Merry Christmas! Celebrate the birth of Jesus, emphasize the hope which it brings to man, the manifestation of God’s most extraordinary act of love. Matthew 1:18-23

Matthew 1:18-25 English Standard Version

The Birth of Jesus Christ

¹⁸Now the birth of Jesus Christ^[a] took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed^[b] to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. ¹⁹And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. ²⁰But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. ²¹She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” ²²All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:

²³“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall call his name Immanuel”

(which means, God with us). ²⁴When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, ²⁵but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

Christmas Greetings, beloved family of Christ.

As we gather together in His name, let us cast our minds back to that humble stable in Bethlehem, where the world first met its Savior.

A night of profound significance, a night when the divine intersected with the ordinary, a night when the heavens echoed with angelic voices singing, “Glory to God in the highest.” This is the night we celebrate at Christmas, the night when all of God’s love was made manifest in the form of a tiny, vulnerable baby.

The great theologian J.I. Packer once wrote, “The Christmas message is that there is hope for a ruined humanity–hope of pardon, hope of peace with God, hope of glory–because at the Father’s will Jesus became poor, and was born in a stable so that thirty years later He might hang on a cross.”

This, dear friends, is the hope we cling so tightly to, the hope we mightily celebrate, the hope we so eagerly share with a world in desperate need of it.

Let us now turn our hearts and minds to the Scripture passage that tells us of this miraculous event from Matthew 1:18-23 Amplified Bible .

Conception and Birth of Jesus

¹⁸Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: when His mother Mary had been ^[a]betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by [the power of] the Holy Spirit. ¹⁹And Joseph her [promised] husband, being a just and righteous man and not wanting to expose her publicly to shame, planned to send her away and divorce her quietly. ²⁰But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, descendant of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the Child who has been ^[b]conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. ²¹She will give birth to a Son, and you shall name Him Jesus (The Lord is salvation), for He will ^[c]save His people from their sins.” ²²All this happened in order to fulfill what the Lord had spoken through the ^[d]prophet [Isaiah]: ²³“Behold, the ^[e]virgin shall be with child and give birth to a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel”—which, when translated, means, “God with us.” ²⁴Then Joseph awoke from his sleep and did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him, and he took Mary [to his home] as his wife, ²⁵but he kept her a virgin until she had given birth to a Son [her firstborn child]; and he named Him Jesus (The Lord is salvation).

This passage from Matthew’s narrative, dear friends, is the cornerstone of our faith, the foundation upon which we build our lives. It tells us not only of the long promised coming birth of our Savior, but also of the extraordinary love of our God, who would send His only Son to save a world that did not know Him.

Let us pray. Loving Heavenly Father, we thank You as much as our lungs allow for the gift of Your Son, Jesus Christ, who came as a baby in a manger to save us from our sins. As we reflect on the significance of His birth, fill our hearts with Your love, and may the joy of this season inspire us to serve You with renewed passion and commitment. We ask this in the name of Jesus, Alleluia! amen.

Now, let us consider this wondrous manifestation of God’s love through Christmas, the motivation behind our celebration, our mission to serve God.

May the Holy Spirit lead, guide and direct our thoughts and our steps and open unto and into our hearts the most profound truths contained in these themes.

Manifestation of God’s Love through Christmas

The birth of Jesus Christ, our Savior, is a profound demonstration of God’s love for us. This love is nothing which can be classed as ordinary, but extraordinary, transcending human comprehension. It’s a love that chose to leave the glory of heaven, sent of God to be born in a cold humble stable, to live among us, and ultimately to die for us. This is the love that Christmas brings into sharp focus.

God’s love is manifested in the very act of Jesus’ incarnation.

The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.

This was no ordinary birth. It was the birth of the King of Kings in the most humble of circumstances possible. This act of highest humility is a powerful demonstration of God’s immeasurable love. It shows us God is not a distant, detached deity, but a loving Father who is intimately involved in all our lives.

The birth of Immanuel, God with us, God within us also reveals God’s boundless love in its sacrificial nature. Jesus was born to save us from our sins. His birth set in motion a series of events that would lead all mankind to the cross. Even as we celebrate His birth with the most expensive of gifts, we dare not forget the shadow of the cross which looms in the background.

This is love in its purest form – love that is willing to sacrifice everything, even life itself, for the sake of God’s beloved children, save each of us from our sins.

Motivation behind Our Celebration – EXHORT His Humility

As we reflect on the birth of Jesus, we are reminded of the motivation behind our celebration, we look to Paul’s own words from his prison letter to Philippi.

Philippians 2:1-2 Amplified Bible

Be Like Christ

2 Therefore if there is any encouragement and comfort in Christ [as there certainly is in abundance], if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship [that we share] in the Spirit, if [there is] any [great depth of] affection and compassion, ² make my joy complete by being of the same mind, having the same ^[a]love [toward one another], knit together in spirit, intent on one purpose [and living a life that reflects your faith and spreads the gospel—the good news regarding salvation through faith in Christ].

Our passage begins with an emphatic linking word, “Therefore”, tying these verses to those preceding them. In brief, Paul calls for Christians to meet the various needs of others rather than obsessing over their own. The energy and source for this encouragement is what we have received in Christ (2:1-2). We, in unity of purpose, to emulate him by putting others ahead of ourselves (2:3-4).

The added dimension of this exhortation is that the original recipients of this epistle were suffering for their faith (1:28-29).

They were locked in conflict not dissimilar from Paul’s own experiences (1:30; also see 1:12-18). This context of greatest hardship makes Paul’s challenge to value others above ourselves and be concerned for their interests even more astonishing. For Christians, whatever the season, are called to always look out for others, even when we feel entitled to in need of care from others.

How can we do that? Because, if we are honest, most of us instinctively look 1st after our own interests – be better than others, gifts having the most advanced technology, just as we easily love ourselves – and this is typically heightened when we are facing challenges or hardships. Paul’s answer is that we should generously share what is ours in Christ, both experientially, from his example.

Firstly, whatever “encouragement…comfort…tenderness [and] compassion” we enjoy in Christ should be shared with others (2:1-2).

I take it this is what Paul means by calling for us to be “like-minded…being one in spirit and of one mind.”

Christ’s perfect love for us means we are incomparably blessed and reassured.

Therefore let us offer the encouragement and comfort we have experienced to others.

The temptation for us, especially when we are struggling, is to retreat into God as our refuge and strength instead of steadfastly urging others to do the same.

Understanding that God provides peace amid turmoil as we seek Him in our prayers (4:6-7) is a glorious reality both to take hold for yourself and proclaim to others. What we have, know in Christ, is a treasure to be shared not hoarded.

Secondly, this passage corrects the thinking that severely limits our service and encouragement of others only to seasons when we are comfortable and settled.

Remember that the Christians Paul originally addressed at Philippi were being heavily persecuted for their faith. Yet he exhorts them to encourage each other.

And in addition to sharing with others the wonderful experience of Christ’s love he additionally challenges them to follow Christ’s example: “have the same mindset as Christ Jesus” (2:5). Jesus Christ did “nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit” but with incredible humility valued others above himself (2:3) and carried His cross, unflaggingly looked to their interests (2:4)—to your interests.

Our Lord exhibited an astounding other-person centeredness that Christians have long exhorted, marveled and preached at, but too often failed to emulate.

If anything, this passage challenges us who rest secure in Christ’s love but do not act to comfort others with it; those of us who rejoice in and sing about his wonderful love for us but do not likewise exhort, nor encourage others with it.

This Christmas Day, this Christmas season, May God help us to have the same mind as Christ—even when we believe that others should be looking after us, even as we feel entitled to first celebrate and feast on our Christian experience.

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Psalm 150 Amplified Bible

A Psalm of Praise.

150 Praise the Lord!
Praise God in His sanctuary;
Praise Him in His mighty heavens.
²
Praise Him for His mighty acts;
Praise Him according to [the abundance of] His greatness.

³
Praise Him with trumpet sound;
Praise Him with harp and lyre.
⁴
Praise Him with tambourine and dancing;
Praise Him with stringed instruments and flute.
⁵
Praise Him with resounding cymbals;
Praise Him with loud cymbals.
⁶
Let everything that has breath and every breath of life praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord! (Hallelujah!)

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

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‘For your grace is there before my eyes, and I live my life by your truth.’ Truths From Luke’s Christmas Story of the Birth of Jesus. Luke 2:1-21

Luke 2:1-21 New King James Version

Christ Born of Mary

2 And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. ²This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. ³So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city.

⁴Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, ⁵to be registered with Mary, his betrothed ^[a]wife, who was with child. ⁶So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. ⁷And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a ^[b]manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

Glory in the Highest

⁸Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. ⁹And ^[c]behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. ¹⁰Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. ¹¹For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. ¹²And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a ^[d]manger.”

¹³And 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, goodwill^[e] toward men!”

¹⁵So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, “Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.” ¹⁶And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger. ¹⁷Now when they had seen Him, they made ^[f]widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. ¹⁸And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds. ¹⁹But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. ²⁰Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them.

Circumcision of Jesus

²¹And when eight days were completed ^[g]for the circumcision of the Child, His name was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

Undoubtedly, this Christmas season, Luke 2 will probably be the most-read passage of Scripture. It is the well known story that tells of Mary and Joseph’s journey to Bethlehem, the birth of Jesus, the angels’ announcement to the shepherds in the fields, the shepherds’ visit to the stable, and even Jesus’ childhood. This chapter of the New Testament tells us the age-old Christmas story, but it’s also extremely relevant to our lives today in practical ways.

Here are five takeaways from Luke 2 that we can apply to our lives today:

1. Even Jesus Wasn’t Above Simple Circumstances (Luke 2:7)

When you think of kings, you think of crowns and thrones and palaces…not stables full of smelly farm animals, feeding trough as a bed for a newborn baby.

Yet Jesus, King of Kings though He is, came into the world in a remarkably simple, lowly, and unassuming way.

His birth was the furthest thing from a King’s welcome.

