Holding God

I watched in absolute silence as my daughter was born. O, there was a lot of noise in the operating room in Blodgett Hospital, but I didn't hear a word. I was part of the greatest miracle humans can experience, the birth of a child. I came around when the doctor spoke to me and asked me if I wanted to hold my child first. In a second, or less, I was holding creative perfection.

I wonder what Mary and Joseph thought that night so long ago when they were holding  onto God. Was the skin of baby Jesus extra soft to their touch? Did he have the scent of purity and innocence covering him like a blanket. When He cooed and made the precious baby noises did his parents understand that it was the voice of their child that spoke solar systems, galaxies and the very universe into existence?

Take a moment with me and allow the miracle of, "Logos Incarnate"too seep into your soul. Mary and Joseph had placed in their hands, God Almighty. When Mary bathed the baby Jesus she was bathing God. When she nursed him at her breast she was giving life to God. How absolutely incredible those scenes would have been.

Simeon was an old man who had God moments and was given a message to his soul. The message was that he would not see death until he held the salvation of Israel and the light to the gentiles. On the eighth day of the life of Jesus he was taken to the temple to observe the prescribed law and ritual. Upon entering Simeon held onto the baby Jesus and his soul sang for joy and the fulfillment of the promise given to him. An old man holding onto God. As he lived in peace with God he could die content and in peace with God.

There are precious memories that God has allowed me to place within my heart. Spiritual memories of holding God. They are memories of absolute stillness when the presence of the Almighty was as real as my grandchildren on the couch laughing and my wife sitting close to me. Yes, there are times when I had the absolute honor to hold God. And, you know what? I have watched others who have shared in that honor with me.

Merry Christmas and hold God.


Tedd Galloway is the author of the soon to be released book by Morgan James Publishing, A Mother's Heart Moved the Hand of God. The book is scheduled to be released in the spring. you can also visit his website at http://.www.teddgalloway.com

God uses "Common"

As a minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ I have told the story of the first Christmas many times. I have tried to look at the story from different angles, points of view, etc. and so on. We have heard the stories of the Magi and their gifts. The story of humble shepherds tending the flocks that belong to others. When I think of the shepherds my mind goes to countless Christmas programs with antsy and nervous little boys dressed as the shepherds and a cute little girl looking into the wooden manger at a baby doll.

This Christmas will be pretty much the same. We will sing the same carols, light  candles and give hugs. I am pretty well convinced that God is pleased with our feeble efforts. I will talk of the gifts brought to honor the Christ. And, how an evil ruler sought the death of Jesus.

Again, I will talk about the humble men working on the hillside tending sheep. What an image fills my mind when I picture the thousands of sheep on the spring hills. The sheep were waiting to be chosen as representatives for thousands of Jewish families as they prepared to celebrate the Passover.When Jesus was making his first public appearance as the Christ, John the Baptizer exclaimed, "Behold the Lamb of God who bears away the sin of the world."

God loves and uses the common and ordinary things, and people, in this world. Humble men of the outdoors listened to angels and walked to a stable. Lamps that burned olive oil, used by thousands, provided a faint glow in the stable area. The straw that every animal, in every stall, slept on, provided the cushion for the animals as well as the humble servants of God gathered in that birthplace of the glorious God incarnate.

The men of the earth found a very young mother and the child's father next to a stone, chiseled into the fashion of a feeding crib. The rectangular trough,fashioned with one end higher than the opposite with a hole chiseled through to hold fast the animal at the manger. In that manger was placed the Creator of all that was, is, and can be. His creation became his bed.

During the ministry of Jesus he stood in the temple and proclaimed to all with earshot that, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never be hungry." A feeding trough held him at his birth and even today He invites us to come and dine.

During His last earthly Passover he took bread and broke it and passed it to His friends. He said, "Take and eat, this is my body, broken for you. As often as you eat and drink, remember me."

Yes, this Christmas will be like all of the past celebrations. Thank God for the common, it is easy to remember and still be blessed.

Advent Contemplations- Absolute Silence

Absolute silence- planets spin within solar systems and solar systems are engulfed in the endless miles of the universe, and not a sound can be detected. Far beyond the first light, the first twinkle of the first star, the movement of wings is felt as celestial air is stirred. Heavenly beings keep their place as wings perform their ordained dance. They sing in a language unknown and unheard, “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of hosts. Their song brings even greater brilliance to stars and the endless expanse of space.

In a dimension only visible to Cherubim, Seraphim, and their Creator, a holy and mysterious convocation is taking place. Absolute majesty, power and authority surround the only begotten, the Creator of all that is and can be, the Christ of God. The conversation is not understood by the created hosts that surround them. They speak for eons, yet is over in an instant. Eternity is not touched by time or space.

In an instant the movements of powerful and majestic wings give sign that Gabriel is on the move. The untold numbers of ministering spirits follow every command the angel gives. For they know he speaks and moves for the Father. In an instant he has traveled from the far end of the universe to the holy city, the City of David.

As the smoke of incense rises from the temple Gabriel finds the one to receive his message. He is an old man, well advanced in years and experience. Yet, one experience has escaped his heart, the joy of a man-child. The messenger from God speaks and the old man is struck dumb. In an instant Gabriel is back in the presence of his Creator. As he bows and covers his face with his wings he announces that his task is done.

In the timing of man weeks pass, in the heavenly realms it is but fleeting seconds. Again the powerful Gabriel moves without effort to the planet of his prior visit. He moves silently into the presence of a young maid, a virgin favored by the Father. His presence and his message are startling and the holy messenger reminds the virgin that nothing is impossible with God.

His bowed head announces to the Father and Son that the message has been delivered. The powerful angel is not sure that any other being understood the message that just moved from the heart of the Father to His Son. As if signaled from the deepest ends of the universe a vast array of Cherubim and Seraphim gather around Gabriel. In perfect rhythm of wing and voice the servants of the Most High sing, “Holy is the Lord of Hosts, Holy is the Father and Holy is the Christ.”

In the midst of fluttering wing and song, a message was passing from Father to Son.  In a burst of light, blinding even to the hosts of God, the Christ was gone. Gabriel, moved by the blinding light knew instantly the message he was to give. In a voice unknown to the world he announced to the gathering, “The Christ of God is Emmanuel, He will become the Overcoming Lamb.”

Once more Gabriel moves from timelessness to earth. This time he appears to men working on the hillsides tending sheep. His appearance brings the men to near death. He speaks and his words bring news of hope and peace. As his words end the gathering around him join in chorus, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men, with whom He is well pleased.” As the singing hosts of heaven depart with Gabriel the men of the earth and caretakers of sheep walk to Bethlehem.