Once more you hit my head with your nails. Thank you for your message and thanks to all those who make this service possible.


with much love,

UJ

Nice.
hmmm
Profound. Wise.
Just right.

Christian countries celebrate January 6 as the day of the 3 magi, these men are known for their wisdom, for being spiritually attuned to the spirit of the Christ. They were alert to the morning star that guided them and at the same time they sensed the evil opposing the Christ idea.
God, divine Mind gave them the wisdom to help them avoid —and ultimately nullify, any threat in their own consciousness.
They listened to their inner voice... and instead of letting Herod know when they found the babe they just simply took a different way back.
These angel thoughts protected Jesus, his family and benefited generations to come.
ESPAÑOL:
Los países cristianos celebran el 6 de enero como el Día de los Reyes Magos, estos hombres son conocidos por su sabiduría, por estar espiritualmente en sintonía con el espíritu de Cristo. Estuvieron atentos al lucero de la mañana que los guiaba y al mismo tiempo percibieron el mal que se opone a la idea de Cristo.
Dios, la Mente divina les dio la sabiduría para ayudarlos a evitar —y finalmente anular, cualquier amenaza en su propia conciencia.
Escucharon su voz interior ... y en lugar de avisarle a Herodes cuando encontraron al niño, simplemente tomaron un camino de vuelta diferente.
Estos pensamientos angélicos protegieron a Jesús, a su familia, y beneficiaron a las generaciones venideras.

Thank You Norm,
I will now smile as I pass the shopping mall and will focus more
on our Desert Stars.
Joyfully,
Journey

HmHmmm. The sound of thinking going on. Good idea, Norm. "With reverence and without opposition." A good thought to hold for our dear world as we celebrate "the babe we are to cherish".

Thanks a lot, Norm for your inspirational DL today about the Wise Men, and thank you DL-team for your lovely arrangemants of the DLs, specially those in these days before Christmas. And thank you Elena #3 for your interesting comments to it.

The way you said "wise men" hit me in a way I had never thought of before - we need to be wise men and avoid the Herod thought continually. Thank you for that and the entire lift. Vicki

Yes, that's what I needed to hear today!! Thank you so much, Norm!

Thank you, we have now received another wonderful gift to reflect on.

Thank you.

Loved it, thanks so much. I am so grateful for the spiritual intuition the wise men showed after their visit with the babe, where they gained a sense of the Christ.

Que mensaje tan sabio!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! muchas gracias

Excellent ! Thank you . :-)

Thank you,thank you! The lifts this week have been so inspiring. Have a wonderful Christ filled Christmas everyone around the world. Many thanks to all involved with the DL's. The music is beautiful, the messages are perfect. What wonderful gifts to the world. I am hugging everyone in my thoughts!!!!

How wonderful to know that we can celebrate the Christ idea 24/7. This makes us wise men/women&children.
Thank you Norm.

After all these years of hearing and reading the beloved Christmas story, I don't remember the part about Herod that you explained in today's DL. Umm-hmmmmm .... Thank you for casting new light for me on just HOW wise those famous Wise Men were to detect ulterior motives, and how WE must be alert to the claims of error, as well. Merry Christmas and heartfelt thanks to you, Norm, and to the DL behind-the-scenes team, and to our world-wide family of listeners. I am so grateful for all of you!!! Loved the jingle bells in the intro music, too!

Hhmmmmmmmmmm ... loved that, Norm. What are we thinking, what are we cherishing? Too much, too little. Appreciate so much the wonderful example you shared of the alert thinking of those wise guys and how the real wisdom for us all is cherishing the babe of healing - today. Thanks for all you're doing, Norm!

Norm, what a wonderfully clear message! The necessity in our daily lives for wisdom and alertness.

After living in Munich, Germany for three years, when my family and I moved back to the USA, we found a TV program that had become popular while we were overseas. “MacGyver” preferred non-violent resolutions where possible, and he was able to solve situations he’d find himself in with ideas and everyday materials he found at hand, in addition to the duct tape and Swiss Army knife he almost always had with him.

I've talked with Sunday School kids about choosing the “tools” we'd always want to have with us in our “mental tool kits” so we could find “MacGyver solutions” when needed to avoid, or get out of, trouble. Today Norm spoke about wisdom and alertness -- two excellent ideas for inclusion in those kits:

Wisdom to avoid the Herod thought and influence, and alertness to whatever would try to lull us to sleep, or deter us from following the Christ.