Few of us are acquainted with the ways of royalty, and it’s hard to even fathom how elaborate and exquisite that lifestyle is.

Many more of us, however, can describe in detail what a barn is like.

I find this part of the Christmas story in Luke 2 so beautiful– Jesus didn’t come to earth as a mighty, majestic King who would be intimidating and untouchable.

He instead came as an innocent, needy, dependent baby born to parents who were poor and as simply normal as could be.

Everything about the very beginning moments of his life on earth was humble and unassuming, giving us a Savior we can easily relate to and understand, not one who is distant or on a lofty throne. This is such a comforting truth– we don’t have to have prestigious job titles or possess well-stocked bank accounts or fame to be used by God, because not even His Son required those things.

2. God’s Glory Is Worthy of Our Praise, Even when We Feel Afraid (Luke 2:9-10)

When the angel of the Lord stood before the shepherds who were keeping watch over their sheep during the night, Luke 2:9 says “they were terrified.” In truth I would be too! Even though they were afraid and probably trying to make sense of what they were seeing and hearing, and wondering if they were dreaming or if this really was happening, the angel’s first words were “Do not be afraid.”

3. When the Lord Makes a Promise, We Can Trust He Will Keep it (Luke 2:15-16)

The shepherds heard from the angels that the baby had been born, and they didn’t doubt it.

Luke 2:15 says, “when the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.’”

They heard the message and immediately acted upon it, never hesitating or questioning that what the angel of the Lord had said to them. For something new, exciting and different, we should do the exact same in our lives. We each have Scripture as tangible documentation of the Lord’s promises and truths, and we should act on them without questioning His faithfulness and trustworthiness.

4. Words From and About the Lord Are to Be Treasured (Luke 2:17-18)

When the shepherds visited Mary and Joseph and the baby in the manger, Luke 2:17-18 say, “they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.”

Letting my spirit wander in new directions, I can’t even imagine what those shepherds’ stories must have been after seeing the angels in all the glory of the Lord out in the fields, but I know it must have been powerful and beautiful.

Verse 19 says, “ Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.” Verse 51 later says, “His mother treasured all these things in her heart,” after Jesus was found in the temple learning from the teachers.

The things Mary had seen, heard and felt about her newborn son and the things she saw Him doing were beautiful mysterious treasures to her, and for a real big change, they should be for us too. Stories we have in Scripture tell us about who Jesus is, what He did on this earth, and we should hold them dear in our hearts.

5. We Should Make Time to Learn from Those Older than Us (Luke 2:47, Luke 2:52)

Jesus did this as a child in the temple, painting a beautiful picture for us.

Jesus was the all-knowing and all-powerful Son of God, yet even he sat among the temple’s teachers to listen, ask questions, and learn.

Luke 2:47 says, “Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers.”

Luke 2:52 later says, “And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.”

He knew as a boy that his elders had wisdom that he could grow from, and he stayed behind, entered into the Temple, sat down, most eagerly sought it out.

For a Godly change of our usual routine, we should do the same, seeking the advice and knowledge of those who are more mature and knowledgeable in their faith. We can learn so much from mentors, teachers, and pastors when we listen to their words, ask them questions, and just spend time among them.

When you hear Luke 2 this Christmas Eve, and maybe too, read it before our families on Christmas Day, ponder and cherish and remember these five things.

Purposely, please look deeper beyond just the familiar story of Christmas and see these verses are practically relevant for us even thousands of years later.

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Psalm 85 Authorized (King James) Version

Psalm 85

To the chief Musician, A Psalm for the sons of Korah.

¹Lord, thou hast been favourable unto thy land:
thou hast brought back the captivity of Jacob.
²Thou hast forgiven the iniquity of thy people,
thou hast covered all their sin. Selah.
³Thou hast taken away all thy wrath:
thou hast turned thyself from the fierceness of thine anger.

⁴Turn us, O God of our salvation,
and cause thine anger toward us to cease.
⁵Wilt thou be angry with us for ever?
wilt thou draw out thine anger to all generations?
⁶Wilt thou not revive us again:
that thy people may rejoice in thee?
⁷Shew us thy mercy, O Lord,
and grant us thy salvation.

⁸I will hear what God the Lord will speak:
for he will speak peace unto his people, and to his saints:
but let them not turn again to folly.
⁹Surely his salvation is nigh them that fear him;
that glory may dwell in our land.
¹⁰Mercy and truth are met together;
righteousness and peace have kissed each other.
¹¹Truth shall spring out of the earth;
and righteousness shall look down from heaven.
¹²Yea, the Lord shall give that which is good;
and our land shall yield her increase.
¹³Righteousness shall go before him;
and shall set us in the way of his steps.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

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The effectual fervent prayer of one righteous person availeth much. A simple prayer for the Community of hurt, grieving Hearts this Christmas. Isaiah 9:1-7

Isaiah 9:1-7 The Message

A Child Has Been Born—for Us!

9 But there’ll be no darkness for those who were in trouble. Earlier he did bring the lands of Zebulun and Naphtali into disrepute, but the time is coming when he’ll make that whole area glorious—the road along the Sea, the country past the Jordan, international Galilee.

^2-7The people who walked in darkness
    have seen a great light.
For those who lived in a land of deep shadows—
    light! sunbursts of light!
You repopulated the nation,
    you expanded its joy.
Oh, they’re so glad in your presence!
    Festival joy!
The joy of a great celebration,
    sharing rich gifts and warm greetings.
The abuse of oppressors and cruelty of tyrants—
    all their whips and clubs and curses—
Is gone, done away with, a deliverance
    as surprising and sudden as Gideon’s old victory over Midian.
The boots of all those invading troops,
    along with their shirts soaked with innocent blood,
Will be piled in a heap and burned,
    a fire that will burn for days!
For a child has been born—for us!
    the gift of a son—for us!
He’ll take over
    the running of the world.
His names will be: Amazing Counselor,
    Strong God,
Eternal Father,
    Prince of Wholeness.
His ruling authority will grow,
    and there’ll be no limits to the wholeness he brings.
He’ll rule from the historic David throne
    over that promised kingdom.
He’ll put that kingdom on a firm footing
    and keep it going
With fair dealing and right living,
    beginning now and lasting always.
The zeal of God-of-the-Angel-Armies
    will do all this.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

Isaiah 9:6 Amplified Bible

⁶
For to us a Child shall be born, to us a Son shall be given;
And the government shall be upon His shoulder,
And His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

The season we spend the longest time anticipating is among us.

Advent is here and in four short days, it will be Christmas, and the reminder of our hope being secured sears in our hearts all over again. It’s a beautiful time, filled with celebration that bring comfort and familiarity to our hearts. A time to savor the stillness and deep awe of what God has done and will soon do again.

This Christmas season, however, for too many across the globe, will mark the first time celebrating without their most treasured family members, from war, from famine, from drugs, alcohol, suicide, and cancer, heart attacks, just age. Death is just part of the natural cycle of life ordered by God – no one is immune.

As a global community, as the Body of Christ, our hearts are deeply intertwined with love for each other. Can we imagine how tender our relationship was for them all year round but how this time of Christmas celebration causes anguish?

The scale of the loss of life is earth-shattering, to say the least. It feels like a part of our hearts died the day they went to their graves, prayerfully with Jesus.

Perhaps you, too, count yourselves among the multitude of the grieving, have experienced all the feelings that come with the loss of someone dear to you. It feels more overwhelming during a season when the rest of the world seems to be joyful. It’s new, it’s different, but because of Jesus, hope is no less secure.

As I settled in my cozy brown chair and began writing this devotion, the grief once again washes over me. However, for me and my surgically repaired heart can whisper, for the first time in almost a year and a half, that the grief was met almost instantly with the much needed reminder of the joy I can have within my depressed circumstances because of Jesus. He is the gift of light in the darkness.

He is, as Isaiah 9:6-7 says, our mighty God, our eternal everlasting Father, the gift of peace in the raging tumult of the storms, wisest of the wise counselors.

He is our perfectly ordered Government fully capable, fully prepared, fully and 100% ready, 100% always vigilant and watchful, when disorder rules our souls. (Psalm 13, Psalm 18, Psalm 23, Psalm 46, Psalm 91, Psalm 121, Psalm 139)

We see this by the way God at a time and season of His choosing, sent His Messengers to a girl named Mary and then Immanuel came as a precious baby.

Immanuel, God with us and within us. His promised arrival, though it seemed unexpectedly lowly, pierced the darkness forever. Hope was born that night.

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.” – Isaiah 9:6-7

When Jesus came as a newborn baby, He brought forth the light of the world and the gospel of peace to a world that was wearily waiting for their Savior.

The night Christ was born was deemed holy and perfect.

The night of His birth delivered the invitation humanity had been waiting for.

The gift of a Savior, the redeemer, the ultimate counselor, the perfect friend, the sustainer through all of life, and the giver of the eternal light that can not nor will never be dimmed or taken away by the darkness in humanities heart.

As you all make the effort to settle into this season, whether filled with joy or finding yourself in waves of grief and uncertainty, cling to the reminder that hope came as promised. Jesus is with you, His light will lead you, and He will meet your every need. Seek Him in the stillness and savor the work He is doing.

Let’s Pray:

Father, thank you for your promises, thank you for the gift of hope you gave us when the baby Immanuel was born. As I journey through my shadows, through those places of great and greatest uncertainty this season, riding the waves of grief and joy, meet me 1:1 in those places. Meet with me, walk with me, in Your promises, tenderly through your Word. In Jesus’ name, alleluia! alleluia! amen.

Psalm 13 New King James Version

Trust in the Salvation of the Lord

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.

13 How long, O Lord? Will You forget me forever?
How long will You hide Your face from me?
²How long shall I take counsel in my soul,
Having sorrow in my heart daily?
How long will my enemy be exalted over me?

³Consider and hear me, O Lord my God;
Enlighten my eyes,
Lest I sleep the sleep of death;
⁴Lest my enemy say,
“I have prevailed against him”;
Lest those who trouble me rejoice when I am moved.

