A quiet day of work and rest, Father. Thank You for enabling me to make some good progress on Sunday’s sermon. There is great comfort in Your presence.
Luke 9:57-58 (<<click to read the passage)
Reading these few verses immediately brought a couple of things to mind. First, for some time I have been wanting to share my fox sightings and it also brought to mind one of my favorite Christmas hymns. I know…a strange combination, but what can I say?
The first time I remember seeing a fox in the wild was a few years back while sitting in my home office. I get a nice view of the back of our lot from there. I happened to glance up from my desk and there, much to my surprise was a fox! It was standing on a little rise in front of a small grove of trees. It was winter, so the bare trees and leaves on the ground provided its background. I was spellbound -it was beautiful! It stood in the “open” for a bit then darted back into the cover of the trees.
I have sighted foxes a couple of times on my bus route, too. One time I was coming up on a house of one of my elementary girls and along a property line of bushes, I saw another one before it took off along the line of bushes. The family has a couple of outdoor dogs, but I don’t think they had caught wind of it.
They are beautiful creatures, but I realize that they are a problem for many farmers in that they prey on chickens and whatnot.
The Christmas hymn, of which I spoke, is entitled Thou Didst Leave Thy Throne and actually it ties in with today’s text very well.
As Jesus and His disciples passed the unwelcoming village…
“…someone said to Jesus, “I will follow you wherever you go.”
But Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens to live in, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place even to lay his head.” (NLT)
In other words, we desire to follow Jesus but there are no guarantees of what that might mean. Hebrews 13:14 (NLT) says,
For this world is not our permanent home; we are looking forward to a home yet to come.
Here are the lyrics of Thou Didst Leave Thy Throne:
Thou didst leave Thy throne and Thy kingly crown
When Thou camest to earth for me;
But in Bethlehem’s home there was found no room
For Thy holy nativity.
Refrain
O come to my heart, Lord Jesus;
There is room in my heart for Thee.
Heaven’s arches rang when the angels sang,
Proclaiming Thy royal degree;
But of lowly birth didst Thou come to earth,
And in great humility.
Refrain
The foxes found rest, and the birds their nest
In the shade of the forest tree;
But Thy couch was the sod, O Thou Son of God,
In the deserts of Galilee.
Refrain
Thou camest, O Lord, with the living word,
That should set Thy people free;
But with mocking scorn and with crown of thorn,
They bore Thee to Calvary.
Refrain
When the heavens shall ring, and her choir shall sing,
At Thy coming to victory,
Let Thy voice call me home, saying, “Yet there is room,
There is room at My side for thee!”
My heart shall rejoice, Lord Jesus,
When Thou comest and callest for me.
By Emily E. S. Elliott, 1864
The common animals of the field find comfort in their “homes” but Jesus? He willingly gave up what was rightfully His due, that we might be redeemed.
I highlighted a few phrases in the hymn. If you haven’t already, read them through once more. Remember, Jesus gave up everything, His very life included, so that we could find our forever home…with Him.
Apr 6th, 2020, Wed, 6:02 pm