Very insightfully, Norm shared with us “We should of course be wise - spiritually attuned to the presence of the Christ, the spirit of God, as it appears in our daily lives... At the same time, we also need to be wise; alert to whatever would oppose the Christ idea… So, like the Magi, we can celebrate the Advent, the perpetual advent of the living Christ, with reverence, and without opposition.”

Effectively handling animal magnetism removes opposition to the Christ in our daily lives.

Thank you, Norm. You’ve done it again!

Thanks so much Norm for this inspiring advice. I also received some very good advice this morning from Evan Mehlenbacher, CSB in his blog "Spiritview." He advises us to "stay in church." Church, of course, is the "structure of Truth and Love." What a beautiful place to dwell today and every day. I wish you all a very joyous Christmas filled with Christly blessings!

Thank you so much for this divine and precious insight! Thanks for DL Staff and all comments!

Thanks Norm! A great message for today, tomorrow, and on. Merry Christmas to all!

Mortal mind would always lie in wait for the opportunity to assume an identity it has no right to, and no way of manifesting it. But the reflection of God is never unsuspecting and cannot be taken by surprise, or turned from its spiritual purpose. Protected and cherished by the Christ, man can move 'in the light of Love', unobstructed and unchallenged through seemingly dangerous situations.
Thank you Nate and the team; the BoL and lecturers; and the ever-widening family of Lifters

Great lift! Thanks, Norm. I have always appreciated those wise men who were so alert to the subtle yet negative Herod suggestions that they decided to go home by another way. There is always "another way" to think when we are confronted by materialism or animal magentism. Thanks for reminding us all to be wise and oppose whatever would threaten to keep us from worshipping the Christ idea!

O thank you dear friend Norm. I too had never noticed this little but important "side story" that makes the description of these guys as "wise men" way more meaningful for us. It's quite amazing how we can overlook a key point like that. But thank you Norm for bringing it to light for me. It brings one more bright "star" to my quiet pondering of the Christ story for me this year. Ever so grateful for every single one of you who bring the DL to the world and the commenters everywhere too. What a blessed gift!
Margaret

Many thanks Norm for reminding us that, "We should be spiritually attuned to the presence of the Christ, the 'Spirit of God' [divine Love] as it appears in our daily life." "But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you." (Rom. 8:9).
"Behold, [we] stand in robes of white/ Who out of tribulation came,/ With songs of joy upon their [our] heads,..." (Christian Science Hymnal #19).

Being alert and receptive.....good old advice. Thanks for reminder.

Great DL, Norm! After the wise men's "Ummmm-hmmm" to King Herod's question, I could hear them adding, "I don't think so!" Thanks for reminding us that we, too, can follow the star, just like these three "wise guys." Blessed, joyous Christmas, everyone!

Thank you for a fantastic lift! I love the idea that we handle the Herod in our own mind! Very inspiring and will be a blessing to me as I welcome a baby boy this holiday season!

Thanks, Norm!. After listening to your lift, I was compelled to look up the definition of "Jerusalem" in Science and Health With Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy. Here's what I found: "JERUSALEM. Mortal belief and knowledge obtained from the five corporeal senses; the pride of power and the power of pride; sensuality; envy; oppression; tyranny." (page 589).

Hmmmm...

Yes, we would be wise to take another route and avoid passing through Jerusalem.

Thanks again.

Thank you Norm, I was grateful for so many Hmmmms pausing to think clearly about the wise men and their mission to give homage to Christ and being so alert about the deception of Herod when passing through
Jerusalem and of course their innate wisdom to return home via another route... Howmany times our own intution has informed us and protected us on our journey Home with Christ's loving care and protection.

Many tahnks and gratitude for DL.

HmMmm, wise to the opposition to Christ.

What is interesting to me is that although these wise men thought they were “seeking” the Christ, they were ALREADY being shown the way. Ah HAH!

They came from the east, which is more literally “from the rising sun”. Their wisdom and human knowledge was exceeded by some degree of real enlightenment. Sometimes we spend a lot of energy thinking we must find the outward expression of the Christ too, if not a babe, then perhaps as a healing. We chat with Harod, sometimes innocently, before we realize how opposed to Christ he is.

