#Christ's manger

[tennants-in-a-trenchcoat]

Do people still make powerpoint memes?

[thelordismylightandmysalvation]

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given;

and the government shall be upon his shoulder,

and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Isaiah 9:6 ESV

A Child Is Born, A Son Is Given - StoneGable

[falloutfoxart]

Born to Die

Never forget what He did for us Have a Merry Christmas, everyone!

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[kuri-crocus]

Please spread for a bigger sample size! 😌

A MS bf/gf for a David Tennant character Masterpost / Results so far

A DT bf/gf for a Michael Sheen character Masterpost / Results so far

[civanticism]

[angelx1992]

[sutzrainbow]

Chocolate Mangers - My Family’s Christmas Treat

Okay, so this is our Christmas traditional treat/snack, and they are absolutely f’ing delicious. However, since being diagnosed as a Type 1 diabetic, I’ve seriously had to watch my sugar intake and I’m wary of eating these. So, because my fun has been ruined, I’m going to share the recipe with all of you!

At first this looks straightforward: just a chocolate rice crispie treat with an icing baby Jesus instead of eggs. Ohhhhh no, dear friends. My fam’s recipe is far superior. You know how if you melt chocolate over rice crispies, it just hardens and then shatters the second you bite into it, sending chocolate shards and rice crispies everywhere? These don’t do that, and I’ll give you one reason: Golden Syrup. The Lyles stuff, straight from the tin. It gums everything together so instead of shattering, it squishes.

Right, that’s enough of me gushing over the brilliance of these. Let me tell you how to make ‘em!

Recipe:

Ingredients:

Shredded Wheat (for authentic-looking straw)

Cocoa Powder - at least 2 tablespoonsfull. We used to use drinking chocolate but if you want it to be a bit less sickly, stick to unsweetened cocoa. The sweetness is provided by the syrup.

Golden Syrup - at least 4 large serving spoonsfull. Sometimes if we’re making a lot of mangers we use up to half a can. This stuff is vital.

2 heaped tablespoons of Margerine (I assume butter would be fine too, but I’ve never tried. Use butter if you want to make these even more naughty)

For Baby Jesus:

Marzipan or Jelly Babies or Smarties or Chocolate Buttons 

Icing sugar

Milk or water

I don’t actually have exact measurements for any of this stuff. We just eyeball it and it usually comes out fine. This makes at least 20 mangers, but can be more or less, depending on how big you make them.

Method:

First, the boring bit: crushing the Shredded Wheat. We usually take out the individual paper sleeves and smash at them with a rolling pin. Then we use the paper packaging to protect our fingers as we crumble them. No, you can’t cheat and use a blender or food processor. You will end up with sawdust. Keep some extra on hand. You will likely need so much more than you think you do.

Don’t forget to set out some little cake cups in advance. We usually put ours on a tray for easy transportation and turning. I’ve never tried with silicone cups but I assume they would be fine too.

Find a big saucepan or pot and put it on the stove on medium heat. We’ve got an old casserole pot we usually use. Something with a thicc bottom that will keep things warm and malleable and reduce the chance of burning the Golden Syrup.

Melt the margerine in the pot, then add the two spoonfuls of cocoa powder. Stir until combined.

Add at least two heaped serving spoons of Golden Syrup. Stir that in until everything is nice and warm and liquid. You should have a dark, chocolatey treacle in the bottom of the pan.

Now you can pour in your crushed Shredded Wheat and start stirring. Keep going until everything is covered. This takes a lot of work and your arm will feel like it’s going to fall off but trust me it’s worth it. If you need more mixture to cover the straw, add more Golden Syrup. If you need more straw, crush and add more Shredded Wheat. You will not need more margerine or chocolate powder. Trust me. Do not make that mistake. You will end up with lumpy, powdery mangers.

Once you’re satisfied that all the ingredients have got to know each other, turn the heat down very low: just low enough to keep the chocolate melted. But you’ll still have to work fast! It helps if there’s two of you for this job, so this is an excellent group activity. 

Take at least a spoonful of the shredded wheat-syrup-chocolate mixture and press it into your cupcake cup, making sure there’s a little dip in the middle. This is where you’ll put Baby Jesus later. Don’t worry about being neat; this is a manger.

Keep going until you have no mixture left. It’s quite usual to get a small ‘runty’ manger at the end of it. Eat that for a reward!

Immediately put your cooking pot in the sink and fill with warm soapy water. Otherwise the remnants of the mixture will stick and be a pain to get off.

Leave your mangers to cool. Once they are safely cool, you can make Baby Jesus! The swaddling clothes are icing, of course. Make your icing very thick, otherwise it will simply run through your manger and look like a broken egg.

