Michael Milton

Michael Milton and Faith for Living, Inc.

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November 30, 2017

Twisted Twigs and Candles: The Wonder of Incarnation in the Rustic Little Things

And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.—Luke 2:12

The memories of our lives stand like the four candles in a hidden handmade Advent wreath obscured by the family Christmas tree. One day, as you are rushing across the living room—to go shopping, to go to work? It doesn’t matter, now—you catch a glimpse of a crude Christmas icon. You move the artificial spruce sprig of the Christmas tree you bought last January, and you see a rustic world of wonder: concealed, but ever present. “Did John make this in the third grade?” “No, no. I think we got this at a sale after Christmas. Hmm. No, I think I snagged a deal in a yard sale in the subdivision ten years ago.” It doesn’t matter. You let it go. You focus. You connect. There is this thing: the simple thing, the hidden thing. Somehow this humble Christmas box clutter has become the most precious thing in the world for this moment, a moment about to be lost in the countless moments, but now sanctified and suspended in time. You gaze with innate wonder upon the rustic beauty of the scene, a rough-hewn tangled circle of twigs, not much larger than the rounded, old muffin tin where the cornbread was made last night, four thin candles childishly forced into the twisted twigs, one of the little wax torches snapped by the force of little fingers, no doubt, and taped back together with Scotch tape, a wrinkled, yellowed bandage for the holy thing. And there, in the middle of the homemade wreath, a small, mass produced “Christ candle,” likely a Yankee Candle™, signifying the essence of the Advent message. You breath in the scene. The rarified, evergreen oxygen forms a thought exhaled like fine mist: “The small, rustic scene is what Christmas is really made of.” Yes. “The small things like memories: precious, timeless, become heirlooms, when shared with another.” The door bell chimes. Your otherworldly moment is stolen. Or is it? No. You think to yourself, “It really is ‘Christmas Time Again.'” And you gently release the Christmas tree sprig. It releases. The barely noticeable movement of the limb stills, the elegant adornment veiling the modest treasure of what really matters. You open the door and a small package awaits.

God was born in a manger. This changes everything.

Words and Music ©℗ 2017 Michael Anthony Milton (Bethesda Music), BMI. All rights reserved.

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What is Faith For Living?

Faith for Living is the 501c3 North Carolina non-profit ministry of the Rev. Michael A. Milton, Ph.D. that exists to advance the Gospel of Jesus Christ to as many people as possible, through every means available, so that there will be a multitude caught up to be with Jesus Christ when He comes again. Faith for Living reaches out to support individuals, the Church, and other non-profits through communication, discipleship, and education.

Featured Music of Michael Milton

“Jesus Came” words & music by Michael Anthony Milton
© 1999, 2012, 2020 Bethesda Music (a div. of Faith for Living, Inc.) | BMI

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“When your heart is broken, when your spirit is so crushed that you wonder if you will live again; when your life is in a total blackout; then, this book will give you the light and strength you need to carry on.”

—Russell, Amazon Reviews.

Songs in the Night is available in paperback and Kindle. Songs in the Night: How God Transforms Our Pain to Praise is NOW AVAILABLE in  Audiobook on AUDIBLE. Click here to purchase now.

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