Ken Winter
Advent – We Three Kings (Balthazar’s Story)

If you would prefer to listen to this post as a podcast, CLICK HERE.

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Introduction to this post:

This is the fourth of this year’s weekly Advent posts. Those of you who have followed the blog for more than a year know that it is my annual practice to post a weekly story for the season of Advent about the incarnational birth of Jesus. My hope is that the stories have become a part of your Advent tradition as you remember and celebrate the Good News of the advent of our Lord and Savior.

This year’s posts are as follows:

Week #1 - November 27th: O Come, O Come, Emmanuel (Joseph’s Story)

Week #2 - December 4th: Away in a Manger (Achim’s Story)

Week #3 – December 11th: Silent Night (Moshe’s Story)

This week - December 18th: We Three Kings (Balthazar’s Story)

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My name is Balthazar and I am a lifelong student of the science of the stars….

Advent – We Three Kings (Balthazar’s Story)
Ken Winter
Advent – Silent Night (Moshe’s Story)

If you would prefer to listen to this post as a podcast, CLICK HERE.

Introduction to this post:

This is the third of this year’s weekly Advent posts. Those of you who have followed the blog for more than a year know that it is my annual practice to post a weekly story for the season of Advent about the incarnational birth of Jesus. My hope is that the stories have become a part of your Advent tradition as you remember and celebrate the Good News of the advent of our Lord and Savior.

This year’s posts are as follows:

Week #1 - November 27th: O Come, O Come, Emmanuel (Joseph’s Story)

Week #2 - December 4th: Away in a Manger (Achim’s Story)

This week – December 11th: Silent Night (Moshe’s Story)

December 18th: We Three Kings (Balthazar’s Story)

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I am a shepherd named Moshe.

Advent – Silent Night (Moshe’s Story)
Ken Winter
Advent – Away in a Manger (Achim’s Story)

If you would prefer to listen to this post as a podcast, CLICK HERE.

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Introduction to this post:

This is the second of this year’s weekly Advent posts. Those of you who have followed the blog for more than a year know that it is my annual practice to post a weekly story for the season of Advent about the incarnational birth of Jesus. My hope is that the stories have become a part of your Advent tradition as you remember and celebrate the Good News of the advent of our Lord and Savior.

This year’s posts are as follows:

Last week - November 27th: O Come, O Come, Emmanuel (Joseph’s Story)

This week - December 4th: Away in a Manger (Achim’s Story)

December 11th: Silent Night (Moshe’s Story)

December 18th: We Three Kings (Balthazar’s Story)

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My name is Achim. My family and I live here in Bethlehem, the town of our ancestor David, the shepherd king….

Advent – Away in a Manger (Achim’s Story)
Ken Winter
Advent - O Come, O Come, Emmanuel (Joseph’s ...

If you would prefer to listen to this post as a podcast, CLICK HERE.

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A preface to this post:

Dear family, friends and faithful readers of this blog,

This week is my 321st weekly blog post—not a huge number for many, but for me it has been a sharing of my heart with you. Those of you who have followed the blog for more than a year know that it is my annual practice to post a weekly stories for the season of Advent about the incarnational birth of Jesus. My hope is that the stories have become a part of your Advent tradition as you remember and celebrate the Good News of the advent of our Lord and Savior.

This year, i am repeating four of the weekly Advent posts from 2019 for two reasons. First, i have made changes to the posts, and have a higher quality audio recording of the posts in the event you would like to listen to them on audio—feel free to click the link above to do so.

The second reason is that i will be bringing my season of posting to an end as of the end of December. As many of you know, i have been diagnosed with metastatic (stage 4) lung cancer and am now being placed on home hospice care. Thus, it has become more difficult for me to produce these post. I hope and pray you receive these as my gift and expression of love to you.

The remaining five posts are as follows:

November 27th: O Come, O Come, Emmanuel (Joseph’s Story)

December 4th: Away in a Manger (Achim’s Story)

December 11th: Silent Night (Moshe’s Story)

December 18th: We Three Kings (Balthazar’s Story)

December 25th: A Christmas Celebration (My Story)

Advent - O Come, O Come, Emmanuel (Joseph’s Story)
Ken Winter
His Dwelling Place

If you would prefer to listen to this post as a podcast, CLICK HERE.

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What does it mean to live in the shelter of the Most High and to find rest in His shadow? This is how Psalm 91 begins—a psalm many attribute to Moses. i believe that attribution is fitting. Moses is the one who carried Jehovah God’s instructions to His people for constructing the Tabernacle in the wilderness. He witnessed the fabrication of each part and completed the last of the work.

