The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. Romans 8:19
Many of us have a nativity set sitting around for Christmas. If your nativity set is like most I’ve seen, you no doubt have a few animals sitting around it. There may be a cow or two, a sheep, even a camel if it is a fancy set! Of course, Joseph and Mary placed Jesus in a manger, which is a feeding troth for animals, so there certainly would have been animals close to His birthplace.
I’m not trying to be sacrilegious, but I have often wondered if the nativity scene were to take place in modern day America if there may be a cat or a puppy dog nearby. I’m certain my Yorkie dog, who knows well how to give unconditional love, would have been excited to welcome the baby Jesus!
It shouldn’t surprise us that animals may have witnessed the birth of the Christ child. Jesus was the Creator. He was with God from the very beginning, planning each intricate part of Creation. All creation, with the exception of man, naturally glorifies the Creator by unconditional obedience. A cow does as a cow is supposed to do. A camel is a camel is a camel. You don’t have to train a bird to tweet, it does as it was created to do.
The young lions roar for their prey, seeking their food from God. Psalm 104:21
The creation waits in eager expectation for God’s Son to be revealed! (Romans 8:19) This was the Creator! This was their Master, the Inventor of life!
I once read a story about a mother who found her nativity scene continually disrupted. She would enter the room to find all the pieces in one big pile. She would straighten it, put every piece back in place again, only to find it messed up a few hours later. One day she witnessed her daughter piling the pieces together. When questioned, the little girl replied, “Mommy, it’s Christmas! Everyone wants to be real close to Jesus!”
It’s Christmas! Don’t be surprised that the animals were present at Jesus birth! And keep them close in your nativity! Creation is praising its Creator! And don’t be surprised if you see a smile on a animal or two on Christmas day!
Just curious, what is your favorite animal of God’s creation?
Which animal fascinates you the most?
Over a week ago, I thought I had lost my dog for good. He was not at the farm when I returned, nor the next day nor the next…
I shared with some friends: I hope that while we all enjoy this Christmas Season, that we will take time to think about sharing Christ with someone we know who is lost without Christ and a true Christmas. Maybe a gift of a movie or book can open the door for the conversation.
My dog disappeared from the farm yesterday afternoon while I was away. I spent a lot of time calling and looking for Niko and grieving over a lost dog. The question that our Lord impressed upon me was, “Do I do the same for those who are lost and do not know him?”
Three days later there was a Found poster in the post office with his picture. What a delight and blessing that was, esp. for my wife and family.
His picture here: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v620/mikesnow/1…
Great story and illustration. Thanks for sharing
We've got a Yorkie too! She's a rescue from a puppy mill and so very skittish we named her Skittles. I prayed so very hard when we were going to pick one out at the shelter that God would give us one that would bond with my son and be his very special friend. He needed one so badly, having been through some very tough issues. God certainly answered my prayers…she's perfect (if a bit nervous) but every fiber of her being loves my son unconditionally. I think God created dogs so we could have daily reminders of unconditional love, in case we forget how much He loves us. And I'm sure there were dogs accompanying the shepherds as they visited the stable.
I think you might be right 🙂
Giraffes are simply, and unquestionably the coolest animals God made. About this, there can be no debate. Unless, of course, you're going to argue for the platypus, in which case, fine, let's call it a draw. : )
I saw a documentary on giraffes just recently. Fascinating for sure
This is a terribly sweet entry. As many of us were raised with cats and/or dogs, we love both at our house. Over the years, we've also had a rather large fish tank, birds (not exotic; finches and such) and the normal amount of hamsters, gerbils, lizards that children love to care for. Don't forget the ever popular little turtles.
Your story about the animals wanting to be close to Jesus is a "priceless gem" story. I'll pass that along.
As to a favorite animal? It's hard to say. For fascinating, I'd say apes and monkeys. But for LOVE? Good ol' cats and dogs. They like to snuggle. 🙂
Thanks. I'm fascinated by monkeys too.
The wolverine is my favorite animal and is fascinating as well! I sometimes think I am drawn to this animal because they fit my personality the most 😉
Ha! I'll do a wiki search to remind me what a wolverine looks like.
Yorkies fascinate me the most these days. I'm not making this up. I used to have a mini Schnauzer and LOVED her; lately I've been thinking "Yorkie"–especially w/ our last name and all, and K. wants to get me one for Christmas. : )
They are great family dogs.
Twitter: SCJohnEd
says:
Well of course mine is the dog. I love all of them. In the book Heaven is for Real, It says the little boy did see dogs in Heaven. I’m praying that if we have jobs in Heaven that I can take care of the puppies!
I love puppies!