⁵But I have trusted in Your mercy;
My heart shall rejoice in Your salvation.
⁶I will sing to the Lord,
Because He has dealt bountifully with me.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

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Someone asked us; “How does Jesus’ birth confirm our Hope of Heaven?” Colossians 1:3-8

Colossians 1:3-8 Amplified Bible

³We give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, as we pray always for you, ⁴for we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus [how you lean on Him with absolute confidence in His power, wisdom, and goodness], and of the [unselfish] ^[a]love which you have for all the saints (God’s people); ⁵because of the [confident] hope [of experiencing that] which is reserved and waiting for you in heaven. You previously heard of this hope in the message of truth, the gospel [regarding salvation] ⁶which has come to you. Indeed, just as in the whole world the gospel is constantly bearing fruit and spreading [by God’s power], just as it has been doing among you ever since the day you first heard of it and understood the grace of God in truth [becoming thoroughly and deeply acquainted with it]. ⁷You learned it from [our representative] Epaphras, our beloved fellow bond-servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf ⁸and he also has told us of your love [well-grounded and nurtured] in the [Holy] Spirit.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

It is so cliché to say life is uncertain, yet Jesus offers us a steadfast promise—eternal life. His words are as reliable as the sunrise, as sure as a parent’s love.

On that miraculous night Jesus’ miraculous birth brought to all of us heaven’s promise to earth, “a heavenly light has been revealed, shined in the dark and the darkness could not do anything about it” and through His teachings and sacrificial death, He paid sin’s death penalty with eternal life. His resurrection affirms exactly what He promised. This, my friends, is as certain as the sunrise.

This promise of eternal life begins with the miraculous birth of our Savior, a child called Immanuel, “God with Us,” an event both prophesied and fulfilled.

1. Christmas Reminds Each One of Us to Trust God’s Promises

Every day, we trust the sun to rise; we never doubt its appearance because it has always been faithful. In the same way, we anchor our confidence in eternal life in God’s faithfulness and the consistency of His promises. Just as we rely on the sunrise, sunset, we can trust that God will fulfill His word regarding eternal life.

Hundreds of years before Jesus’ birth, the prophet Isaiah foretold,

“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given… and His name shall be called Mighty God…” (Isaiah 9:6).

Jesus’ miraculous birth, born of a virgin (Luke 1:27), and the fulfillment of countless prophecies are miracles that only God could accomplish.

With this same divine authority, Jesus declared it was time to get our lives in line with God through repentance, forgiveness of sins and promised eternal life—a promise validated by His resurrection, as steadfast, certain as a rising sun.

Jesus’ humble arrival in a manger was the only One who could ensure salvation and life everlasting as 2 Corinthians 5:21 explains:

“He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

The Savior’s life, His wise teachings, His miracle of feeding the thousands, His healings, stilling the storm, giving life to the dead, His inclusion of all classes of people (Mat. 11:28-30) unveiling before the veiled eyes of humanity, the forever expanding-length, depth, height, breadth, widest possible expanses of God’s own coming Kingdom, providing ample instruction in faith, hope, trust, love.

2. Jesus Unveils God’s Kingdom and Secures Our Faith

The sovereign authority of God upholds, and the law guarantees a legally binding contract—whether for a job, a home, or a covenant commitment.

Similarly, God, the ultimate Lawgiver, “seals” His unbreakable word: “When you believed, you were marked in Him with a seal” (Ephesians 1:13-14), the guarantee of inheritance in eternal life. God’s word, unlike earthly contracts, is more enduring, engaging, because they’re backed by His unchanging nature.

Jesus revealed the way to eternity, declaring, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). His sinless life exemplified His teachings as a model of righteousness and eternal values.

His words, like a covenant, indestructibly rooted in God’s authority, are impossible to void. Unlike human agreements, God’s word is absolute and faithful: “God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind…Does he promise and not fulfill?” (Numbers 23:19).

Through Jesus, we can safely place our faith in a covenant as unbreakable as the most binding contract—yet far more enduring, secured by God Himself. Jesus secured this covenant by accomplishing redemption for our sins on the cross.

3. Jesus’ Victory Over Death Confirms Our Hope in Eternity

When a close friend promises to help in a challenging time, we believe them based on a long history trust built through shared history and proven loyalty.

We don’t have to question whether or when, they will show up because they have repeatedly revealed that they are 100% dependable. In the same way, God demonstrated His faithfulness in sending Jesus, and we can trust His promise of eternal life as surely as we would trust a BFF friend who has never let us down.

Martin Luther echoed this trust, saying, “When I look at myself, I don’t see how I can be saved. When I look at Christ, I don’t see how I can be lost.”

Through His birth, His teachings, and the ultimate sacrifice on the cross, Jesus proved He speaks the truth as a loving friend and Savior, exchanging our sin for His righteousness. Reverend Dr. A. W. Tozer says, “The only sin Jesus ever had was ours. And the only righteousness we can ever has is His.”

The blood of Jesus “cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7-9). His resurrection and ascension provides the final heavenly assurance that Jesus has paid the ransom, met sin’s penalty and was accepted by God the Father as an atonement.

Jesus’ resurrection captured sin’s death penalty, replaced it with eternal life.

4. Jesus’ Resurrection Proves Our Victory Over Death Is Certain

The resurrection proves that Jesus has power over sin and death, validating His identity as the Son of God and affirming every promise He’s made.

It’s the ultimate assurance that believers, too, will share in victory over death and receive the gift of eternal life. By rising from the dead, Jesus confirmed His role as Savior and Lord, providing us a secure foundation for our trust in God.

Peter declares in Acts 2:24,

“God raised Him from the dead, freeing Him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on Him.”

Jesus is the resurrection and the life. “The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; whoever lives by believing in me will never die” (John 11:25-26).

Resurrection is the cornerstone and certainty of our own resurrection.

1 Corinthians 15:20-22 states, “But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.”

Just as basic mathematical truths—2 + 2 always equaling 4—are unchanging, so is the iron clad reliability of God’s word and assurance of victory over death.

Mathematical principles remain constant, and likewise, so do God’s promises.

Author Lee Strobel captures this assurance: “Jesus Christ did not come into this world to make bad people good; he came into this world to make dead people live.”

Believing in Jesus, “that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life,” (John 3:16), we live by faith— the very basis of eternal life.

5. Faith in Christ Secures Our Eternal Life

Most of us experience the unwavering love of a parent or close family member. Likewise, God’s love and our security in Him are even more assured. Just as a parent’s love for a child endures, God’s love is even deeper and unending.

The apostle John, known as Jesus’ “beloved disciple,” writes of this confidence in 1 John 5:13: “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.”

John’s message of assurance is powerful;

he walked with Jesus, ate with Jesus, witnessed His crucifixion, and saw His resurrected body. His words remind believers faith in Jesus is eternal, forever.

Salvation is God’s gift of grace—not earned but received by faith (Ephesians 2:8-9).

Faith isn’t “hoping so” or wishful thinking—it’s a confident trust rooted in Jesus! Faith fully trusts God’s promises, not because we cross our fingers or “hope for the best,” but because He has proven Himself faithful time and again.

This is the faith that gives justification from sin and peace with God (Romans 5:1).

It is certain, like relying on the sunrise or the unchanging nature of God’s Word, rather than the fleeting assurances the world offers.

The great British preacher Charles Spurgeon helps us understand:

“Saving faith is an immediate relation to Christ, accepting, receiving, resting upon Him alone, for justification, sanctification, eternal life by virtue of God’s grace.”

Fully assured of what God promises through faith in Jesus, we can live into, we can live out from that faith, shining out into darkness, the truth of eternal life.

By our spiritual discipline, prioritizing time in God’s presence through prayer and studying His Word deepens holiness and shapes us to be more like Jesus.

As 1 John 2:5 says, ‘If anyone obeys His word, love for God is truly made complete in them.’

With confidence in the unshakable promise of eternal life, Christmas becomes a sacred invitation to share with others the true message of the season—a Gospel message of redemption, hope, and eternal assurance in Christ that the world so desperately needs.

Finally, as blessed, as miraculous, as certain as the sunrise, as the sunset, as unbreakable as a trusted promise, as enduring as a parent’s love, and presence, as unchanging as mathematical laws, God’s declarations stand steadfast, firm.

The birth, life, teachings, sacrificial death, and glorious resurrection of Jesus all confirm His promise of eternal life. Yes, you can be certain of heaven! Let’s read this verse again: “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life (1 John 5:13).

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Psalm 121 Authorized (King James) Version

Psalm 121

A Song of degrees.

¹I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills,
from whence cometh my help.
²My help cometh from the Lord,
which made heaven and earth.
³He will not suffer thy foot to be moved:
he that keepeth thee will not slumber.
⁴Behold, he that keepeth Israel
shall neither slumber nor sleep.

⁵The Lord is thy keeper:
the Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand.
⁶The sun shall not smite thee by day,
nor the moon by night.
⁷The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil:
he shall preserve thy soul.
⁸The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in
from this time forth, and even for evermore.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

https://translate.google.com/

What insights might we glean from Joseph’s obedience to the command of the angel in God’s nativity story? Matthew 1:18-25

Matthew 1:18-25 New International Version

Joseph Accepts Jesus as His Son

¹⁸This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about^[a]: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. ¹⁹Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet^[b] did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.

²⁰But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. ²¹She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus,^[c] because he will save his people from their sins.”

²²All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: ²³“The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”^[d] (which means “God with us”).

²⁴When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. ²⁵But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

It’s easy to overlook Joseph’s role in the Christmas story. However, when you look ever more closely to the text, you realize his obedience to God was a critical component of the story. In fact, without his obedience, we can wonder how this story would have played out. Thankfully, we don’t have to wonder about that.

Joseph is commanded by God to by faith, step into a role that truly is beyond extraordinary, and he does it with an immense measure of counter cultural courage. He listens, responds to God’s call repeatedly, with a resounding yes.