The Tabernacle was completed exactly as the Lord specified and was erected on the first anniversary of Israel’s departure from Egypt. That day, the Lord’s glorious presence descended upon it, covering and filling it with His awesome glory. His presence, previously seen in the guiding pillar of cloud, now took residence within His dwelling place among the people. From that day on, as His Spirit led, the people moved forward; when His Spirit remained in the Tabernacle, the people encamped.

His Dwelling Place

Christmas

An Advent Story (Part 4) – Annas the scribe

An Advent Story (Part 4) – Annas the scribe

If you would prefer to listen to this post as a podcast, CLICK HERE.

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NOTE: This is the last of four stories i have posted for this Advent season about the incarnational birth of Jesus. Each one, as you already know if you have been following along, is a fictional first-person account of the events that surrounded our Savior’s birth. Though some of the characters and details contained in each story are fictional, you will find the truth they convey to be very REAL!

Part 1 as told by Jacob the elder (November 30th)

Part 2 as told by Clopas the uncle (December 7th)

Part 3 as told by Eliezer the cousin (December 14th)

Part 4 as told by Annas the scribe (This week - December 21st)

This week you will hear from a scribe named Annas. His name should sound familiar to you. He would eventually become a high priest in Jerusalem, and he, together with his son-in-law Caiaphas, would be instrumental in the arrest and crucifixion of Jesus. At the time of Jesus’s birth, however, he would have been a young man. So, let’s consider the possibility that his first knowledge of the existence of the King of kings was at the time of Christ’s birth. Let’s listen to this young, ambitious scribe as he shares his eyewitness account of this portion of the Advent story.

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My name is Annas and I am a young scribe serving in the court of King Herod the Great….

An Advent Story (Part 3) – Eliezer the cousin

An Advent Story (Part 3) – Eliezer the cousin

If you would prefer to listen to this post as a podcast, CLICK HERE.

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NOTE: This is the third of four stories i am posting for this Advent season about the incarnational birth of Jesus. These are fictional first-person accounts of the events that surrounded His birth. Though some of the characters and details contained in these stories are fictional, you will find the truth they convey to be very REAL!

Part 1 as told by Jacob the elder (November 30th)

Part 2 as told by Clopas the uncle (December 7th)

Part 3 as told by Eliezer the cousin (This week - December 14th)

Part 4 as told by Annas the scribe (December 21st)

This week you will hear from a fictional character by the name of Eliezer. He is the son of Joseph’s fictional cousin, Achim. Achim, his wife Miriam, and all their family reside in Bethlehem. You heard about some of what Mary and Joseph encountered last week from Clopas. So let’s continue with the advent story through his eyewitness account.

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I am Achim and Miriam’s youngest son, Eliezer….

An Advent Story (Part 2) – Clopas the uncle

An Advent Story (Part 2) – Clopas the uncle

If you would prefer to listen to this post as a podcast, CLICK HERE.

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NOTE: Starting last week and continuing for the next two weeks, i am posting a total of four stories about the incarnational birth of Jesus. They are fictional first-person accounts of the events that surrounded the advent of Jesus. Some of the characters and details contained in each story are fictional, but you will find the truth they convey to be very REAL!

My prayer is that through the stories you are reminded of the Good News of the Advent this Christmas season. To that end, let’s look at each part of this story through the eyes of four very different eyewitnesses:

Part 1 as told by Jacob the elder (November 30th)

Part 2 as told by Clopas the uncle (This week – December 7th)

Part 3 as told by Eliezer the cousin (December 14th)

Part 4 as told by Annas the scribe (December 21st)

This week you will hear from Clopas the uncle. Some historians and scholars believe that Clopas was the younger brother of Joseph, and as such, he would have had a unique perspective on the events that were unfolding. So let’s continue with the advent story through his eyewitness account.

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My name is Clopas. I am the son of Jacob the carpenter, and the younger brother of Joseph. I was born in Cana of Galilee and lived there for much of my life….

An Advent Story (Part 1) – Jacob the elder

An Advent Story (Part 1) – Jacob the elder

If you would prefer to listen to this post as a podcast, CLICK HERE.

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NOTE: As has become my annual practice, beginning today and for the next three weeks, i will be posting a total of four stories about the incarnational birth of Jesus. They are fictional first-person accounts of the events that surrounded the advent of Jesus. Some of the characters and details contained in each story are fictional, but you will find the truth they convey to be very REAL!

My prayer is that through the stories you are reminded of the Good News of the Advent this Christmas season. To that end, let’s look at each part of this story through the eyes of four very different eyewitnesses:

Part 1 as told by Jacob the elder (This week – November 30th)

Part 2 as told by Clopas the uncle (December 7th)

Part 3 as told by Eliezer the cousin (December 14th)

Part 4 as told by Annas the scribe (December 21st)

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I am Jacob, the leading elder and rabbi in Nazareth….

