⁸ And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
⁹ And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
¹⁰ And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
¹¹ For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
¹² And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
¹³ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
¹⁴ Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
¹⁵ And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.
¹⁶ And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.
¹⁷ And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.
¹⁸ And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.
¹⁹ But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.
²⁰ And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them. — The Gospel of Saint Luke, Chapter 2, Versus 8 through 20

Christ was not born in a palace.  His birth was not announced in the temple.  He came not just for the wealthy, the powerful, or the royal, but for the lowest of the low as much as He came for the highest of the high.  Shepherds keeping a night watch in the wild country, not the priests in Jerusalem, were the first to be told of His birth, and they, not the Three Kings, were the first to come and revere Him.

It shouldn’t take a host of angels for us to see the beauty of the world and the promise that it holds for us.  The wonder of the Lord’s love is evident all around us, and we could see it if we were to only open our eyes.  In every kind word, every unseen act of charity, every person doing what needs doing without expectation of thanks shows it to us.  I don’t require a chorus to hear the symphony of creation.  All it takes is a few quiet moments for me to remember how beautiful this life can be.

I wish each and every one of you a Merry Christmas.  No matter your faith, I wish you all the blessings of life.

Combat Preparation

Silent range,
Cold range
Everyone behind
The yellow line

Guns lay still with chambers open
RSO checks that nothing is loaded

The range is cold
You may go down-range

The range is cold
You may go down-range

——————————————————————-

Silent range,
Cold range
Targets adjusted
Back behind the line

RSO checks that no-one is down range
He yells at a dimwit who is acting strange

Ready on the ri-ight?
Ready o-n the left?

¹In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
 ²The same was in the beginning with God.
 ³All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
 ⁴In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
 ⁵And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
The Gospel of John, Chapter 1, Verses 1 through 5

Today we commemorate the birth of a small child in a conquered land.  He was born in a strange place, far from home and family.  His parents were neither rich, nor privileged.  He grew up in a small village during tumultuous times, and rose to found a great movement in human history.  If you believe in his divinity, he was sent in order to be the sacrificial lamb for the entire human race by a God so forgiving that he gave of his own flesh and blood for that sacrifice, and his teachings are our guiding lights to find our way to his kingdom.  If you are only looking for wisdom or guidance, the writings of what he taught show a path of forgiveness, love, and understanding of the lowest of the low among us.

This is the Christmas I celebrate.  I thoroughly dislike the tinsel, the shopping, the schmaltzy music, and the saccharine kindness from people who normally would gladly step over my corpse in the street. But a few moments of quiet reading and reflection remind me that underneath all of the dreck that has been heaped on the occasion there is a bedrock of faith and learning that we should remember.

My Christmas is one that reminds me that I am responsible for my brother, and that even a small child born in squalor can rise up to be an example of light to the world.

I wish each and every one of you a Merry Christmas.