long-ago practice of giving cash or goods to the lower classes. Gifts among equals were exchanged on (or before) Christmas Day, and given to the less fortunate, the day after.

In New Zealand and Australia, we celebrate Christmas in the summer, generally with clear blue skies and BBQ's. Boxing Day traditionally sees the start of a game of cricket to watch or listen to, or is a day for swimming at the beach, as most of us live near the sea.

Personally, it is a day I really enjoy, when one can put their feet up and relax after the insane, commercialised madness the Christmas season has now become. Goodwill seems to have taken a back seat to dollars in retailers' pockets!

I suspect Jesus too, would have enjoyed Boxing Day more than Christmas, even though Christmas was His birthday! What would he have done with all the presents? Reminds me of a joke. "Got given everything in the the world and now I don't know where to put it all!" (Stephen Wright) How true for so many of us! Jesus enjoyed the simple life, just relaxing with his friends. He had no permanent home, indeed nowhere to store the 10 surplus pairs of linen undergarments he may have been given for His birthday.

Maybe we need to follow His example!

Have always wondered though, what became of the Magi's gifts?

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FROM THE WORD

THE CALLING OF MATTHEW

"As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him. While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and “sinners” came and ate with him and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and ‘sinners’?” On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”" (Matthew 9:9-13)

Painting: Jesus calls Levi (Matthew), the tax collector - by William Hole.

THE COST OF FOLLOWING JESUS

"When Jesus saw the crowd around him, he gave orders to cross to the other side of the lake. Then a teacher of the law came to him and said, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus replied, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” Another disciple said to him, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” But Jesus told him, “Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”" (Matthew 8:18-22)

THE VISIT OF THE MAGI

"After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.” When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born. “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written: ”‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.’” Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.” After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route." (Matthew 2:1-12)

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DAVID'S DOODLINGS

RELIGION v REVELATION

1059. Religion comes and religion goes, but God's kingdom goes on forever.

1060. God's kingdom now isn't freely given, but possessed through godly obedience.

1061. God reveals, while religion conceals.

1062. Religion is not a church but a mind closed to change.

1063. Revelation is from without, while the heart of religion is birthed within.

1064. Revelation sows, religion mows!

1065. Religion is not the church, but the church too easily becomes religion.

1066. Religion kills, God upskills.

1067. Religion is a gathering of like minds, God's kingdom, one of godly natures.
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FROM YOU - TO ME -TO YOU

David

Of course I caught an error in what I sent you. I should have said Saturnalia (particulary the Feast of the Invinicible Sun) was moved to the 25th of December to combat Christmas, early third century. Saturnalia of course has a longer history, but on the 21st of December.

Shalom B'Yeshua HaMoshiach

+Michael Joe Thannisch, SST, OSL
mjthan@quik.com
http://www.christiansynod.org/
http://www.freewebs.com/childrenofabraham/

The beginning of wisdom is fear of the Lord.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Your comments to me or fellow readers are always welcomed at... david@wwj.org.nz

This is an opportunity for you to express your views, which may not be my views. But none of us have a mortgage on all the truth - except for Jesus!

CRANWELL'S CARTOON

Then the word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time: 2 “Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you.”
3 Jonah obeyed the word of the LORD and went to Nineveh. Now Nineveh was a very important city—a visit required three days. 4 On the first day, Jonah started into the city. He proclaimed: “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overturned.” 5 The Ninevites believed God. They declared a fast, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth. (Jonah 3:1-5)






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TUESDAY TEACHINGS

UP THE MOUNTAIN Part 2 of 4

Once we make our decision for Christ, we have to decide where we are going to walk - or in this case fly! Are we satisfied with the plains, the hills, or do we seek the mountain tops.

Let the story continue.