Advent - Balthazar's Story

Advent - Balthazar's Story

NOTE: This post concludes my series of five short stories for the Advent season. This story, as well as the previous four, have been my gift to you — as faithful readers of this blog. If you are new to my blog and missed the first four posts, i invite you to go back and read them. Though each story stands alone, it is helpful to have the context of the full series. i have endeavored to keep each story factual as to the details conveyed through the Gospels, but please bear in mind that by their nature these stories are fictional first person accounts involving both historical and fictional characters, as well as fictional details that have been woven into each story. My prayer is that, through the telling, you have experienced anew the glorious arrival of our Lord and Savior through a different set of lenses. To that end, join this final “eyewitness” as he tell his story.

The Series:

Joseph – A humble carpenter (December 4)

Achim – Joseph’s cousin (December 11)

Moshe – A Bethlehem shepherd (December 18)

Simeon – An expectant prophet (December 25)

Balthazar – A Babylonian scholar (This week – January 1) 

i pray you have a joy-filled and God-blessed new year!

My name is Balthazar. I am a life-long student of the science of the stars. I have been so ever since I was a child. I grew up and live in the city of Babylon. Once the center of the greatest empire on the face of the earth, we are now a provincial capital within the somewhat lesser Parthian Empire. The empire encompasses the whole of the Levant along the Mediterranean Sea, excluding the city of Tyre. Our province within the empire includes all of the region that makes up the Tigris-Euphrates Valley. The Silk Road trade route between the Roman Empire and the Han Dynasty of China passes through our province, making us a prosperous center of trade and commerce.

As the satrap of our province, my father governed our region – paying proper tribute and supplying soldiers to our king. Because of this arrangement, our king is often referred to as the “King of Kings.” I am my father’s second son; therefore, I am not his primogeniture. He did not groom me to become the next satrap. Rather, I have been permitted to pursue my love of science, and have become one of the leading magi of my province. I have enjoyed a life of privilege and was educated in the palace by some of the finest scholars in the world. Over the years, our empire has adopted the art, architecture, cultures and religious beliefs of the ancient Babylonians, the Greeks and the Persians. And now, through our commerce, our beliefs and culture are also being greatly influenced by the Romans and the Chinese….

Advent - Simeon's Story

Advent - Simeon's Story

NOTE: For this Advent season, my blog posts have taken a different turn. For the five weeks beginning December 4, i am posting five short stories surrounding the incarnational birth of Jesus. These stories are a gift to you — as faithful readers of this blog. If you are new to my blog and missed the first three posts, i invite you to go back and read them. Though each story stands alone, it is helpful to have the context of the full series. i have endeavored to keep each story factual as to the details conveyed through the Gospels, but please bear in mind that by their nature these stories are fictional first person accounts involving both historical and fictional characters, as well as fictional details that have been woven into each story. My prayer is that, through the telling, we witness anew the glorious arrival of the One who had been promised. To that end, join these “eyewitnesses” as they tell their stories:

Joseph – A humble carpenter (December 4)

Achim – Joseph’s cousin (December 11)

Moshe – A Bethlehem shepherd (December 18)

Simeon – An expectant prophet (This week – December 25)

Balthazar – A Babylonian scholar (January 1)

My name is Simeon. I have lived a long and full life. On my last birthday, I turned one hundred thirteen years of age. I know that you’re going to tell me that I don’t look a day over one hundred – so I will tell you my secret to looking so youthful. It’s figs! Most every day of my life I have eaten a fig. I recommend them to you!

But – in all seriousness – I will tell you the secret as to how I have lived to such an old age. When I was young the Spirit of God gave me a promise. He told me that I would not see death before I had seen the Promised Messiah. Each day thereafter I have lived expectantly – awaiting the fulfillment of God’s promise to me – knowing that He is not a man that He would lie. That which God has promised will come to pass! Therefore I have also lived assuredly – knowing that I was immortal until the day of the blessed event. Today is that very day! But before I tell you about the events of this day, allow me to go back to the day that God gave me His promise….

Advent - Moshe's Story

Advent - Moshe's Story

NOTE: For this Advent season, my blog posts have taken a different turn. For the five weeks beginning December 4, i am posting five short stories surrounding the incarnational birth of Jesus. These stories are a gift to you — as faithful readers of this blog. If you are new to my blog and missed the first two posts, i invite you to go back and read them. Though i will endeavor to keep each story factual as to the details conveyed through the Gospels – by their nature these stories will be fictional first person accounts involving both historical and fictional characters, as well as fictional details that have been incorporated into each narrative. My prayer is that, through the telling, we witness anew the glory of our Heavenly Father expressed through the incarnational birth of His One and Only Son. To that end, let’s look at the account through the eyes of these five very different individuals:

Joseph – A humble carpenter (December 4)

Achim – Joseph’s cousin (December 11)

Moshe – A Bethlehem shepherd (This week - December 18)

Simeon – An expectant prophet (December 25)

Balthazar – A Babylonian scholar (January 1)

My name is Moshe. I am a shepherd. I have watched over sheep in these Bethlehem hills since I was a young boy. My father and grandfather were both shepherds as were their fathers and grandfathers – all the way back to the shepherd king himself – David. He knew these hills like the back of his hand – just like each one of us has ever since. There was a time during the captivity of our people in Babylon that my ancestors were not shepherding in these hills. But by the grace of Jehovah, He made the way for us to return many years ago.