When the wise men saw the babe, felt more “sure” of the Christ, they moved forward on a different path home. But right from the get-go, they were already guided.

What a wonderful “side story” Norm…. creator of the “HmMmm” dismissal of Harod.

Thanks to Norm and all the commenters this morning. Wisdom and alertness certainly are gifts from God that we want to continually open and use!

Thanks, Norm, for the neat idea.

A great message, Norm - it gave me the right "perspective" for the Season.

With warmest wishes to you, jim.

Thanks, Norm! What a great Lift!
"With reverence and without opposition." I love that!
I remember that part of the story very well. I'm guessing that a Sunday School teacher must have stressed its importance. And it was heard in church last night, too.
So grateful to be reminded of it at this time.

Thank you for giving us "the Norm" - Wisdom and Alertness to the "Herod Thought of Materialism"! Mrs. Eddy was consistently insistent that Christian Science was not just "positive optimism", but a courageous willingness to look error, evil, in the eye and THEN to handle it with Truth. To just say, "Oh, it's not Real" is foolish, because it IS Real until or unless we prove or demonstrate that it ISN'T! To be able to detect ulterior motives is a Christly quality that Jesus knew and talked about, too! Being raised in C.S., I was taught to always "just see the good in everyone". This can be deceiving and can cost one a lot, if we aren't also taught how to be alert to error's subtle and manipulative ways and then to use Wisdom and Alertness to overcome and/or avoid the snare! I have noticed that especially at this Holy, Christmas time of year I need to be alert not to fall prey to the Herod thought of materialism, depression, sadness, selfishness or false Joy. So grateful we have the tools of Christian Science to help us remain buoyant and alert this Holiday Season! Merry Christmas and Love to All!

I lienjoyed the fact that not much was made of the change of itinerary, but it was "wisely" and quietly undertaken--no mention of fear of retribution, just a quiet redirection. May we be as wise! Thanks for your thoughtful perusal of all the details of the recounting of that important story which some of us have memorized from our "Sugar Plum" days!

Thanks Norm, for an excellent Lift ! The Wise Men were indeed just that, in finding another route home to avoid Herod's not so good intentions to destroy the Christ child. Mmmm! We must also make wise choices to make sure all the material trimmings do not detract from the real meaning of Christmas !
All blessings and joy to you and all the Daily Lifters and organisers of a truly worthwhile programme and the very best in the coming year.

To Protect this "Pearl" at great price...this Pearl of Wisdom...which we each have been given! I am so very Grateful for finding the Christ; each day is Christmas... for God's Love demonstrated continuously, for fellowship!

Thank you Norm!
:-)

Wonderful Christmas message...my little grandson (age 1 and 3/4th) knows the Christmas story already--he picks up the three wisemen in our nativity scene and says: Magi...with such tenderness. Yes, being wise means being childlike too...obedient to Mind's directing, and willing to change our minds about the right way to get someplace! This lift warmed me this morning on a VERY cold clear NW day. Christmas blessings to all! Thanks so much, Norm! Always love your lifts.

Outstanding message, Norm!
The Herod thought sneaks into our experience unless we're alert. This time of year, especially, it can be so easy to become impressed and deceived by matter.

Thanks Norm,
Now i will smile when I go past the shopping mall and pay more attention to the stars in our Desert skies!
Journey

Thank you.

Woody and I say, "Thanks a lot!" Truly a wonderful "Days of Yore," right back at us.

At Christmas and throughout the year, Norm's lift about alertness and wisdom has countless applications and will be remembered often. Thanks!!

Thank you for this great "wise men" reminder. And thank you to SiouxZ, #36. I was thinking, too, about the fact that the wise men didn't take another route due to fear or cowardice, but due to listening to good thoughts and quietly responding to them. Hum-m-m. But, in listening and responding to these God thoughts, they didn't play into Herod's hands. No, sir!!! And this action helped to bring peace and safety for others. Ah-h-h-h!

A great reminder to just follow the star today and always!

Uh Hmmmm.... both wise and wonderful! a great message that I'll be sharing! Thanks Norm!