That’s why it’s enormously important for us to explore some important lessons from Joseph’s obedience. Going against the grain of what he had been taught, these lessons from his life should mightily inspire you to trust God even more deeply than you do now, to listen closely, and walk confidently, especially when you realize God is ordering your every step of your life and its not a normal step.

Go, and learn what this vital piece of God’s wisdom means …

Proverbs 16:9 New International Version

⁹In their hearts humans plan their course,
but the Lord establishes their steps.

We know what the law will allow us to do and so we seek to obey the laws.

There are specific laws governing the granting of a divorce which comes from the writings and the teachings of the Mosaic laws and its rabbinical applications throughout the years. Joseph, being a man with high integrity sought them out.

Clearly, Joseph was an ardent adherent to these laws not wanting to disgrace his fiancé’ Mary. In obedience to them, he sought out to quietly, but legally divorce.

Then the angel of God interceded … Matthew 1:20-21 NIV

Now, the inner conflict becomes …

Strict obedience: the Laws of Moses, to the teaching of generations of Rabbi’s which he had been educated and taught in the Temple from his early boyhood?

Strict obedience to the words of an angel, message from God, in one dream?

How seriously should Joseph consider that one specific dream?

Do we take .01% seriously the supposed messages and images from our dreams? seriously enough to dramatically change the course of our lives, families lives?

Can we acknowledge or recognize, confess we believe the dream is 100% divine?

How eagerly are we to acknowledge this dream as being from God, then enter, with everything we have and everything we are (Matthew 22:34-40), to utterly set aside all of what our Father’s and Mother’s and Temple educators taught us? (read, study, apply, pray over too these Words of God-Psalm 16, 23) and choose.

powerful lessons from Joseph’s obedience in Christmas story.

1. Obedience Sometimes Forces You to Make the very Toughest of Decisions.

“Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly” (Matthew 1:19).

When we meet Joseph in the gospel of Matthew, he is facing a dilemma.

The woman he has pledged to marry finds herself pregnant.

Because he knows he didn’t do it, he decides to divorce Mary, but he wants to do it quietly. In Jewish law, being pledged to be married was seen as being married.

According to Jewish law, when Joseph found out that Mary was pregnant, and he was not the father, he had a right to divorce her.

The fact he wanted to do it quietly speaks to his character, because he saved Mary from shame, judgment, and possibly even an egregious death.

Joseph faced a challenging decision because he first had to believe that Mary could be pregnant and still be a virgin.

We look back now and understand, but imagine you were the one the angel told that to. How long would it take you to believe it? Once he overcame that hurdle, his obedience also meant he had to take on the responsibility of raising a child that was not his biological child.

Yet, the Bible does not indicate that he was reluctant or scornful in doing that.

Joseph probably had to deal with his own level of shame because his fiancée winds up pregnant not by relations with her husband but by the Holy Spirit and he must come to a place of total Shalom to accept it. Who knows if others tried to talk him out of marrying Mary, and we don’t know what people said of him.

Yet, his obedience to what God told him to do meant that he was willing to handle all those hard decisions and whatever consequences came with them.

One hard truth about our Christian walk is that God will walk with you through every step. However, obedience does not mean those steps will always be easy.

Joseph most likely faced serious scorn and ridicule for his obedience to God, yet he made the decision, stuck with it and endured it. Ironically, the one child Mary gave birth to also faced scorn and ridicule, and his obedience led him to die on a cross. While obedience is necessary, don’t assume it will always be easy.

When You Know It’s the Lord, Don’t Delay Your Obedience

“When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife” (Matthew 1:24).

One quality that stood out in Joseph’s obedience was his immediate response to God’s command.

When God spoke, Joseph didn’t hesitate or question; he moved.

Think about the changes he had to experience in his life.

Here’s a man ready to marry Mary when his life takes a complete turn.

He marries a pregnant woman carrying a child that he did not father.

Yet, instead of arguing or delaying, Joseph trusts God’s voice and takes action right away.

Here is one thing we can learn from Joseph’s obedience – when you know it’s God speaking, the time to act is now.

The longer you delay, the greater the chance that doubt, distractions, or even disobedience can creep in and pull you away from what God wants you to do.

Joseph models for us a powerful principle of quick obedience. When God asks something of us, we may not always understand the “why” behind it. But it is not always about why, more importantly, it is about trusting the “who.”

Joseph may not have understood the entire process, but he trusted the God who was leading him.

Rarely in life will God give us the complete picture, at least not immediately.

However, once you know it’s God leading you, then it is time to move and not put it off.

There is a blessing in obeying without delay, following God’s lead, trusting he knows best, even when the request seems challenging or even overwhelming.

When you obey without delay, like Joseph did, that is when you will see how God’s plan unfolds powerfully in your life.

Sometimes Obedience Requires Sudden Changes

“When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. ‘Get up,’ he said, ‘take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.’ So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt” (Matthew 2:13-14).

God’s call doesn’t just require immediate obedience.

Sometimes sudden and radical changes accompany it.

This happened to Joseph.

Put yourself in his shoes for a moment. Joseph is settling in Bethlehem, starting his new life with Mary and their child.

Then, out of nowhere, God interrupts with a new command.

He now must leave the comfort of his home and move his family to Egypt.

A new country, new land, and they must go now with no advanced warning.

This was, by no means, not a gradual transition; this was an immediate one.

Think about what that would mean for him and his family.

The journey from Bethlehem to Egypt could have been anywhere from 40 to 300 miles, depending on their starting and destination points.

That’s similar to the distance between NYC and Pittsburgh, but without the convenience of modern transportation.

Joseph couldn’t fly, take a train, or drive. He had to take his young family, likely on foot or on a donkey, all while facing the truest uncertainty of what lay ahead.

However, again we see Joseph obeyed immediately and without complaint.

So what is the message for us?

Sometimes, God’s instructions will require a drastic, sudden change.

There will be times where you may even be in a comfortable position, yet God requires you to move, anyway. Obedience may mean shifting your plans and embracing the unknown, all because you trust God sees what you cannot.

Joseph teaches us to respond to God’s voice, even if it requires sudden, hard moves. Your confidence lies in the fact that when God calls, he equips too, he provides, and in every step, he is right there with you, so you don’t walk alone.

Obedience Requires us; Be in Tune to How God Is Speaking to us

If you think Joseph’s rapid obedience came from nowhere, it didn’t.

Joseph was quick to obey because he understood and recognized when God was speaking to him.

When God spoke to Joseph in a dream, he didn’t hesitate or second-guess; he moved.

Why was he able to do that?

Because he recognized how God was speaking to him.

He didn’t need a second sign or another confirmation.

He knew it was God, and that was enough for him to act immediately.

Joseph’s response challenges me, and I wonder if it challenges you, too. I

n your walk with God, the key to obedience often starts with tuning your heart to hear Him clearly.

Here is the question that is challenging – God still speaks today, but are you listening?

The challenge isn’t God speaking, but do we recognize his voice?

God might speak through Scripture, prayer, a gentle nudge in your spirit, through the counsel of others, or even through the circumstances of life.

But if we’re not familiar with his voice, then we can miss it because we don’t know it is his voice.

Joseph teaches us that if we are going to be in a relationship with the Lord, then we must know his voice.

Listening to God is not a one-time event; it’s an ongoing part of your relationship.

As you cultivate your relationship, you will be able to fine tune your ear to his voice and know when he is speaking.

The more familiar you are with his voice, the better positioned you will be to respond, even when he asks something unexpected.

So, let’s make it our priority to tune our ears and hearts to God’s voice and recognize it quickly, just like Joseph did, so we, too, obey without hesitation.

There Cannot Be Great Obedience without Great Faith

Hebrews 11:4-8 New International Version

⁴By faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did. By faith he was commended as righteous, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith Abel still speaks, even though he is dead.

⁵By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death: “He could not be found, because God had taken him away.”^[a] For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. ⁶And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

⁷By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith.

⁸By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.

The last lesson to share with you from Joseph is the reality that there cannot be great obedience without great faith.

We have established that obeying God is not always easy, sometimes it is very hard. Was it easy for Joseph to marry Mary?

Was it easy to pack up his family and move to Egypt without knowing how long they would be there?

These are difficult decisions, and the only way you can follow God in these situations is if you have great faith.

When Joseph did what God asked him, all he had was trust that God would work everything out.

Let’s not pretend his obedience did not come with some trepidation, because it probably did.

After all, he was human, just like you and me.

However, when you have faith in God, your faith can calm those fears.

There is something unique about obedience.

The more you obey, the more your faith grows.

Each moment of obedience is an opportunity for God to prove himself faithful and that’s why when you walk in obedience it helps your faith to grow.

As you obediently think about Joseph today, is there something God is asking of you?

Something where you don’t know the outcome and all you can do is trust him?

These are the difficult moments that come with obedience.

I know these decisions are not always easy, but you can trust God because he will not steer you wrong.

You may not see it at first, but God has already worked out the other side of your obedience.

As you walk and obey, then things will become clearer.

If you don’t believe me, just look back at the life of Joseph.

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Psalm 8 Authorized (King James) Version

Psalm 8

To the chief Musician upon Gittith, A Psalm of David.

¹O Lord our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!
who hast set thy glory above the heavens.

²Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings
hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies,
that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger.
³When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers,
the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained;
⁴what is man, that thou art mindful of him?
and the son of man, that thou visitest him?
⁵For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels,
and hast crowned him with glory and honour.
⁶Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands;
thou hast put all things under his feet:
⁷all sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field;
⁸the fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea,
and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas.

⁹O Lord our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

https://translate.google.com/

Hypothetically, our entertaining the practice of bringing the Greatness of God into Others lives This Christmas. Luke 1:26-28

Luke 1:26-28 New King James Version

Christ’s Birth Announced to Mary

²⁶Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, ²⁷to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. ²⁸And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; ^[a]blessed are you among women!”

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

The angel Gabriel was sent by God to take a message to a virgin named Mary.