There is nothing else I would rather be doing, and there is nowhere else I would rather be. Jehovah God has blessed me greatly. He is the greatest Shepherd of all! He has chosen us to be His people – His flock, if you will. He watches over us and cares for us. He provides for us and leads us where He would have us be. He teaches us to know His voice. And He has given us His commands to protect us….

Advent - Achim's Story

Advent - Achim's Story

NOTE: For this Advent season, my blog posts have taken a different turn. For the five weeks beginning December 4, i am posting five short stories surrounding the incarnational birth of Jesus. These stories are my gift to you — as faithful readers of this blog. If you missed last week’s post, i invite you to go back and read it. Though i will endeavor to keep each story factual as to the details conveyed through the Gospels – by their nature these stories will be fictional first person accounts involving both historical and fictional characters, as well as fictional details that have been incorporated into each narrative. My prayer is that, through the telling, we witness anew the glory of our Heavenly Father expressed through the incarnational birth of His One and Only Son. To that end, let’s look at the account through the eyes of these five very different individuals:

Joseph – A humble carpenter (December 4)

Achim – Joseph’s cousin (This week - December 11)

Moshe – A Bethlehem shepherd (December 18)

Simeon – An expectant prophet (December 25)

Balthazar – A Babylonian scholar (January 1)

My name is Achim. My family and I live here in Bethlehem – the town of our ancestor David – the shepherd king. Our town is situated in the midst of rolling green hills. Our hills produce some of the best almonds and olives throughout the province. The soil is fertile because we sit on top of an enormous aquifer. As a matter of fact, our water is known to be the best tasting from far and wide. The story is told that some of King David’s mighty men risked their lives by crossing through Philistine lines to get him a cup of this very water from a well situated here in Bethlehem….

Advent - Joseph's Story

Advent - Joseph's Story

NOTE: For this Advent season, my blog posts will be taking a different turn. Starting today and for the four weeks that follow, i will be posting five short stories surrounding the incarnational birth of Jesus. Though i will endeavor to keep each story factual as to the details conveyed through the Gospels – by their nature these stories will be fictional first person accounts involving both historical and fictional characters, as well as fictional details that have been incorporated into each narrative. My prayer is that, through the telling, we witness anew the glory of our Heavenly Father expressed through the incarnational birth of His One and Only Son. To that end, let’s look at the account through the eyes of five very different individuals:

Joseph – A humble carpenter (This week - December 4)

Achim – Joseph’s cousin (December 11)

Moshe – A Bethlehem shepherd (December 18)

Simeon – An expectant prophet (December 25)

Balthazar – A Babylonian scholar (January 1)

My name is Joseph. I’m a carpenter. My father Jacob was a carpenter, as was his father Matthan. As a matter of fact, my ancestors have been carpenters as far back as anyone can remember. Well, maybe not as far back as anyone remembers. My ancestor David was actually a shepherd – that is until he became the King of Israel. And his son Solomon, who is also my ancestor, is considered by many to have been the wisest king our people ever had. Thirteen of my ancestors, who were the successive descendants of Solomon, followed him in ruling over our nation as kings of Judah. Most of those did evil in the eyes of the Lord – so I share my family connection to them with great reluctance. But there is no denying that royal blood courses through my veins….

Christmas From The Beginning

Christmas From The Beginning

The Christmas journey with the Master in some respects is a journey that has no beginning, because in the beginning He was. He was with God. He was God. He was the Creator of all things and in Him and for Him were all things created. He was Life and from Him life was given. He was Light and from Him light was given to the world. He was Light and through Him darkness was extinguished. He always was, and He forever will be. 

Though He has no beginning, through Him was the beginning and in Him is the beginning. Through Him the world was created. Through Him the world was redeemed. Through Him the world was given the right to become children of God. He always was, and He forever will be.

Jesus was the Word of God. Jesus was the Truth of God. Jesus was the glory of God. Jesus was the love of God. Jesus was the faithfulness of God. He always was, and He forever will be.

However, the Christmas journey with the Master in other respects is a journey that does have a beginning - not a beginning for Him, but a beginning for us….

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