One just has to read the first eighteen verses of John’s gospel to discover that Jesus is all of the above. Each snowflake displays a name of Jesus. For example….

 

The ornament above and the card below express two ideas central to Christianity: first, life is available in Jesus; second, that this life is our light. This is more than just looking at Jesus as a good model of how to live life; rather it is to invite Jesus to live his life in us. The scripture that inspired this work is John 1:4.

 

The prayer “Dear Heavenly Father, may Jesus, the radiance of your glory, be in people” expresses the powerful hope that belief in Jesus can transform people’s lives. Two scriptures form the basis of this prayer: Hebrews 1:3 and Colossians 1:27.

 

The inspiration for this work comes from the following:

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace!

Where there is hatred, let me sow love;

where there is sin, pardon;

where there is discord, unity;

where there is error, truth;

where there is doubt, faith;

where there is despair, hope;

where there is darkness, light;

where there is sadness, joy.

 prayer ascribed to St. Francis of Assisi

 

Jesus and Us (2011) Japanese, mounted on black card

The greeting inside reads,

“Jesus and Us

He saves us from our sins.

New life in him begins.”

 

Lovers of Handel’s “Messiah” will recall

” For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counseller, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”

Isaiah’s prophecy (in Isaiah 9:6) refers to Christ’s future reign, but even now, he can rule our hearts, bringing much needed peace to us and people around us.

 

The full title is “The Wise Men and Shepherds See Jesus, Their Saviour and Ours.” We tend to see Christmas as a cute children’s story set 2000 years back in a “Christmas Past”. Jesus is also our Saviour so we can experience a nativity in our hearts now as a “Christmas Present”.