The angel Gabriel was obedient to God and brought the message into the life of Mary and for countless subsequent generations later, bringing, both directly, decisively, into the life, living narrative of God’s kingdom in this 21st century.

²⁸And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; ^[a]blessed are you among women!”

https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g1525/nkjv/tr/0-1/

The angel Gabriel bringing with him the message of the greatness of God, but not just bringing the message but actually speaking it into the humanity of a previously anonymous, soon to be married Israelite peasant girl named Mary.

Not any particularly complicated message, nothing complex nor theologically overwhelming as might be heard in an higher academic university lecture hall setting to new divinity, theology, seminary students or doctoral candidates.

I mean, examine the context of the biblical text. Mary is a teenage girl, probably naïve, going about her regular daily chores, she is not being trained, mentored by any one Temple priest named Rabboni Gamaliel – Saul’s mentor and teacher.

She is not destined to deliver any commencement address at any synagogue of any note or the Temple or at any famous Ivy League university of this century.

Regular Mary to be married by family arrangement to Joseph of the lineage and house of someone named David – of the lineage and house (not royal) of David.

The message the angel Gabriel brings with him into the narrative of mankind;

Greetings,

Rejoice,

Highly favored one …

the Lord is with you;

^[a]blessed are you among women!”

“Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.” (Luke 1:30)

In one precise moment of time, young Mary’s life was forever changed. As the angel of the Lord spoke directly about her future, Mary went from an obscure Jewish teenager to the hand-selected mother of the long-awaited Messiah.

O’ how suddenly everything changed when she understood her destiny.

Mary didn’t know power or popularity, wealth or fame; we don’t even know her last name. Yet she was chosen by God above all the women throughout time to bring the greatness, goodness, of God’s salvation and healing into this world.

It’s the kind of salvation needed by both princes, paupers and kings and queens and presidents, rich and poor, black, white, known and back alley’s obscure too.

And such healing would become the spark of life in the darkness of dead men’s souls, and bridge the great divide between our lost humanity and a loving God.

Yet her journey was not without difficulty as she had to deal with practical facts:

not fully understanding God’s plan, judgmental people speaking lies about her, her own doubts and fears, and trusting God to vindicate and protect her. Mary’s sudden “what do you mean by so confidently saying nothing to be afraid of in your face” story was a hardcore test of faith. Yet she made it through and so can we.

Because like Mary, we are all, in our own God-ordained way, called to bring something extraordinary the greatness and goodness of God, into the world.

“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:14-16).

But to do so, we must make that brief interactive moment between God, the angel Gabriel and Mary and consciously learn something from experience.

Commit to Personal Righteousness

“Personal righteousness” refers to a disciplined commitment by believers to live consistently with God’s high calling to carry His light into a lost world.

We must commit to display integrity, purity, honor, respect and holiness.

Our lives should be examples for others to emulate – not perfect lives without fault, failure or messiness, but lives that are consistent with being called and sent on a mission for God Himself.

We must hold grace, not as an excuse to sin, but as a motivating force to live honorably before God.

We should neither become judgmental nor a stumbling block to those who desperately need the message of Christ’s love and forgiveness delivered.

Personal righteousness is a battle that we steadfastly commit to fight in order to be living examples of God’s authentic love that helps lead people to salvation.

And I believe “personal righteousness” was a factor in Mary’s selection to bear the Messiah for mankind:

“…to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary” (Luke 1:27).

“Then Mary said to the angel, ‘How can this be, since I do not know a man?’” (Luke 1:34).

These verses imply that Mary, who was divinely chosen for this extraordinary task, was chosen partly because of her commitment to personal righteousness.

In fact, the Word makes it clear that there is a connection between personal righteousness and God’s decision to entrust great responsibilities to people.

This also implies lackluster personal righteousness limits the effectiveness of the individual in their success.

“…let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith” (Hebrews 12:1-2 NLT).

Anything less than focused commitment to personal righteousness will become a giant millstone weight that stands in the way of our God-given assignment.

And I’m convinced if we would fight as vehemently for personal righteousness as we do for social righteousness, or pointing out the sins of the world, we each would make a significant impact in the Kingdom in much more profound ways!

John 14:12-14 Amplified Bible

¹²I assure you and most solemnly say to you, anyone who believes in Me [as Savior] will also do the things that I do; and he will do even greater things than these [in extent and outreach], because I am going to the Father. ¹³And I will do whatever you ask in My name [^[a]as My representative], this I will do, so that the Father may be glorified and celebrated in the Son. ¹⁴If you ask Me anything in My name [as My representative], I will do it.

Be Willing to Risk Everything

Think of what Mary risked to bring the salvation of God into the world.

Imagine the dinner conversation with her parents.

Or the angry, too hushed argument raging between her parents and Joseph’s parents. Imagine what it felt like to walk to the marketplace, sit in synagogue or look into Joseph’s wounded eyes.

For Mary to fulfill her God-given assignment, she had to release control and risk it all: her reputation, family and friends, her financial security – even her life. In the culture of that day, she could have been stoned to death for adultery while betrothed to Joseph.

Whatever God entrusts you to bring into the world, regardless of your sphere of influence, your high or low estate, be aware there will be a personal cost, a high degree of personal risk. Jesus did not try to hide this aspect of being His disciple.

Then Jesus said to His disciples, ‘If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me’” (Matthew 16:24).

One of the greatest challenges for many of us, especially in Western society, is seeing ourselves as God’s servants. We forget that as believers, by our Baptism we have given the totality of our lives over to Christ, and we are no longer our own; rather, we have been bought with a price – the lifeblood of God’s own Son.

John 10:22-30 New American Standard Bible

Jesus Asserts His Deity

²²At that time the ^[a]Feast of the Dedication took place in Jerusalem; ²³it was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple area, in the portico of Solomon. ²⁴ The Jews then surrounded Him and began saying to Him, “How long ^[b]will You keep us in suspense? If You are the ^[c]Christ, tell us plainly.” ²⁵Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe; the works that I do in My Father’s name, these testify of Me. ²⁶But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep. ²⁷My sheep listen to My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; ²⁸and I give them eternal life, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. ^29 [d]My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. ³⁰I and the Father are ^[e]one.”

The Christ who created us and redeemed us from death now has the absolute right to direct our lives and our actions in it, regardless of perceived risk to our plans, social standing or financial well-being. But every person who seeks to have an impact the world in a significant way for God understands this truth.

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Psalm 24 New King James Version

The King of Glory and His Kingdom

A Psalm of David.

24 The earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness,
The world and those who dwell therein.
²For He has founded it upon the seas,
And established it upon the ^[a]waters.

³Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord?
Or who may stand in His holy place?
⁴He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
Who has not lifted up his soul to an idol,
Nor sworn deceitfully.
⁵He shall receive blessing from the Lord,
And righteousness from the God of his salvation.
⁶This is Jacob, the generation of those who seek Him,
Who seek Your face. Selah

⁷Lift up your heads, O you gates!
And be lifted up, you everlasting doors!
And the King of glory shall come in.
⁸Who is this King of glory?
The Lord strong and mighty,
The Lord mighty in battle.
⁹Lift up your heads, O you gates!
Lift up, you everlasting doors!
And the King of glory shall come in.
¹⁰Who is this King of glory?
The Lord of hosts,
He is the King of glory. Selah

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

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First, Foremost, Utmost, Uppermost: Every Promise Fulfilled! Matthew 1:1

Matthew 1:1-2 New King James Version

The Genealogy of Jesus Christ

1 The book of the genealogy^[a] of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham:

²Abraham begot Isaac, Isaac begot Jacob, and Jacob begot Judah and his brothers.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

The opening words of Matthew’s Narrative presents his readers with a list of names in the family line of Jesus.

Some readers skip over such lists, seeing them as boring or only filled with names that are hard to pronounce and or too probably, commonly unknown.

The gospel account of Luke has a list of names like this too.

These short lists are selective genealogies of Messiah Jesus—and in them God is saying,

“See, my people, I have kept my word; the promised Messiah and Savior has come through my chosen people.”

The list in Luke includes many names that are different from those in Matthew, possibly because Doctor Luke lists the ancestors of Mary, the mother of Jesus.

The list in Luke is also longer than the one in Matthew, going back all the way to the very beginning, to connect Messiah Jesus with God himself.

This helps us see that the story of salvation—indeed, the story of the whole world—is really all about God. God created a good, amazing world, only to have it permanently scarred by sin because our human parents disobeyed (Genesis 3).

But God did not sit idly by.

God did not have any all too human temper tantrums!

He set out to redeem and restore his world—including us!

From the beginning, God promised to renew us through his Son, Jesus.

To The Utmost, Uppermost: Every Promise is Fulfilled

The beginning of the New Testament may not immediately strike us as being all that inspiring.

In fact, if someone were reading through the Bible for the very first time and reached the end of Malachi, which points forward with anticipation, their excitement might falter when the very next book begins with… a genealogy.

They (and we!) might even be tempted to skip Matthew and begin with another Gospel altogether.

Keep in mind, though, that the promises God made to His people in the Old Testament all looked forward to their fulfillment.

As we read through the New Testament, we realize that in fact it couldn’t open in a more fitting manner, since the genealogy in Matthew draws the line from Abraham to David and at last to Jesus as the one who fulfills all these promises.

Similarly Mark, throughout his Gospel narrative, reaches one hand back to the ancient prophets who pointed directly forward to the one who was yet to come.

Mark uses the Old Testament to set the stage for this striking reality, his second sentence beginning “As it is written in Isaiah the prophet…” (Mark 1:2).

And the first words he records Jesus as saying are, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand” (v 15).

Jesus’ disciples had the privilege of witnessing what prophets and kings had longed to see (see Luke 10:24)—a privilege that even now continues through the illuminating work of God’s Word.

The New Testament shows us that the means by which every single one of God’s promises are fulfilled can be summed up in two words: Jesus Christ.

God made His promises to Israel using terminology and categories that they understood—words like community, family, neighbors, nation and temple.