Previous teachings on this subject, the First Miracle of Jesus, the Book of Ruth, God's Character and Servanthood and Leadership, the Parable of the Sower, The Two Marathoners, The 3 Rivers of God The Spring Feasts, The Power of 3 in God & the Church, A Layman's History of the Times of the Feasts, The Autumn Feats, Revelation 12:11, The Way of Holiness and 3 Miraculous Conceptions can be viewed at...

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LAUGHING AT OURSELVES

***Blessed are those who can laugh at themselves for they shall never cease to be amused***

*** "Those who can't laugh at themselves leave the job to others." ***

446. HOT AIR
My pastor friend put sanitary hot air hand dryers in the rest rooms at his church and after two weeks took them out. I asked him why and he confessed that they worked fine but when he went in there he saw a sign that read, "For a sample of this week's sermon, push the button."

445. YOU CAN"T WIN!
When you prepare your sermons in writing, they say that you are just reading off the script and not hearing from God. But when you DON'T have a script, they say that you were not prepared!

444. REVENGE
A 10-year old boy named Freddie wanted to be Joseph in the Sunday School pageant. Instead the teacher cast Freddie as the landlord. Freddie objected loudly, but to no avail.

When the pageant was presented, Mary and Joseph knocked on the door and asked Freddie if he had a room for them at the Inn.

Freddie smiled and said, "Sure -- lots of room. Come on in!"

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FACTS FOR FUN

LAST WEEKS QUESTION: What happened to Pontius Pilate after he sentenced Christ to be crucified?

ANSWER: As could be expected, things went rapidly downhill from there. Pilate ended up killing himself in 36 AD after Caligula ordered him to come to Rome to explain his actions in the massacre of some Samaritans. It is unclear whether Caligula ordered the suicide or Pilate simply feared harsh punishment. (An inevitable judgement.)

Painting: Jesus led from Caiaphas to Pilate, from The Life of Jesus Christ by J.J.Tissot, 1899.

THIS WEEK'S QUESTION: When was the first animal cloned?

Answer Next Week.

SOME FUN FACTS

567. EVERY EVENTUALITY
It is illegal to drink beer out of a bucket while you're sitting on a curb in St. Louis. (Undesirable anywhere! The next day particularly!)

568. THE PRINTED WORD
Almost half the newspapers in the whole world are published in the United States and Canada! (But are the people better informed?)

569. A FAST BREAK
When glass breaks, the cracks move at faster than 3,000 miles per hour. To photograph the event, a camera must shoot the event at a millionth of a second! (Not sure which is the most amazing – the speed of the crack or the shutter.)
A WORD PUZZLE FOR YOU

Make another word from this word using all the letters.



Answer at the end of A David Musing

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DO YOU KNOW? (About Relationships)

Are Saul and Michal

a. Army Associates
b. Father/Daughter
c. Brothers

Answer at the end of A DAVID MUSING.

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IF ONLY I'D THOUGHT OF IT!

"""OTHER'S SAYINGS TO ENLIGHTEN, AMUSE, OR BEMUSE"""

!!!!!!! 28. Work with your hands. It frees the mind.

!!!!!! 29. Take time to wonder. Without wonder, life is merely existence.

!!!!! 30. Sit in the dark. It will teach you to see and hear, taste and smell.

!!!! 31. Once in a while, turn down the lights, the volume, the throttle, the invitations. Less really can be more.

!!! 32. Let go. Nothing is usually the hardest thing to do - but often it is the best.

!! 33. Take a walk-but don't go anywhere. If you walk just to get somewhere, you sacrifice the walking.

! 34. Count your friends. If you have one, you are lucky. If you have more, you are blessed. Bless them in return.

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BIBLE RIDDLE

Q. What kind of motor vehicles are in the Bible? (2nd of 4)
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
A. David's Triumph was heard throughout the land.

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PUN FOR FUN

TWO TATES
Back in the 1800s the Tates Watch Company of Massachusetts wanted to produce other products and, since they already made the cases for pocket watches, decided to market compasses for the pioneers travelling west. It turned out that although their watches were of finest quality, their compasses were so bad that people often ended up in Canada or Mexico rather than California. This, of course, is the origin of the expression, "He who has a Tates is lost!"

