AiO-LancMtar Fvralno, Saturday, Oacember 24,1988 OPINION The Christmas Story And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. (And this taxing was first made when Cyree-ni-us was governor of Syria.) And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David;) To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her first-bom son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, 10, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, fear not; for, behold, I bring you, good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is bom this day jn the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you: Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. 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. And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them con cerning the child. All they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined. For unto us a child is bom, unto us a son is given; and the govern ment shall be upon his shoulder and his name shall be called Won derful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Farm Calendar Tuesday, December 27 Lebanon County 4-H Livestock Winter Roundup Beef & Sheep Show, Lebanon Fairgrounds, 7:00 p.m. Wednesday, December 28 Lebanon County 4-H Swine Show, Lebanon Fairgrounds, 8:30 a.m. Lebanon County 4-H Livestock Sale, Lebanon Fairgrounds, 6:00 p.m. Saturday, December 31 Deadline for Emergency Feed Program Applications To Be at ASCS Office. Wednesday, January 4 County Tobacco Meeting Show, Lancaster Farm & Home Cen ter, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wayne Co. Dairy Reproductive Management Seminar, Exten sion Office, Honesdale, 9:30 a.m. Schuylkill County Dairy Day, Penn State Schuylkill Campus. Thursday, January 5 Northeastern Weed Science Socie ty Symposium, Stouffer Harbor Lancaster Fanning Established 1i C 5 Published Every Saturday Ephrata Review Building 1 E Mam St Ephrata, PA 17522 by Lancaster Farming, Inc. A Slelnman Enterprise Robert G. Campbell General Manager Everett R Newswanger Managing Editor Copyright IMIS by Lancaster Farming Place Hotel, Baltimore. m ° b!,lz ® thei , r rcscrv f? and SOILS PSU Course, 7:30 p.m. to reduce nsk of ketosis > which 18 9:30 p.m., Montgomery Co., * e excess Production of ketones. 4-H Center, Creamery, PA. accomplish this by feeding Future of Lancaster Agriculture, ® ran ? B °f n *acin per cow per Lancaster Farm & Home. 7:30 da /. startm | two weekB before p m calving and continuing for 100 Lycoming Co. Annual Meeting, day B after calving. Hoss’s Steakhouse, Check Barn Williamsport. Ventilation Saturday, January 7 Pro P er ventilation of all types PA Farm Show, Harrisburg Farm livestock and poultry buildings Show Complex, • through Jan. * s ver y i m P°rtant during the wint -13 er months. When the warm, Dauphin County Annual Meeting, moisture-laden air is not moved Dauphin Co. Ag & Natural out of area, we usually see Resource Ctr. condensation on the windows, I FARM FORUM OUR READERS WRITE Editor: Thank you for printing the information about the state lottery plans, to use the Farm Show audience. I like to think life could be simple, more honest" and direct. NOW IS THE TIME By Jay Irwin Lancaster County Agriculture Agent To Take Inventory An area of our operation that is very important at this time of year is inventory. With the close of the year most of our farmers close out their records for the year. This means that if you are going to have a Farm Analysis made you should take inventory of all your supplies. You’ll need this to do any kind of farm analysis, because the amount of grains, hay and other supplies that are in storage will vary from year to year, and unless this is taken into consideration, you cannot have an accurate analysis of your year’s operation. So, as accurately as possible, record the amount of hay, grains, feed, seeds and fertilizer that are on hand. This is the first step in an accurate farm analysis. To Evaluate Cows’ Need For Niacin It is important for high produc ing cows to consume enough feed to support the amount of milk they produce in early lactation, accord ing to Glenn Shirk, Extension Dairy Agent. Thus in an effort to sustain their will to milk, high pro ducing cows must draw upon their body reserves in early lactation. For this reason, it is very impor tant to feed cows properly during their dry period so they will be in proper condition at calving time. Researchers have found that niacin (vitamin B 3) can help cows Can’t we try a little harder to live within our means and assume responsibility for family members? If some elderly need help must we resort to deceptive money (Turn to Paga A3l) walls and ceilings. Hus is espe cially true with little or poor insu lation. Exhaust fans will move the air out, and protect the building. During this time of year bams are filled with livestock; these ani mals give off large amounts of body heat. When