Luke 3:1-6

3 A voice of one calling:
“In the wilderness prepare
the way for the Lord;
make straight in the desert
a highway for our God.
4 Every valley shall be raised up,
every mountain and hill made low;
the rough ground shall become level,
the rugged places a plain.
5 And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all people will see it together.
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

Isa 40:9-11

Whatever gift you’ve been given, it can play a bigger role than you think. https://youtu.be/00gXEn1ehDg

Charles Shultz used his gifts to provide a message that he fully expected to be censored but it wasn’t. In fact, if you remove this scene, the entire story falls apart. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVp5AGte_4Q

Luke 2:8-20 Why was the first public announcement made to shepherds?

Genesis 3:14 The livestock were cursed… “The Lord made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them.” - Gen 3:21 Abel was the first shepherd and he “…brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock.” Gen 4:4 Abel continually acknowledged his fallen state, but Cain didn’t. Abel died as the first human casualty of a war between brothers that has been fought ever since. Both the innocent lambs and the innocent shepherd were killed because man desired to know good and evil…so have we learned yet?

The Story of the Shepherds.

Shepherds are God’s warriors. They are to be fearless. Don’t be afraid. Notice that when Linus was proclaiming what Christmas was all about he dropped his blanket?

Shepherds carry 2 sticks: a rod and staff. The rod is for fighting, the staff is for teaching/disciplining. The rod is for outside the house. The staff for inside.

In Hebrew “God” is referred to as EL - aleph-lamed. In Ancient Hebrew (what Moses would have wrote in) the aleph is an ox-head and the lamed is …a shepherd’s staff. This is why David said in Psalm 23 “The LORD is my shepherd…”

This might be useful… https://www.ancient-hebrew.org/alphabet/hebrew-alphabet-chart.htm

Anyone who thinks God doesn’t have a sense of humor should be reminded that Scottish shepherds invented golf…or did David use his staff as a driver? True story, I spent one night sleeping on a well cropped sheep pasture. I thought I was on a luxurious putting green!

Nighttime in a sheep pasture…it’s dark when the shepherds get the message. Many think we are in the dark right now.

Was Psalm 23 the shepherd’s favorite song…until that night? And what do you do when it’s so dark? Hope for light.

Isaiah must have read Psalm 23 too:

Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the nations, by the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan—

The people walking in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.

You have enlarged the nation
and increased their joy;
they rejoice before you
as people rejoice at the harvest,
as warriors rejoice
when dividing the plunder.

For as in the day of Midian’s defeat,
you have shattered the yoke that burdens them, the bar across their shoulders,
the rod of their oppressor.

Every warrior’s boot used in battle
and every garment rolled in blood
will be destined for burning,
will be fuel for the fire.

For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end.
He will reign on David’s throne
and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
with justice and righteousness
from that time on and forever.

The zeal of the Lord Almighty
will accomplish this.

The LORD Almighty in Hebrew is YHVH Tza-va-owt. Almighty is an reflection on being in command of a vast, almost innumerable army…what the English called the “Host.” When the shepherds saw the great company, they were observing spiritual warriors who were praising God and proclaiming peace to whom he favors. Luke 2:13. Do you remember Abel and his sacrifices in Genesis 4?

Luke 2-12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” When Mary gave birth, the child was wrapped in swaddling clothes - actually thin ribbons of fabric and lying in a manger, which is actually a feed crib and not a barn. Bethlehem in Hebrew is actually House of Sustenance (bread/flesh) ans was just south of Jerusalem. Beit-lechem was a Levitical farming community for the sacrificial lambs and the shepherds had one of the most important jobs in the world. Read Luke 1 to find out that John the Baptist was actually a Levite - member of the tribe of Levi, the priests.

Luke 1: 5 indicates both John's father and mother were descendents of Aaron - Mose's brother. In John 1:29 it says "The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" Since John the Baptist was Y'shua's cousin, he would have both recognized him and understood the all the events that surrounded Y'shua's birth. But how did he know Y'shua was the Lamb of God? The shepherds would have indicated he was the fulfillment of the promise given to David, as they were told. The curse that was upon the livestock was being lifted. The sacrificial blood that was used to atone for the sins of the people was going to be brought to an end. Y'shua was swaddled in cloth at birth, but also wrapped in linens and placed in a cave when he came down from the cross.

RI Public Radio's Ian Donnis in front of the Gettysburg Gun in the RI State House. Ian and I discussed the state of RI's election systems, how complex they are and why without complete transparency, we have troublesome times ahead.

For those wondering what happened re: that intrusion of a foreign balloon into US territorial airspace - this might help: https://www.dvidshub.net/image/7620698/high-altitude-balloon-2023

⬆️⬆️⬆️ If you visit the link, you’ll find images of the recovery effort.

These are the details of how the balloon was shot down. A question remains - why wasn’t this done over U.S. territorial waters over Alaska? Recovery of any instrumentation would be more difficult. Or is it now a matter of intercepting transmitted data? Is this a solid example of 5th Generation warfare? ⬇️⬇️⬇️