Christ’s coming redefined, reframed the Old Testament concepts in light of the gospel: Old Testament prophecies, we discover, are all fulfilled Christo logically—by and in the very reflection and the revelation of the person of the Christ. (Hebrews Chapter 1)

Therefore, instead of looking for a new temple in the state of Israel, we meet with God through His Son, the Lord Jesus; enjoy His presence in each of us by His Spirit; and look to the indelible reality of Christ’s reign to renew, transform our lives both now and forevermore.

The coming of the Son of God breaks, shatters the boundaries of Old Testament categories.

This is not meant to be unsettling for God’s people; it is meant to be thrilling!

Christ is the perfect fulfillment of all God’s promises.

He is the reality of all God’s great assurances.

Wait no more, then, to see how God will fulfill His every promise.

We know now that each one was, is, and ever will be satisfied through Christ.

He has promised to be with us, to work for us and through us, and to bring us to an eternal kingdom of perfection.

There are times when it is hard to hold on to those promises.

It is nearly impossible to trust someone who cannot hold on to their promises.

When those times come, when that distrust comes, we look back to a man born of Abraham and David’s line, conceived of the Spirit, who was able to announce, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand” and who hung on a cross and rose from the grave so that all God’s promises would become “yes” in Him.

And when Jesus, the Savior, was born in Bethlehem, when the true Light of God illuminated our darkness, God’s promise, God’s plan took a major step forward.

Psalm 121 The Message

121 ^1-2I look up to the mountains;
does my strength come from mountains?
No, my strength comes from God,
who made heaven, and earth, and mountains.

^3-4He won’t let you stumble,
your Guardian God won’t fall asleep.
Not on your life! Israel’s
Guardian will never doze or sleep.

^5-6God’s your Guardian,
right at your side to protect you—
Shielding you from sunstroke,
sheltering you from moonstroke.

^7-8God guards you from every evil,
he guards your very life.
He guards you when you leave and when you return,
he guards you now, he guards you always.

So as we look back to celebrating Christmas, when we look forward to the new year and all of the promises it holds, let us join with the angels who announced Jesus’ birth, singing, “Gloria! Hallelujah! Glory to God in the highest” (Luke 2:14)!

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Psalm 100 The Message

100 ^1-2On your feet now—applaud God!
Bring a gift of laughter,
sing yourselves into his presence.

³Know this: God is God, and God, God.
He made us; we didn’t make him.
We’re his people, his well-tended sheep.

⁴Enter with the password: “Thank you!”
Make yourselves at home, talking praise.
Thank him. Worship him.

⁵For God is sheer beauty,
all-generous in love,
loyal always and ever.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

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Seasons of Reflection: Seasons With God, Seasons Seeking After Our king or OUR KING, Jesus. Matthew 2:1-12

Matthew 2:1-12 New King James Version

Wise Men from the East

2 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, ^[a]wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, ²saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.”

³When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. ⁴And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.

⁵So they said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet:

⁶‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
Are not the least among the rulers of Judah;
For out of you shall come a Ruler
Who will shepherd My people Israel.’ ”

⁷Then Herod, when he had secretly called the ^[b]wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared. ⁸And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also.”

⁹When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was. ¹⁰When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. ¹¹And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

¹²Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

Many people in ancient Judea were aware that the prophets of God had spoken of a Messiah who would one day come and finally, ultimately, set things right.

Most of these residents of Judea eagerly anticipated the wonderful things this Messiah would do for God’s people.

But, ironically, in the natural course of human events, most of them missed the arrival of Jesus – most had long since stopped praying with the expectation of their receiving an actual answer from God – actual physical, viewable, answer.

But far to the east there were Magi, scholars who studied the stars, and one night they noticed something new in their observations shining in the heavens.

Were they aware of prophecies about a Messiah?

Did they have the assumption that somewhere under that heavenly event, this promised Messiah, who would bring salvation for God’s people, had arrived?

To these scholars, a sign in the heavens meant something important, like the arrival of a new king, they started on a journey, a season of seeking after a star, a season of seeking God with inquiring minds to see what God might be doing.

Others Were Not So Eagerly Seeking Messiah’s Arrival

Matthew 2:3-6 New King James Version

⁵So they said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet:

⁶‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
Are not the least among the rulers of Judah;
For out of you shall come a Ruler
Who will shepherd My people Israel.’ ”

Isn’t it ironic that we can think we have every intention to seek God, but we ultimately have ulterior motives for doing so and we miss what he is doing?

When Jesus was born, seven centuries after the prophet Micah had prophesied where He would appear, His arrival was met with a variety of different reactions—and those responses are much the same today as they were then: hostility, and jealousy – perceived threats to our power base, indifference, or no faith.

King Herod was the epitome of hostility toward Jesus.

He stands for everyone who says to themselves, “I don’t mind some religious person sitting quietly in the back seat, but I don’t want anybody driving the car of my life.” “I am the “king of the kingdom, the one who is in authority here!”

A “king of their hill” who keeps quiet is acceptable; the one who makes higher claims on any person’s life, does not agree with what they already think, is not.

King Herod did all he could to ensure there would be no other authority, no other king to rival him and his authority over his kingdom (Matthew 2:16-18).

And many do so still today.

Jerusalem’s religious professionals of the day responded to the arrival of Messiah with prophetic indifference – some with well established fears.

Fears for their lives and personal safety – fears for what Herod would do to anyone – man, women or child – to ensure that Herod would remain #1.

When King Herod asked them about the coming of the Christ, they were able to go to the temple search their scrolls answer his questions with great specificity.

They were aware Micah had prophesied that He would be born in Bethlehem; but they were indifferent, they were so helpless to help, simply didn’t care.

Notice they wouldn’t make the effort, even take the time to make a six-mile journey to meet and worship the newly born, long-awaited King of the Jews.

They completely disregarded Him – perhaps in fear of him or to protect him.

Were they too busy with their religion to make time for their rescuing King?

Or were they welcoming and protective of the child, protective of the people?

Then there were the arrival of the wise men to the kings throne room, this group of foreign kings (?), astrologers who saw a star in the heavens, worked out what it was announcing, packed their bags, and responded to Jesus in faith.

What moved these powerful men who were authorities in their field, to presume on their king’s time, not to bow to him but to bow down at the cradle of a child?

How in these seasons of expectation and seeking a “king” does that happen?

How in these seasons of anticipation, of expectation and seeking “after one whose authority over a kingdom and its citizens is literally second to no one?”

Only by the power of God. And it was the wise, not Herod or the priests, who were the ones who “rejoiced exceedingly with great joy” (Matthew 2:10).

There is only one true dividing line between people.

It has nothing to do with ethnicity, skin color, intellect, sexual orientation, or political correctness or social justice or social status, authority of government.

Which “king or KING” do we the people seek after?

1 Samuel 8:1-12 New King James Version

Israel Demands a King

8 Now it came to pass when Samuel was old that he made his sons judges over Israel. ²The name of his firstborn was Joel, and the name of his second, Abijah; they were judges in Beersheba. ³But his sons did not walk in his ways; they turned aside after dishonest gain, took bribes, and perverted justice.

⁴Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah, ⁵and said to him, “Look, you are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.”

⁶But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to judge us.” So Samuel prayed to the Lord. ⁷And the Lord said to Samuel, “Heed the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them. ⁸According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt, even to this day—with which they have forsaken Me and served other gods—so they are doing to you also. ⁹Now therefore, heed their voice. However, you shall solemnly forewarn them, and show them the behavior of the king who will reign over them.”

¹⁰So Samuel told all the words of the Lord to the people who asked him for a king. ¹¹And he said, “This will be the behavior of the king who will reign over you: He will take your sons and appoint them for his own chariots and to be his horsemen, and some will run before his chariots. ¹²He will appoint captains over his thousands and captains over his fifties, will set some to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and some to make his weapons of war and equipment for his chariots.

It is the chasm, the grand canyons, raging rivers, between unbelief—whether or not that unbelief manifests itself as hostility or indifference—and unbelief.

We may take note, make harsh commentary that the Western world grows in hostility to a God who insists on ruling His world, but we should also note that “religious” people are also at risk of unbelief: the unbelief of high indifference.

Proverbs 3:5-8 New King James Version

⁵Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
⁶In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall ^[a]direct your paths.

⁷Do not be wise in your own eyes;
Fear the Lord and depart from evil.
⁸It will be health to your ^[b]flesh,
And strength^[c] to your bones.

Those of us “wisest of the wise ones” who have all heard the Christmas story countless times, who know our Old Testaments, and who are in church Sunday by Sunday are not immune to the indifference that is seen in a lack of joy over the Lord and a lack of response to His word when it calls us to change our plans.

And whoever we are, or however wise we believe we are if we won’t have Jesus as our King in this life, we won’t live in His kingdom on the other side of death.

If we choose to ask Jesus to leave us alone, either in our hostility or in our wise only and alone in our own eyes, religiosity, He will leave us alone—forever.

Our response to our seasons of seeking after Jesus has high eternal significance.

Look highly upon Him who came to die for hostile and indifferent sinners, then, and in that season of “king gazing” allow His great love to soften your heart so that you may respond to Him in real, joyful, obedient faith, today and every day.

Psalm 13 New King James Version

Trust in the Salvation of the Lord

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.

13 How long, O Lord? Will You forget me forever?
How long will You hide Your face from me?
²How long shall I take counsel in my soul,
Having sorrow in my heart daily?
How long will my enemy be exalted over me?

³Consider and hear me, O Lord my God;
Enlighten my eyes,
Lest I sleep the sleep of death;
⁴Lest my enemy say,
“I have prevailed against him”;
Lest those who trouble me rejoice when I am moved.

⁵But I have trusted in Your mercy;
My heart shall rejoice in Your salvation.
⁶I will sing to the Lord,
Because He has dealt bountifully with me.

We either seek after a king or we seek after a KING to have #1 authority over us.

But, will we recognize and acknowledge and confess we all know the difference?

We pray for healing but might not recognize healing that has already occurred.

