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Jesse Tree – Day 25: Glorifying God

Karina Tabone 0 Comments , ,

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

This is the last Jesse Tree reading, promise! See? Look at the lovely Jesse Tree! It’s all filled out and colorful. What a fun project, don’t you think? 🙂

The full Jesse Tree! Thank you soooo much for the crochet designer at Crochet Kitten for designing these patterns! You can find a full list of her (free!) patterns for the Jesse Tree here.

The last ornament is this one:

The angel! Just in case you want to make this angel for yourself, the crochet pattern is here.

It’s an angel!

And so, the last scripture dwells on none other than our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ through the eyes of the shepherds. Let’s take a closer look, shall we? 🙂

The Shepherds Pay Homage

NABRE

Luke 2

8 Now there were shepherds in that region living in the fields and keeping the night watch over their flock. 9The angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were struck with great fear.

Annunciation to the Shepherds, by Pieter Mulier, c. 17th century. Private collection.
Annunciation to the Shepherds, by Pieter Mulier, c. 17th century. Private collection.

NABRE

Luke 2

10The angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Messiah and Lord.

Annunciation to the Shepherds, c. 17th century. Private collection.
Annunciation to the Shepherds, c. 17th century. Private collection.

NABRE

Luke 2

12And this will be a sign for you: you will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.”

Adoration of the Christ Child and Annunciation to the Shepherds, by Bernardino Luini, c. 1520-25. New Orleans Museum of Art, New Orleans, Louisiana, United States.
Adoration of the Christ Child and Annunciation to the Shepherds, by Bernardino Luini, c. 1520-25. New Orleans Museum of Art, New Orleans, Louisiana, United States.

NABRE

Luke 2

13And suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel, praising God and saying:14 “Glory to God in the highestand on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

Annunciation to the Shepherds, by Cornelis Saftleven, c. 1630-50. Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Annunciation to the Shepherds, by Cornelis Saftleven, c. 1630-50. Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, Netherlands.

NABRE

Luke 2

15When the angels went away from them to heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go, then, to Bethlehem to see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.”

Nativity, by Master of the St. Ursula Legend, c. 15th century. Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit, Michigan, United States.
Nativity, by Master of the St. Ursula Legend, c. 15th century. Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit, Michigan, United States.

NABRE

Luke 2

16So they went in haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the infant lying in the manger.

Adoration of the Shepherds, by Paolo de Matteis, c, 1712. Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, Virginia, United States.
Adoration of the Shepherds, by Paolo de Matteis, c, 1712. Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, Virginia, United States.

NABRE

Luke 2

17When they saw this, they made known the message that had been told them about this child. 18All who heard it were amazed by what had been told them by the shepherds.

Adoration of the Shepherds, by Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, c. 17th century. State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia.
Adoration of the Shepherds, by Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, c. 17th century. State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia.

NABRE

Luke 2

19And Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart.

Adoration of the Shepherds, by Carlo Cignani, c. 17th century. State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia.
Adoration of the Shepherds, by Carlo Cignani, c. 17th century. State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia.

NABRE

Luke 2

20Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, just as it had been told to them.

Adoration of the Shepherds, by Juan Bautista Maino, c. 17th century. State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia.
Adoration of the Shepherds, by Juan Bautista Maino, c. 17th century. State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia.

Final Thoughts

Isn’t that lovely???

The more I think about it, the more I realize that my place in this whole Christmas narrative is the place of the shepherds. Think about it:

  1. The shepherds are called out to go meet Jesus.
  2. They find Jesus!
  3. They go away, praising and giving glory to God.

Doesn’t this sound like our mission, as Christians?

And so for this Christmas season, I pray that this leads you to joy and a closer encounter to Christ, our Lord. And I pray that it makes you want to give thanks to God, just as it once did over 2000 years ago to some shepherds of old.

Again, Merry Christmas! And may God bless us every one.

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Karina Tabone

Karina Tabone is a wife, mother of four, author, blogger, and lover of Christian artwork. She's the author of the Illustrated Rosary series, which pairs every prayer of the Rosary with beautiful religious artwork. She likes also milkshakes, sunshine, and mystery novels. Follow her on Twitter at @illustr_prayer.

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