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The Nativity; Camillo Boccaccino. 16th Century

I read last week while on our vacation to the beach two little books, one is Martin Luther’s Christmas Book; the other by Augustine of Hippo, Sermons to the People: Advent, Christmas, New Year Epiphany.  I enjoyed them both, but I certainly enjoyed more Martin Luther’s book. (Augustine, talks about his belief of Mary being always virgin, something the Bible doesn’t say)

So I have chosen from these two books my quotes for today. Hope you enjoy reading them and find some nourishment for your soul.

“It was for you, my dear Brothers and Sisters, that God was made man. If He hadn’t been born in our time, you’d still be sleeping the sleep of death. If He hadn’t donned the same fatal flesh that Adam had, you’d never have been liberated from the sin of the flesh. If this Mercy hadn’t happened to you, Perpetual Misery would possess you whole and entire. If He hadn’t come to die the death for you, you wouldn’t have been born again. If He hadn’t propped you up, you’d have flopped yourselves down. Quite simply put, if He hadn’t come, you’d be dead as a doornail.” St Augustine.

“Is there no hope at all? “Not really” would seem to be the answer, except perhaps for the grace of the Incarnation.” St. Augustine

“Christian teaching is that in Christ God became flesh. Compared with that, no particular miracle matters much. If one could but believe that God lay in the manger, one could let go the star and the angel’s song and yet keep the faith.” From the Introduction to Luther’s Book.

“‘If only I had been there! How quick I would have been to help the Baby! I would have washed his linen. How happy I would have been to go with the shepherds to see the Lord lying in the manger!’ Yes, you would” You say that because you know how great Christ is, but if you had been there at that time you would have done no better than the people of Bethlehem. Childish and silly thoughts are these! Why don’t you do it now? You have Christ in your neighbor. You ought to serve him, for what you do to your neighbor in need you do to the Lord Christ himself.” Martin Luther

“Next to faith this is the highest art- to be content with the calling in which God has placed you. I have not learned it yet.” Martin Luther

“This is the way to observe this feast -that Christ may be formed in us. It is not enough that we should hear his story if the heart be closed. I must listen, not only to a history, but to a gift.” Martin Luther

“{H}e is called Jesus, meaning a Saviour who helps his people to turn and be saved. we have often explained and explain again, how to understand the Kingdom of our Lord; how to distinguish the spiritual and the temporal realms; that this Lord Christ does not build castles, towns, and villages like an emperor, king, or elector of Saxony, or even like me in my own household, but he saves his people from their sins. This is a fair, dear, and precious assurance to troubled and tormented consciences laden with sins, that to them and to us all a Child is born who will rule and vindicate, who will help and not destroy, murder, strangle, or kill” Luther

“The sum of it is  all here: ‘Unto you is born this day… a Saviour” Luther

Under His Sovereign Hand,