I often find myself unsure of what to write when I sit to draft the posts I will publish before Christian holidays like Christmas and Easter. After all, the Bible already says the most important things about these holidays!
I don’t feel like I have any particularly meaningful insights this Christmas, so I will share with you some words from the Bible.
The word cloud pictured above contains the story of Jesus’ birth. Word clouds are images comprised of the words used in a particular text. In this case, the text is Luke 1:26-38 and 2:1-20. The size of each word in the cloud indicates how frequently it appears in the Scripture passage. I made two additional word clouds with this text.
Isn’t this a fun way to meditate on the Christmas story? I’ve put these three word clouds in a PDF so you can print them for yourself. Click here to open a larger, printable version of the clouds. I’ve printed one so I can frame it and use it as a Christmas decoration in my home.
Here is the text used to make the word clouds. You’re likely familiar with the story told in the text, but I hope you will take a fresh look at it this Christmas.
Luke 1:26-38:
26And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,
27 To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.
28 And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.
29 And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.
30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.
31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus.
32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:
33 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.
34 Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?
35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.
36 And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren.
37 For with God nothing shall be impossible.
38 And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.
Luke 2:1-20:
1 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed.
2 (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)
3 And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.
4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)
5 To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.
6 And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.
7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.
8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
15 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.
16 And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.
17 And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.
18 And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.
19 But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.
20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.
May we, like the shepherds, make “known abroad” the things we have heard and seen about Jesus.
Merry Christmas to you and your loved ones!
Shared at the following:
Encouraging Hearts and Home, Thursday Favorite Things, To Grandma’s House We Go! and You’re The Star.
Kathryn says
These are great! We’ve not had time to do much (okay, any- still hoping to get a tree though) decorating this year and I was about to just tape up some Christmas posters I made with my children. Just a few words about the birth of Christ written in green and red, and we were going to tape up some wrapping paper behind them. So, these word clouds are exactly in keeping with my decor this year and will more than double our number of decorations when they are also displayed! Thanks for sharing!
Shannon says
I hope you were able to get a tree, Kathryn. Whether you did or not, I’m glad these were helpful!
Have a blessed New Year!
Cindy Crosby says
This is great! Thank you for sharing such cool ideas about God’s Word! I look forward to your
posts!
Shannon says
Thanks, Cindy! I love taking a fresh look at God’s word.
Linda S says
These are really fun! Thank you for sharing with us this week at our Encouraging Hearts & Home Blog Hop and Have A Very Merry Christmas!
Shannon says
Thanks for hosting, Linda! Happy New Year!
Chas Greener says
These are so great! Happy New Year & Thanks for sharing!
Shannon says
Thanks, Chas.
Carol says
I play with graphics frequently but have never tried word clouds – fantastic! Love your beautiful Christmas word clouds.
Shannon says
That’s funny, Carol, because I don’t do that much with graphics, yet I love word clouds.
There are so many different things you can do with them. You’ll have to do some experimenting!
Pete says
I teach at a public school in Arkansas, and needed a poster for the hallway outside my classroom. For various reasons, I was looking for something pretty specific. I used one of your word clouds, which was perfect for my purposes. Thank you for creating them!
Shannon says
I’m so glad I could be of help, Pete. Have a wonderful Christmas!