Wow. Thank you so much Norm. That was so helpful to me, not to be distracted from the true message of the Christ during this time. A reminder to turn from the "...merriment, mad ambition, rivalry, and ritual of our common Christmas..." as Mary Baker Eddy put it so well in her article "What Christmas Means To Me". To see and experience the true coming of the Christ every day in our lives, not just once a year!
Gratefully,
Judith from Reno NV

Thank you Norm. As always, on target.

Thank you so much for the useful lift Norm. Merry christmas and happy holiday.

I like your warning about focusing too much on material things this time of year. It results in a sense of limitation - we either have not enough or too much. I like to think the wise men gained their wealth honestly and with the recognition that Spirit was the source of infinite supply through the Christ, hence their ability to be so generous and to help Jesus and his family be free from want, - and to do it wisely.
Thanks for your generosity Daily Lift team and all those who comment.

So very very true, thank's Norm.

Thank you for the lift. It is interesting how many times people in the Matt story are enlightened by dreams. As a storyteller, I was interested in the birth stories in Matt and Luke and tell them separately. I can just see Herod asking the Magi in an "oh so sincere way" to come back and tell him where Jesus is so he can go and worship him also. Fortunately the Magi like Joseph were attuned to God in their dreams and listened for His guidance. How often the Herod thought seeks to destroy the Christ in our thought. It is unsuccessful only as we are alert to the Christ and go God's way. We are protected as the babe was.

To Bev N from Idaho, You're definitely on the same page with me and the Wise Men as to being attuned and alert during this season. And just to make sure we're all on the same page with that Wise Woman, Mary Baker Eddy, regarding whether error IS in fact real, whether we prove it or not...she writes (S&H 470:13-16)

"If God, or good, is real, then evil, the unlikeness of God, is unreal. And evil can ONLY SEEM TO BE REAL by giving reality to the unreal." (My emphasis)

HmmHmm. A delightfully Soul-sense humorous way to check our thoughts to see if it is a Herod-type thought or a Christ-like thought. Thank you dear Norm for this lovely lift today. So inspirational and I loved it.

Thanks Norm and everyone.........

Thank you for this lovely gift.

I love the way divine Spirit speaks to us saying, "this is the way, walk ye in it", turning neither to the left nor the right when we obediently follow. So many lessons to be learned, and contimplated, that will carry us through to the next Christmas season
Thank you Norm and all above comments. I like to think of them as our metaphysicl meeting for the day.

Where error seems to be in our consciouness, God is right there casting out the false belief, with Truth, Life. and Love. So Grateful.

Thank you, Norm. Error is sneaky, yet can be so obvious sometimes.. . .thank you! "The Christ is here, all dreams of error breaking. . .unloosing bonds of all captivity."

Thanks for yet another great Norm-lift. I was thinking the other day about the wise men seeing (spiritual sense) the star; understanding (spiritual sense) what it meant; and having the wisdom and dedication (spiritual sense) to follow it all the way to where it led. So we all can do that. I also want to recommend an article about how to really celebrate Christmas which is in a back issue of the Christian Science Sentinel (back issues are available in many Christian Science Reading Rooms). "A Christmas Healing" by Barbara K. Rossiter is in the Dec 22, 1980 Sentinel, has helped me have a fresh look at this lovely time of the year with its enduring lessons. It was a help after my husband passed on a number of years ago. Jesus came to prove that Life is eternal, and that is part of the Christmas message.

Thanks Norm, I always enjoy your lifts. Great to be reminded of the "Herods" in my thought that try to rob the light of the Christ at holiday time. And thanks everyone for your comments.

The Bible says to be "wise as serpents but harmless as doves" Matt. 10:16. Thank you you reminding me of that citation. The wise men did just that as well, as you pointed out.

A well stated reminder of being wise as serpents and innocent as lambs

Thank you Norm and all the others who expanded on the wisemen and their alertness to the Herod thought. The Bethlehem star shines a little brighter with inspiration for me today.

Wonderful thoughts and so helpful this time of year. I was under the impression that the number of wise men who sought Jesus isn't given in the Bible. I assume we think there were three because of the three gifts they brought, but as I recall it doesn't give a number. So, as this Lift so beautifully points out, we all can and should be "wise men."

Thank you Norm for the helpful thought to take a moment to collect our thoughts before we act. What a wonderful way of looking at the world through Jesus eyes. Many thanks Norm!