We will ask for prosperity without pausing to give thanks for the ways God has already provided.

The good news of Jesus is far too magnificent to be contained, yet it can still be missed if we ourselves are complacent or indifferent in our search for our king.

The king of this world?

The KING of all the expanse of the heavens above, our hearts, the earth below.

But when we are open to seeing what God is doing, the wonder of his mighty acts can move us from seasons of being so very far away from his presence we are no heavenly good to seasons of our approaching him with sincere worship.

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Psalm 27:1-9 New King James Version

An Exuberant Declaration of Faith

A Psalm of David.

27 The Lord is my light and my salvation;
Whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the strength of my life;
Of whom shall I be afraid?
²When the wicked came against me
To eat^[a] up my flesh,
My enemies and foes,
They stumbled and fell.
³Though an army may encamp against me,
My heart shall not fear;
Though war may rise against me,
In this I will be confident.

⁴One thing I have desired of the Lord,
That will I seek:
That I may dwell in the house of the Lord
All the days of my life,
To behold the ^[b]beauty of the Lord,
And to inquire in His temple.
⁵For in the time of trouble
He shall hide me in His pavilion;
In the secret place of His tabernacle
He shall hide me;
He shall set me high upon a rock.

⁶And now my head shall be ^[c]lifted up above my enemies all around me;
Therefore I will offer sacrifices of ^[d]joy in His tabernacle;
I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the Lord.

⁷Hear, O Lord, when I cry with my voice!
Have mercy also upon me, and answer me.
⁸When You said, “Seek My face,”
My heart said to You, “Your face, Lord, I will seek.”
⁹Do not hide Your face from me;
Do not turn Your servant away in anger;
You have been my help;
Do not leave me nor forsake me,
O God of my salvation.

Father in heaven, separate me from my wisdom, keep me from having such a narrow view of your saving grace that I miss the wonderful things you are doing. By my Jesus

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

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On This Another Christmas Day, Do I Still Believe in Christmas Miracles? Matthew 1:20-23

Matthew 1:20-23 Authorized (King James) Version

²⁰But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. ²¹ And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. ²²Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, ²³Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

The Miracle: What If God Were to Disrupt Your Life?

Like that emergent need for Open Heart Surgery …

Like suddenly listening to the news, trying to absorb the impact of learning that my “Widow Making” Left Anterior Descending Coronary Artery is 99% blocked.

Like learning from the Cardiac Surgeon my much troubled heart will be 100% stopped for some period of time during my Triple Bypass Open Heart Surgery.

Some things in life insert themselves like hard claps of thunder into our lives and can take us completely by surprise, stun us into complete insensibility.

Sometimes things happen that seem to turn our world utterly upside down.

I learned I needed emergent surgery on my heart July 14, 2023 – I had no choice but to be admitted to the Hospital for my Open Heart Surgery on July 17, 2023.

God brought me through my heart being stopped – God gave me my life back!

That is what essentially happened to a man named Joseph, a builder living in the town of Nazareth in Galilee about 2,000 years ago.

A blessed disruption: engaged to be married to a young woman named Mary, he was so looking forward to when they would become husband and wife, to have children, to make a home together, to be surrounded by their extended family.

But then Joseph learned that Mary, his future wife, was expecting a child.

Could there have been a more sudden and unexpected disruption to his life?

To Joseph’s mind, that meant that somewhere young Mary had been unfaithful.

Could Joseph’s life be turned more upside down – all those plans of a family?

Rush to a decision-protect the families – act, work to salvage their reputations.

Now what to do about this thunderclap news – to keep her from being publicly disgraced, he intended to “divorce her quietly” and then simply send her away.

Planning all the steps needed, but that same night, an angel came to Joseph in a dream, telling him that the child to be born was conceived by the Holy Spirit.

Now, what kind of thunderclap news was this – another brand new disruption?

How much more hardcore disruption to his life could this Joseph deal with?

The angel told Joseph to believe the unbelievable and to take Mary as his wife.

God Himself stepped directly into his life and disrupted many of Joseph’s plans.

God Himself would make sure that Joseph’s life would never ever be the same.

Miracle of Miracles!

Wonder of Wonders!

Mystery of all Mysteries!

The Disruption of all Disruptions!

Matthew 1:20-21 Authorized (King James) Version

Instead of allowing Joseph to brood for too long, to make this disruption into an obsession – so to make bad plans, God caused a deep sleep to come upon Joseph.

As God went to King Solomon in a dream, God sent his angel unto Joseph and in a divine, much needed moment of divine disruption-“It is all going to be okay!”

When Joseph woke up from his dream, he did what the angel commanded him.

Perhaps God has disrupted your life as He disrupted mine, as He did Joseph’s.

Perhaps he turned your life upside down.

Are you ready to accept the miracle, that miraculous disruption of God’s will for your life? Miraculous turnaround? ready to surrender to Him and to Serve Him?

Like Joseph, Do You Believe in Christmas Miracles?

Matthew 1:20-23The Message

^20-23While he was trying to figure a way out, he had a dream. God’s angel spoke in the dream: “Joseph, son of David, don’t hesitate to get married. Mary’s pregnancy is Spirit-conceived. God’s Holy Spirit has made her pregnant. She will bring a son to birth, and when she does, you, Joseph, will name him Jesus—‘God saves’—because he will save his people from their sins.” This would bring the prophet’s embryonic revelation to full term:

Watch for this—a virgin will get pregnant and bear a son;
They will name him Immanuel (Hebrew for “God is with us”).

Have you noticed how many Christmas movies focus on receiving a Christmas miracle?

The miracle of Santa Claus coming at exactly the right moment into someone’s life – bringing the miracle of exactly the right and perfect gift – always exactly the right time in exactly the right place-disrupting the negative expectations?

Although many center on Santa Claus making things happen, still Christmas is always portrayed as a time for long-awaited hopes and dreams to be fulfilled.

Rightly so, too, because Christmas is all about disrupting the negative impact of all the sudden or not so sudden bad news we received – hardcore disrupting all of them inside one fell swoop with miracles whose origins can only be of God!

It’s a heavenly celebration of the miraculous virgin birth of Jesus, God comes to earth in human form, to live among mankind and save people from their sins.

What could be more miraculously hardcore of hardcore disruptive than that?

So how do you approach Christmas?

Are you hoping for God to do the impossible in your life?

Do you believe what the angel told Mary, that all things are possible with God?

Luke 1:36-38 Authorized (King James) Version

³⁶And, 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. ³⁷For with God nothing shall be impossible. ³⁸And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.

If you aren’t expecting God to do the impossible at Christmas or any other time of the year, perhaps because of past disappointments, of times where you had great hope, anticipation but didn’t see your life disrupted – prayers answered?

If so, pick up your Bible, ask God to first disrupt your expectations then renew your expectancy in Him, to revive your faith despite all your disappointments.

Choose to disrupt your life – choose to base what you believe about God on what Scripture says about Him, rather on those of the past discouraging experiences.

If former letdowns are what’s holding you back from having faith in God, James 1:6 encourages you to hardcore disrupt your unbelief, believe with all your heart and all your soul and do not doubt God because doubt inhibits the impossible.

James 1:5-8 The Message

^5-8If you don’t know what you’re doing, pray to the Father. He loves to help. You’ll get his help, and won’t be condescended to when you ask for it. Ask boldly, believingly, without a second thought. People who “worry their prayers” are like wind-whipped waves. Don’t think you’re going to get anything from the Master that way, adrift at sea, keeping all your options open.

Scripture explains what happened when Jesus visited His hometown and the residents doubted Him.

Their disbelief affected what they were able to receive from Jesus.

As Matthew 13:58 explains, “And He did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith.”

If you are lacking faith in believing God is able to do the impossible, ask Him to increase your faith.

Hebrews 11:1 explains, “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.”

Hebrews 11:1-2The Message

Faith in What We Don’t See

11 ^1-2The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It’s our handle on what we can’t see. The act of faith is what distinguished our ancestors, set them above the crowd.

Consider how everything you see created was once impossible without God.

As John 1:3 explains, “Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made.”

As Jeremiah 32:17 describes, “Ah, Sovereign Lord, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for You.”

Colossians 1:16 further describes, “For in Him all things were created; things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through Him and for Him.”

At Christmas and all year long, choose to believe that disruption is okay, that nothing is too difficult for God to bring about in your life by stepping out in faith and praying to Him to transform your impossibilities into possibilities.

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Psalm 23

A Psalm of David.

¹The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
²He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:
he leadeth me beside the still waters.
³He restoreth my soul:
he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
⁴Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil: for thou art with me;
thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
⁵Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies:
thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
⁶Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life:
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

Father in heaven, help us to accept your will for our lives, even when it turns our world upside down. Help us always to acknowledge Jesus as our Lord and Savior.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

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A Prayerful Christmas Eve Reflection: Praying For A ‘Silent Night.’ Luke 2:9

Luke 2:8-20 GOD’S WORD Translation

Angels Announce the Birth of Jesus

⁸Shepherds were in the fields near Bethlehem. They were taking turns watching their flock during the night. ⁹An angel from the Lord suddenly appeared to them. The glory of the Lord filled the area with light, and they were terrified. ¹⁰The angel said to them, “Don’t be afraid! I have good news for you, a message that will fill everyone with joy. ¹¹Today your Savior, Christ the Lord, was born in David’s city. ¹²This is how you will recognize him: You will find an infant wrapped in strips of cloth and lying in a manger.”

¹³Suddenly, a large army of angels appeared with the angel. They were praising God by saying,

¹⁴“Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace to those who have his good will!”

¹⁵The angels left them and went back to heaven. The shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see what the Lord has told us about.”

¹⁶They went quickly and found Mary and Joseph with the baby, who was lying in a manger. ¹⁷When they saw the child, they repeated what they had been told about him. ¹⁸Everyone who heard the shepherds’ story was amazed.

¹⁹Mary treasured all these things in her heart and always thought about them.

