John Blase - Touching Wonder: Recapturing the Awe of Christmas

TOUCHING WONDER

Published by David C Cook

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Colorado Springs, CO 80918 U.S.A.

David C Cook Distribution Canada

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David C Cook U.K., Kingsway Communications

Eastbourne, East Sussex BN23 6NT, England

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Scripture quotations are from THE MESSAGE . Copyright by Eugene H. Peterson 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.

Recognition Luci Shaw. Used by permission.

LCCN 2009928003

ISBN 978-1-4347-6465-2

eISBN 978-1-4347-0070-4

2009 John Blase

Published in association with the literary agency of Alive Communications, Inc, 7680 Goddard St., Suite 200, Colorado Springs, CO 80920

The Team: Brian Thomasson, Karen Lee-Thorp, Caitlyn York, Karen Athen

Cover Design: Amy Kiechlin

Cover Images: iStockphoto

Interior Illustrations: Amanda Jolman

First Edition 2009

for Dad and Mom

Contents

Prelude

Dear friend,

The author David James Duncan described the plastic shepherds from those Christmas dioramas of his youth as having slack-jawed expressions of wonder. There was a time in my life when the stories surrounding the birth of Jesus left me in the same state. However, for some reason or reasons, I lost the eyes to see or the ears to hear, or maybe the heart to wonder. I set out this year (2007) to read them in Eugene Petersons The Message in hopes of recapturing a slacked jaw.

As I read, I was struck by how earthy the stories are; in other words, how utterly human. Even in this day and age of real and authentic, I fear we keep these stories in the realm of card stock and porcelain figurines. If these stories did not happen to flesh and blood and bone and sinew, then we of all people are to be most pitied.

Each entry begins with the passage from The Message , and I hope youll take the time to read it. Petersons renderings of these verses would bleed if you cut them. After each reading, Ive written down my reflections: the thoughts, feelings, hopes, and dreams that surfaced as I spent time with the text. I encourage you to approach them not so much to find an answer or respond, but to ponder them in your heart, Mary-like.

Each reflection is followed by a short prayer. The heart of each prayer is personal, but Ive found that what is most personal is most general.

In no way am I indicating that my words are on the level of Gods. The readings are divine, my words are earthly. However, I do believe that every once in a while, there is an intersection of the divine with the human, and in those moments something akin to the word incarnation happens. IncarnationGod with meat.

The achingly beautiful sketches are from the hand of the artist Amanda Jolman.

This Advent season I found again a wonder in my jaws. I pray the same for you.

Grace, always grace,

John

December 2007

Recognition

Who on earth saw him first, knowing

truly who he was? Belly to belly, when

John, prophet in utero, distinguished

in the natal soup the fetal bones, the body

curled like a comma, eyes tight, skull

packed with universal wisdom,

this unborn cousin began to dance.

And when she, birth-giver

her ordinary vision arrowed down between

her legs, through pain and straw, to her sons dark,

slime-streaked hair, to his very skin, red with

the struggle of being bornshe lifted him

to her breast, kissed the face of God,

and felt her own heart leap.

Luci Shaw

Used with permission of the author