Jesus and Me ... and the Cats

Walt Disney's "The Lion King" opens as animals from all over the African savanna gather to meet a new prince, the recently born cub of the Lion King. Raike the Baboon, like a priest or shaman, anoints the cub's forehead with the juice of a fruit and the dust of the ground.  He then takes the cub, holding him high before the gathered animals and presents little Simba to them.  A shaft of sunlight breaks through the clouds and beams down upon the cub. Simba's life journey has officially begun. A long, long time ago, another prince, the Prince of Peace, came to the Jordan River and presented himself to John the Baptist and asked to be baptized.  As Jesus rose from the waters of the Jordan, God introduced him:  "This is my son, with whom I am well pleased."  Then Christ was anointed by the power of the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove.  This was the same Holy Spirit that took the form of a mighty wind and anointed the gathered disciples with tongues o...

Well, Christmas is over.  The presents have all been opened and the wrapping paper and boxes dutifully put in the recycling bin.  Could we have missed one or two? The Magi, who were probably traveling from Persia as they followed the Star, have delivered their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh to the Christ Child and returned to their homeland.  We have returned to our normal, everyday lives and continue our own journeys into the new year. In the first "Ice Age" movie, the three travelers didn't bring gifts with them as they journeyed north to a mountain pass to reunite a human baby with his tribe.  Manny, a mammoth, brought pain, grief, anger and a hatred of humans who killed his mate and child.  Sid, a sloth lacking in social skills and of questionable personal hygiene, carried loneliness and a yearning to be accepted and loved.  Diego, a saber tooth tiger, hid away in his personal baggage, hate, hunger and a hidden agenda of betrayal and murder. ...