And I wasn't going to listen to this. Thanks. Your lift was so helpful because I have really been entertaining many mournful Herod thoughts really thinking they were mine alone, not insisting that myself or anyone can ever be separated from the Christ-like thought that is a divine gift from God. Linda

Thank you for another incredible enlightening healing Lift! We were taught at a very early age to be alert to every "Herod thought"..they sometimes come in such subtle ways and can be very tricky! Often in the guise of one's own thinking and then we fall for it. This is a powerful Lift!!
I especially appreciate Norm's reminder in response #56 ""If God, or good, is real, then evil, the unlikeness of God, is unreal. And evil can ONLY SEEM TO BE REAL by giving reality to the unreal."

Hmmm. Thanks for reminding us all to get our priorities straight. Lets put the joy of the Christ first. Things are good but do not last. Merry Christmas. Jim

Bill #29- that's it exactly! Thanks to you and Norm!

Thank you Norm .,comforting to know we
can never be seperated from CHRIST-LIKE thoughts!

Thank you, Norm. I totally agree that being "spiritually attuned to the presence of the Christ" is true wisdom. It’s this innate ability as God’s own children that lift each of us out of the “extravagance/lack” mentality presented by material views from being “wise guys” to wise men - at Christmastime and every time. Because the definitions of “wise guy” point to self-serving arrogance, etc., these men easily could have “cut a deal” with Herod, instead of resisting the evil they perceived. This Lift is also a powerful reminder that wisdom is earned decision-by-decision and that our decisions define us. What a fine example these Wise Men give us to contemplate and apply. Thanks to all for providing, sharing, and/or commenting on the Daily Lifts. Ideas that I especially needed to hear today are those shared by #37 SiouxZ “just a quiet redirection;” #44 grace “being wise means being childlike too;” and #60 Karen in La Vernia Tx “metaphysical meeting for the day.” Agreed. But, again, thank you ALL!!! As with testimonies shared during Wednesday services, each Lift and Comment contains a healing Truth that I treasure. I’m surrounded by Wise Men – and it’s VERY good.

How thankful to expect and see the Christ forever Here and near.

Thank you, and a very Happy Christmas to all who have shared so much wisdom for us this year.

Thanks Norm for this wise message. thanks #63 for the recommendation; I had a chance to read the article while serving in the Reading Room today and found it applicable in many ways. Thanks Nate and your DL team for these programs, the music, the themes, the selection of speakers. Merry Christmas everyone.

To be the full image and likeness of God, we must claim -- and practice -- wisdom for ourselves, and everyone else, too. Nothing less than wisdom is acceptable.

Thank you so very very much!

Great words of wisdom!

Now we know there is:

NEW JERUSALEM. Divine Science; the spiritual facts
and harmony of the universe; the kingdom of heaven,
or reign of harmony. S & H 592:18

very nice insights, thank you!

Peter Mark ,Long Island, Thank you for this delightful reminder

Thank you Norm for this message to be alert, to add to that alertness, listening for guidance and all the while staying within church, that structure of Truth and Love. Thank you Lori as well. Blessed Chritmas to all.

Thankyou for such an empowering DL and for all those who share ideas together. Peace to all!

Wow..that was great. That was just what I needed to hear today. May everyone be filled with the goodness that can never be taken away - that fills us perpetually with peace and true abundance!

Thank you Norm, for the very wise lift. The wise know that evil is unreal and has no power because it has no God in it, and how to be a secret from the world but known to God as His child. Thanks to all for the wonderful wise words and let us all rest in Mother's arms peacefully!

Thanks for the helpful picture, I see wise men on their camels, alert to the herod thought with little speech bubbles: ha-hum, we'll go home another way. So we can be when such thoughts present themselves to us, we won't go that way of thinking, we will go home truly (stay in the consciousness of love) . Thanks so much for this lift.

Your arctile perfectly shows what I needed to know, thanks!

Perceptive, very. Useful, undoubtedly. Scientific, unquestionably. Comment no 18 says it all. And there are so many other inspiring remarks, it'll take much more than one day to get through them all.
Much appreciated, Norm, and supporters.

Thanks for your daily lifts at this times of the christmas, oh am gratful for that sweet words coiming from you about herod thoughts about the christ, and the wisemen were very wise as the bible says, they took another root back home as to protects the child from herod knowing, Glory be to God.

my deep thanks for this "line of demarcation" which sharpens true understanding.