B is for Stealing

sometimes, i like to see tales (Biblical or otherwise) from the P.O.V. of either a minor character or else from the imagined thoughts of a major one. Here's by take on Christmas, from the viewpoint of the Inn Keeper who had no room. Pax Suffer the fool. I should have followed my mind. The still Small Ringing in the back of my head That softly Firmly Charged me, “Save room” Fool! That is no place to bear a child. No place for the family of man. They do not complain All the worse I should have listened to that Still Small Ringing in my head “Save room” The sound of her labour will linger all my days. They do not complain I will take them some blankets. Sigh Lord. Suffer the fool! December 25, 2010 The Inn Keeper Three Text Maximum © tracy j h

a clip from last year. thought i'd share it with you all again. I was reading the introduction to the book of Philippians from what is called “The Student Bible”. And in part of it, the writer said this – “during the Christmas season we celebrate the grand night God visited the earth as a baby. But to the rest of the universe, the event looked like an astounding humiliation. God, the Creator of all, took on the unimpressive body of a human being to endure a confining life and grisly death on planet earth.” As I read that, something struck me like never before. Imagine in the dead of the night, all the spirits, all the “gods”, all the strong supernatural forces standing on earth wherever they are. Looking up at the sky. Or looking across to the manger scene. Some of them, fold their hands in disgust – why would a God Son come here… like that? like one of them? Some of them watch – almost hyperventilating – I wonder what God is up to? What is this about? Some of them, having watche...

When NASA said they had some news to share that would impact on the big questions of who, where and why are we here – and perhaps more importantly, if there’s life elsewhere – I was supremely excited. Of course knowing how hype is, I expected them to say “we found algae on the moon”. Still, even that would be big news! This of course prompted one of my friends to proclaim that tomorrow God would be obsolete and a new era of common sense would arise because surely NASA would have found life or a semblance of such [paraphrasing]. I of course wanted to slap him over his head, not because he’s a non-theist primarily (my dear friend turned brother is a non-theist, we banter about the –as he puts it – the absurdity of Faith from time to time, so I know how to deal) but because this friend acts like an unsophisticated nihilist and he is not. But I digress. If NASA comes out and says, “We found a speck of dust that proves a living planet is near by.” it would not pollute the God stream in a...