LOST!
A thief broke into the local police station and stole all the Bathroom fixtures. A spokesperson was quoted as saying, "We have absolutely nothing to go on."

NO CURE
An Indian chief was feeling very sick, so he summoned the medicine man. After a brief examination, the medicine man took out a long, thin strip Of elk hide and gave it to the chief, instructing him to bite off, chew and swallow one inch of the leather every day.

After a month, the medicine man returned to see how the chief was feeling. The chief shrugged and said,² The thong is ended, but the malady lingers on."

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MANNERS AND CUSTOMS IN BIBLICAL LANDS

FUEL

Even today, fuel is so scarce in the Holy Land that peasants often burn dried dung while selling the sticks they gather. Dried grass and withered flowers are also gathered into bundles for making a fire. Jesus said, " If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?" Thorn bushes are another popular fuel. The widow of Zarapeth gathered sticks to build a fire (1 Kings 17:10). However the fire in the courtyard of the High Priest' house where Peter denied Jesus was fuelled by charcoal. (John 18:18)

Adapted from: '1001 Surprising Things You Should Know About The Bible' MacGregor & Prys

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CREDIBLE AND AUTHENTIC

THE TRUTH ABOUT TRANSLATIONS

To many, the origin of the Bible can be summed-up as follows: "A mere translation of a translation of an interpretation of an oral tradition" - and therefore, a book with no credibility or connection to the original texts. Actually, the foregoing statement is a common misunderstanding of both Christians and non-christians alike. Translations such as the King James Version are derived from existing copies of ancient manuscripts such as the Hebrew Masoretic Text (Old Testament) and the Greek Textus Receptus (New Testament), and are not translations of texts translated from other interpretations. The primary differences between today's Bible translations are merely related to how translators interpret a word or sentence from the original language of the text source (Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek).

THE RELIABILITY OF ANCIENT MANUSCRIPTS
Another challenge against the origin of the Bible is the reliability of the manuscripts from which today's Bibles are translated. Remarkably, there is widespread evidence for absolute reliability. There are more than 14,000 existing Old Testament manuscripts and fragments copied throughout the Middle East, Mediterranean and European regions that agree dramatically with each other. In addition, these texts agree with the Septuagint version of the Old Testament, which was translated from Hebrew to Greek some time during the 3rd century BC. The Dead Sea Scrolls, discovered in Israel in the 1940's and 50's, also provide phenomenal evidence for the reliability of the ancient transmission of the Jewish Scriptures (Old Testament) before the arrival of Jesus Christ. The Hebrew scribes who copied the Jewish Scriptures dedicated their lives to preserving the accuracy of the holy books. These scribes went to phenomenal lengths to insure manuscript reliability. They were highly trained and meticulously observed, counting every letter, word and paragraph against master scrolls. A single error would require the immediate destruction of the entire text.

The manuscript evidence for the New Testament is also dramatic, with over 5,300 known copies and fragments in the original Greek, nearly 800 of which were copied before 1000 AD. Some manuscript texts date to the early second and third centuries, with the time between the original autographs and our earliest existing copies being a remarkably short 60 years. Interestingly, this manuscript evidence far surpasses the manuscript reliability of other ancient writings that we trust as authentic every day. Look at these comparisons: Julius Caesar's "The Gallic Wars" (10 manuscripts remain, with the earliest one dating to 1,000 years after the original autograph); Pliny the Younger's "History" (7 manuscripts; 750 years elapsed); Thucydides' "History" (8 manuscripts; 1,300 years elapsed); Herodotus' "History" (8 manuscripts; 1,300 years elapsed); Sophocles (193 manuscripts; 1,400 years); Euripides (9 manuscripts; 1,500 years); and Aristotle (49 manuscripts; 1,400 years).