²⁰As the shepherds returned to their flock, they glorified and praised God for everything they had seen and heard. Everything happened the way the angel had told them.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

Silent Night, Holy Night is a beloved Christmas carol with humble beginnings which dates back to 1816.

It was written by a young priest in Germany after a longstanding war and fall in political and social status, this song was inspired when he took a long walk one cold winter night, noticing the cold stillness and peacefulness of his little town.

Since then, it has risen, been picked up by multiple composers and performed in a ton of churches all across the world, from quaint churches in small towns into the largest of majestic cathedrals, and even presenting it to the King of Prussia.

All that to say, there is a beautiful message intertwined between the beautiful words in this song.

It touches each of us who sing it on a different level and in an intimate way.

Calling us to pause and reflect and take notice of what is a silent, a peaceful, and calm, in the ultimate revelation of the glory of God in the highest – a holy night.

In the midst of all the political ruckus, in the midst of a government census to raise more taxes, to gain more wealth and more prestige for the government,

In the midst of all the subsequent consequences – whole families are uprooted to travel vast distances to places where they were born as Joseph, Mary were.

All kinds of hoops to jump through at the very utmost inconvenient of times.

Mary is ready to give birth – how is it to ride on the back of a donkey, mile after mile, up and down as the donkey walks upon and over the sandy and rocky soil?

All this supporting the weight of a child in her womb, near end term pregnancy.

The weight of mine months weighing heavily already upon her teenage body.

Would Joseph had made her walk any of that distance leading the donkey as he sat on the donkey’s back – we would have a much different opinion of Joseph.

Up and down off the donkey so Mary could walk around all through the night.

The weight of all that responsibility upon both of their lives, generations more.

Can we read their minds right now – when will the night ever come to an end?

And just when they hope they have come to their desired end – a place of rest and a place where they could attend to the labor and delivery and care of their newborn son – what do they hear that night – “Sorry, but no room at the Inn!”

And somewhere off in the distance, in the middle of the night there are a bunch of shepherds going about their regular rotations of guarding someone’s sheep.

A quiet night for them – like any other night which has not created for them a regular routine – suddenly a host of angelic beings explodes great light into the darkness – praising God – bursting into song, singing loudly ¹⁴“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those who have his good will!”

How is that for a senses shattering wake up call in the middle of the night?

How does that put your “regular ho hum hum drum” routines on the edge of “Danger, Danger, and pending doom and all out “fight or flight” sheer panic?”

Then just as fast – the night settles down as the angelic hosts disappear.

And the shepherds are left wondering what just happened?

Wondering about the mysterious words the angelic host just left them with:

¹⁰The angel said to them, “Don’t be afraid! I have good news for you, a message that will fill everyone with joy. ¹¹Today your Savior, Christ the Lord, was born in David’s city. ¹²This is how you will recognize him: You will find an infant wrapped in strips of cloth and lying in a manger.”

So much to sort out – actually too much to sort out in the middle of what had started out to be just another quiet and relatively peaceful regular night shift.

Just another of those quiet and relatively peaceful regular night in Bethlehem?

A family in need of a place to bring their first born son into the world – but there is no place – there is no room in the inn – so they’re on their own to find a place.

The noise coming from the inside all of those occupied rooms in the at night?

An explosion of the brightest light anyone had ever seen, night eyes having to suddenly accommodate themselves to that light, ears which a long tuned into the long expected sounds of the silent darkness – on alert for all the dangers – now have been rocked, shocked by the songs of “Glory to God in the highest!”

Reading these words in the year 2023, it does something to our weary souls.

So, lets try to settle all this down “was it a silent night holy night?” a bit …

Just the words of the first verse sets the much needed, required tone for us all;

Silent Night. Holy Night. All is calm. All is bright. round yon virgin mother and child.
Holy infant, so tender and mild, sleep in heavenly peace, sleep in heavenly peace.

These words are so easy to utter, but truly being silent and seeking His holiness in a season that is wrapped and consumed with all the pressures and demands to do more, be more, get more, can drive us to a place of unforeseen busyness and even disappointment – unfortunately, the end result can steal our peace!

Stepping away from it all, recalling the history of this hymn reminds us to step away from all the noise, open our hearts in a way to receive the gift of stillness.

2. Silent night, holy night, shepherds quake at the sight; glories stream from heaven afar, heavenly hosts sing Alleluia! Christ the Savior is born, Christ the Savior is born!

3. Silent night, holy night, Son of God, love’s pure light; radiant beams from thy holy face with the dawn of redeeming grace, Jesus, Lord, at thy birth, Jesus, Lord, at thy birth.

4. Silent night, holy night, wondrous star, lend thy light; with the angels let us sing,
Alleluia to our King; Christ the Savior is born, Christ the Savior is born!

1. In the bleak midwinter, frosty wind made moan,
earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone;
snow had fallen, snow on snow, snow on snow,
in the bleak midwinter, long ago.

Text: Christina G. Rossetti, 1830-1894

In the bleak midwinter, may you and I find time to seek the silent moments this season, where you and I are met with the very highest glory of our Holy Creator.

Let the sound of that “silent” beautiful interaction allow us to lean in and rest, prompting us to praise Him for His faithfulness and rejoice in His Son’s birth!

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Father God,

We come to You with weary but humble hearts full of thanksgiving. You are a kind and gracious Father, with such unspeakable love for us, giving Your one and only Son to take on our sins so that we can have a life with You outside this one (John 3:16).

Lord, I lift up those that are in need of rest. Those who are craving a silent night. I lift up the mom who is striving to make special memories for her children, only to just become overwhelmed by the stress of it all. I pray for the parent rocking a fussy baby to sleep in the wee hours of the morning, in need of much physical rest. I pray for the dad crunching the numbers, wondering how he is going to financially afford all the items on his child’s Christmas list. My heart and prayers go out to the lonely grand parents missing their children and wishing they were closer – as you are close to us.

O Gracious not so silent God, You know each and every one of us intimately and our dire situations that pull us away from You. Please remove the distractions, heavy burdens, and demands, and grant us Your peace. Replace the fallacies with Truth found in Your Word. Give us grace and space in our schedules to meet with You and be refueled by Your tender love. Create vacancies, make room in our hearts to receive that precious gift of stillness, silence, born from a night of your glory being revealed.

In the coming stillness of the night, We stand upon Your promise to extend rest for not just our physical, mental, and emotional well-being but to meet us and grow us spiritually as well. This is not just a gift we want to receive at Christmas but year-round as You extend Your mighty hand to those in need, calling us to take hold.

Please make room open our hearts and minds to accept the image of Your pure rest when we fall into the patterns of this World and become consumed with things that keep us restless. Things that keep our minds swirling all night. When we do this, we fail to recognize the nature of Who You are, distracts us from the good You are doing.

Thank you, God, for offering us the gift of a silent night and a bright and brighter and holy night in the gift of the birth of Your precious Son, as well as an invitation to call silently upon You to meet with us intimately. You deserve all our thanks and praise.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

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The Birth of Jesus Christ

Conception and Birth of Jesus

Manifestation of God’s Love through Christmas

Motivation behind Our Celebration – EXHORT His Humility

Be Like Christ

A Psalm of Praise.

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Christ Born of Mary

Glory in the Highest

Circumcision of Jesus

1. Even Jesus Wasn’t Above Simple Circumstances (Luke 2:7)

2. God’s Glory Is Worthy of Our Praise, Even when We Feel Afraid (Luke 2:9-10)

3. When the Lord Makes a Promise, We Can Trust He Will Keep it (Luke 2:15-16)

4. Words From and About the Lord Are to Be Treasured (Luke 2:17-18)

5. We Should Make Time to Learn from Those Older than Us (Luke 2:47, Luke 2:52)

Psalm 85

To the chief Musician, A Psalm for the sons of Korah.

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A Child Has Been Born—for Us!

Trust in the Salvation of the Lord

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.

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1. Christmas Reminds Each One of Us to Trust God’s Promises

2. Jesus Unveils God’s Kingdom and Secures Our Faith

3. Jesus’ Victory Over Death Confirms Our Hope in Eternity

4. Jesus’ Resurrection Proves Our Victory Over Death Is Certain

5. Faith in Christ Secures Our Eternal Life

Psalm 121

A Song of degrees.

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Joseph Accepts Jesus as His Son

powerful lessons from Joseph’s obedience in Christmas story.

When You Know It’s the Lord, Don’t Delay Your Obedience

Sometimes Obedience Requires Sudden Changes

Obedience Requires us; Be in Tune to How God Is Speaking to us

There Cannot Be Great Obedience without Great Faith

Psalm 8

To the chief Musician upon Gittith, A Psalm of David.

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Christ’s Birth Announced to Mary

Commit to Personal Righteousness

Be Willing to Risk Everything

Jesus Asserts His Deity

The King of Glory and His Kingdom

A Psalm of David.

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Matthew 1:1-2 New King James Version

The Genealogy of Jesus Christ

To The Utmost, Uppermost: Every Promise is Fulfilled

Psalm 121 The Message

Psalm 100 The Message

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Matthew 2:1-12 New King James Version

Wise Men from the East

Others Were Not So Eagerly Seeking Messiah’s Arrival

Matthew 2:3-6 New King James Version

Which “king or KING” do we the people seek after?

1 Samuel 8:1-12 New King James Version

Israel Demands a King

Proverbs 3:5-8 New King James Version

Psalm 13 New King James Version

Trust in the Salvation of the Lord

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.

Psalm 27:1-9 New King James Version

An Exuberant Declaration of Faith

A Psalm of David.

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Matthew 1:20-23 Authorized (King James) Version

The Miracle: What If God Were to Disrupt Your Life?

Matthew 1:20-21 Authorized (King James) Version

Like Joseph, Do You Believe in Christmas Miracles?

Matthew 1:20-23The Message

Luke 1:36-38 Authorized (King James) Version

James 1:5-8 The Message

Hebrews 11:1-2The Message

Faith in What We Don’t See

Psalm 23

A Psalm of David.

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Luke 2:8-20 GOD’S WORD Translation