Advent Reflections #21: Art of Christmas
As mentioned earlier, sometimes lyrics come to my mind that work against the spirit. The main one I think of is a song we used to hear when I was a kid, "We three kings of orient are, smoking on a rubber cigar."
Therefore, I have never been a fan of that song!
The identity and actions of the "three kings" has been one of the myths that moderns like to bust about Christmas. There weren't necessarily three (they just brought three gifts), where were they from (the East, so were they Persian, African, East Asian, etc.), where they pagan astrologers, etc. I like to think of them as a down payment on the ultimately nonJewish nature of Jesus' extension of salvation. He's for everybody, and from his birth that was true.
But, clearly, they weren't at the manger a day after his birth, as Matthew clearly says, but in a house, and it must have been within two years of his birth.
So, since I like Rembrandt so much, I'll post a link to his painting but not the words of the song. Click here.
Therefore, I have never been a fan of that song!
The identity and actions of the "three kings" has been one of the myths that moderns like to bust about Christmas. There weren't necessarily three (they just brought three gifts), where were they from (the East, so were they Persian, African, East Asian, etc.), where they pagan astrologers, etc. I like to think of them as a down payment on the ultimately nonJewish nature of Jesus' extension of salvation. He's for everybody, and from his birth that was true.
But, clearly, they weren't at the manger a day after his birth, as Matthew clearly says, but in a house, and it must have been within two years of his birth.
So, since I like Rembrandt so much, I'll post a link to his painting but not the words of the song. Click here.
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