For the head of Baby Jesus, your options are open. Our usual method is to roll a ball of marzipan in the dark cocoa powder to get it a medium brown colour (because Jesus wasn’t white, people). I actually don’t like marzipan, so occasionally I’ve used Smarties or chocolate buttons. If you really want, you could use Jelly Babies, but you’d have to put them on first before the icing. Put faces on the heads if you really want to freak people out, either with icing or a cocktail stick.

And that’s it! We also used this recipe at Easter, replacing Baby Jesus with eggs for nests. Enjoy these little bundles of delish. But be warned, they’re murder on your teeth and obviously diabetics, consume with care.

[sleepdepravity]

Is it just me who finds the idea of having a vision where you’re like a nanny for Virgin Mary rather funny

[winewithdann]

Happy birthday King 👑✨💫💖

[thesynaxarium]

Today we celebrate Saint John the Russian. Saint John was taken captive by Muslim Turks to whom he showed absolute obedience as a slave. When his master tried converting him to Islam, Saint John sternly refused saying that he will obey him in all other aspects, as long as he keep his faith in Christ. The master was moved by Saint John's response and allowed him to keep his faith, even showing admiration for him. Saint John then toiled in asceticism, living in the barn house with a manger as a bed, just like Christ had as a baby. Saint John died in peace and his holy relic was then moved to the Greek island of Euboea where it perform countless miracles, still intact and incorrupt. May he intercede for the salvation of our souls + #saint #john #russian #russia #johntherussian #captive #obedience #christian #christianity #saintjohn #turk #islam #asceticism #ascetic #prayer #faith #convert #manger #christ #jesus #jesuschrist #euboea #evia #euvoia #greece #greekislands #orthodox #saintoftheday (at Ürgüp) https://www.instagram.com/p/CeCPBRYvgEh/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[officialyourdailyinspiration]

The Birth of Jesus

1 Now it came about in those days that an order went out from Caesar Augustus that there was to be a numbering of all the world. 2 This was the first numbering, which was made when Quirinius was ruler of Syria. 3 And all men went to be numbered, everyone to his town. 4 And Joseph went up from Galilee, out of the town of Nazareth, into Judaea, to Beth-lehem, the town of David, because he was of the house and family of David, 5 To be put on the list with Mary, his future wife, who was about to become a mother. 6 And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. 7 And she had her first son; and folding him in linen, she put him to rest in the place where the cattle had their food, because there was no room for them in the house. — Luke 2:1-7 | Bible in Basic English (BBE) The Bible in Basic English is in the Public Domain. Cross References: 1 Samuel 16:4; Micah 5:2; Matthew 1:18; Matthew 1:20; Matthew 1:25 Matthew 4:24; Matthew 22:17; Matthew 24:14; Luke 2:8; Luke 2:12; Acts 5:37

[pastorlonnie]

If there ever was a need to rediscover the wonder of Christmas, it is now. Many of the alarming situations of today’s culture were present in first-century Palestine. There was a hunger for hope then as there is today. To rediscover Christmas, we need to listen again to the principal players in the first Christmas drama. John the Baptist wants to prepare us for something better that is coming; Mary has a vision for her son, and Joseph must pay attention to a dream. The world changed because they were willing participants in God’s plan. Do we need that today? Can the power of Christmas do it again in our time? In these messages, Pastor Lonnie guides us to a fresh visit and understanding of the key events that take us to the Christmas manger and the Christ.

[zombie-projects]

Merry Christmas!

We had a very simple Christmas this year. No presents. Just good food. We also got image candy from Lofty Pursuits. It is phenomenal candy. If you ever want to try some it's totally worth the price for it!

We also got sugar free lemon drops made on a 100+ year old candy roller for my dad because he's diabetic and can't enjoy the regular candies in the same way as we can.

I think this peaceful and simple way of celebrating Christmas is my favorite way. We kind of unconsciously emphasize the celebration of the birth of Christ in my family. Which always ends up being what I end up telling my mom was the best part of the holidays.

[psalmdivine]

[iterumvivere]

Advent

Adoration of the Shepherds by Giorgione, 1510 What are we waiting for? From the 1st to the 24th of December each year, if you were to ask anyone you happened to pass in the street what time of year it is, some will say winter, which of course is correct. A significant number of them, though, would say that it is Christmas; they would be wrong. Very few people seem now to recognise the period of…

[madeleinejubileesaito]

“God is under the rubble in Gaza. He is with the frightened and the refugees. He is in the operating room. This is our consolation. He walks with us through the valley of the shadow of death.”

– Rev. Dr. Munther Isaac, in his sermon “God is under the rubble in Gaza.”

I made this painting of the manger scene created by Rev. Dr. Isaac’s church, Christmas Lutheran Church in Bethlehem, with the Christ child under the rubble (original image here).

Full sermon • An interview with Rev. Dr. Isaac about the installation