condensation occurs it is a sign that some atten tion is needed; in most cases it is a problem with ventilation or with insulation. To Protect Orchard Fruit Trees While most of the hard work for fruit growers may be over, it is that time of the year for mice, deer and rabbits to get busy. On young trees preventive mea sures are necessary. The most effective way to prevent rabbit damage is to use tree trunk guards on individual trees. Cylinders of THE 365 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS December 25,1988 Background Scripture: Luke 2:21-40. Devotional Reading: Isaiah 35. The three stories of what hap pened after the first Christmas are seldom read as part of the Christ mas story, but that doesn’t make them any less important to it. After all, Christmas didn’t end in the stable of Bethlehem. It con tinued on through Jesus’ circumci sion, the purification in the temple, and the encounter of the prophetess Anna - and even bey ond that Mary and Joseph celebrated the birth of their son with typical Jew ish rituals. The first of these was circumcision, a ritual that ack nowledged that Jesus shared in the heritage of Israel that could be traced by through Moses, Jacob, Isaac and Abraham. It was in accordance with this ritual that the child was named Jesus as the angel had specified. The second ritual was the presentation of Jesus in the temple, a rite by which he was dedicated to God. This included a sacrifice of “a pair of turtle-doves or two young pigeons.” The third ritual was that of the purification of Mary, for it was held (Leviticus 12:6) that a woman was “unclean” for seven days after giving birth and should remain in ceremonial isolation for another 33 days. Today we find this concept troubling, for it implies that there is something “unclean” about the God-given gift of childbirth. Nevertheless, Mary and Joseph faithfully per formed the ritual. TRADITION! TRADITION! The rituals Mary and Joseph performed seemed utterly foreign to us. But there is also something 54 -inch rneih hardware doth 18 to 24 inches high, set into the ground surrounding the tree, will help pre vent gnawing damage to the main stem. The “self-wrapping” plastic wrap also does an excellent job. Another way to keep rabbits and deer from chewing branches and buds is to “paint” tree trunks and limbs with a mixture of 5 to 6 pounds of powdered rosin in one gallon of ordinary alcohol. Simply use a whitewash brush to apply the material. The rabbits and deer find the rosin too gritty and aside from an occasional nip will usually leave the tree alone. Be sure to apply the material to a height well above the reach of the deer. Penn State Cooperative Exten sion is an affirmative action, equal opportunity educational institution. to be said for the continuity ot tradition. Would Jesus have been any less the Christ if Mary and Joseph had decided to skip any of these rituals? I think not, just as I am convinced our children today would not be any less God’s child ren if we failed to baptize. Still, for Mary and Joseph, as well as for Jesus, there was a “rightness” about keeping their religious tradi tions - as there is for us, too. At the same time that they were faithfully fulfilling their religious traditions, there was also some thing happening that can occur within rituals, but also reaches far beyond them. We can put human fences around our rituals, but we cannot lock-up the presence and power of God’s Spirit. Because Mary and Joseph kept a tradition, God chose this occasion to pour out his Spirit through Simeon. As Luke tells us, “the Holy Spirit was upon him” (2:25). INEFFABLE SPIRIT There are always rules and reg ulations with rituals, but with the Holy Spirit there are none. As churches, we control the ritual$ > deciding when, how, who and why. But no matter whether we are clergy or lay, or belong to this church or that, we have no control over the Holy Spirit. So, while the rituals bring us a sense of conti nuity and security, the Holy Spirit brings us inspiration for which even the best words are inadequ ate: “Lord, now lettest thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word; for mine eyes have seen thy salvation which thou hast pre pared in the presence of all peo ples, a light for the Gentiles, and glory to the people of Israel” (2:29-32). The encounters with Simeon and Anna helped Joseph and Mary to realize that what had happened to them in Bethlehem was not just an event for them- to remember with nostalgia, but a reality that would stay with them after they returned to Nazareth - indeed, for the rest of their lives. Christmas Day is but 24 hours, but the Incar nation is something we can cele brate and experience 365 days of the year. (Based on copyrighted Outlines produced by the Committee on the Uniform Series and used by permission. Released by Communi ty & Suburban Press.)
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