Homer's "Iliad", the most renowned book of ancient Greece, has 643 copies of manuscript support. In those copies, there are 764 disputed lines of text, as compared to 40 lines in all the New Testament manuscripts (Norman L. Geisler and William E. Nix, A General Introduction to the Bible, Moody, Chicago, Revised and Expanded 1986, p. 367). In fact, many people are unaware that each of William Shakespeare's 37 plays (written in the 1600's) have gaps in the surviving manuscripts, forcing scholars to "fill in the blanks." This pales in textual comparison with the over 5,300 copies and fragments of the New Testament that, together, assure us that nothing's been lost. In fact, all of the New Testament except eleven verses can be reconstructed from the writings of the early church fathers in the second and third centuries. (A General Introduction to the Bible, Ch. 24.)

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TOMORROW

Do you too have days when you need to get something done, but it just doesn't happen! Then, you will understand!

TOMORROW

I would like some inspiration,
But find only perspiration!
My brain is running hot,
My pen - certainly not.

Do you have those days too,
When no ideas come through?
No matter what you think or do,
You're dreams just wont come true.

It's a struggle,
Words you juggle.
This way and that,
Even kick the cat!

Not politically correct, of course,
But neither is, 'eating a horse'.
I'm so hungry I could,
Well - maybe I should.

What a good idea!
But I can't even find anything to rhyme with this 'e-a' word!!!
It's absurd!
Nothing heard!

So now it's time for bed,
To go rest my weary head.
Please ignore my uncreative pain,
For tomorrow, I can start again!

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A DAVID MUSING

Now Christmas is over it is time to start thinking about 2006! How quickly the new year rolls round!

For our family, most years are ones of change, as that is how we seem to lead our lives. Of course, change for changes sake is not intrinsically good. It can simply be running away! But changing as Jesus wants us to change is a different matter. For He wants us to change, more than we do! All too easily, we become comfortable with the familiar. It's far easier to carry on in our usual, predictable ways, than to change into the image of our Savior and Lord.

There is little doubt that the call to become more like Him is becoming increasingly clearer in the realm of the Spirit, amongst dedicated Jesus followers. This is my desire. How about you?

So until next week...

MAY GOD BLESS YOU AND YOU BLESS GOD.

His servant and yours

David Tait

Today's 'Word Puzzle' Answer: CEREALS

TODAY'S 'DO YOU KNOW?' ANSWER: b. Father/Daughter: Saul’s sons were Jonathan, Ishvi and Malki-Shua. The name of his older daughter was Merab, and that of the younger was Michal. (I Samuel 14:49)

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ABOUT US

WALKING WITH JESUS MINISTRIES is a non-profit, non-denominational, Bible based ministry located in Hastings, New Zealand. A ministry dedicated to developing discipleship, fostering unity amongst God’s people to achieve the Great Commission, and in doing so, preparing for Christ’s return. It is securely based upon the foundational principles of the Apostles Creed while recognising the wide and rich diversity of beliefs amongst Christians in other areas. In accordance with the Lord’s direction, materials produced by the ministry are available, free of charge, to genuine enquirers upon request. The ministry is solely funded by donations, as the Lord provides. A list of materials available (plus some fun!) is obtainable and freely downloadable from our website
wwj.org.nz or by contacting us as follows.

Walking With Jesus Ministries
290 Flaxmere Avenue
Flaxmere
Hastings
New Zealand

Phone: (06) 8799 911 International (+64) 6 8799 911
Email: enquiries@wwj.org.nz
Web: wwj.org.nz

Our role is to bless and encourage those in ministry while promoting co-operation and unity of direction amongst the body of Christ, as emphasised 3 times by Jesus in His longest prayer, immediately prior to His arrest and crucifixion. "… so that they may be one as we are one." (John 17:12, 21, 23-4) Our website is currently being developed to encourage your participation one with another, to share resources, and to enable you to promote events and items of interest to the body as a whole – and have a smile while doing it!

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