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12/24               Matthew 2:1-12

1 Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, 2“Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him.” 3 King Herod was deeply disturbed when he heard this, as was everyone in Jerusalem. 4 He called a meeting of the leading priests and teachers of religious law and asked, “Where is the Messiah supposed to be born?”5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they said, “for this is what the prophet wrote: 6‘And you, O Bethlehem in the land of Judah, are not least among the ruling cities of Judah, for a ruler will come from you who will be the shepherd for my people Israel.’ ” 7 Then Herod called for a private meeting with the wise men, and he learned from them the time when the star first appeared. 8 Then he told them, “Go to Bethlehem and search carefully for the child. And when you find him, come back and tell me so that I can go and worship him, too!” 9 After this interview the wise men went their way. And the star they had seen in the east guided them to Bethlehem. It went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were filled with joy! 11 They entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12 When it was time to leave, they returned to their own country by another route, for God had warned them in a dream not to return to Herod. 

BORN

Born to die for our sin, Jesus appeared as a weak little baby and yet he was the creative force that made the universes.  He is Lord. 

12/23               Matthew 1:18-25

18 This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit.  19 Joseph, her fiancé, was a good man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly.  20 As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. 21 And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet:  23 “Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’”  24 When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife. 25 But he did not have sexual relations with her until her son was born. And Joseph named him Jesus.

MESSIAH

Messiah has come.  The Son of God has stepped into our world and given us free access to the Father.  We must choose. 

12/22               Luke 2:8-20

8 That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. 9 Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, 10 but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. 11 The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! 12 And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.”13 Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”  15 When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” 16 They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. 17 After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. 18 All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished, 19 but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often. 20 The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them. 

SHEPHERDS

Why the Shepherds?  Because the Lord announced the Messiah to the poor, the outsider and the fringe of society.  Jesus came that we might have life not if we are rich or powerful but if we believe that Jesus is Lord and that He forgives our sin and makes us part of the family of God. 

12/21               Luke 2:1-7

1 At that time the Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire. 2 (This was the first census taken when Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 All returned to their own ancestral towns to register for this census. 4 And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David’s ancient home. He traveled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee. 5 He took with him Mary, his fiancée, who was now obviously pregnant. 6 And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. 7 She gave birth to her first child, a son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them. 

NONE

There are none righteous except our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  He is the Messiah, the Son of God and He has appeared in our world as a little baby.  The truth is that He is all powerful and not at the mercy of any created being.  Jesus is Lord. 

12/20               Luke 1:39-45

39 A few days later Mary hurried to the hill country of Judea, to the town 

40 where Zechariah lived. She entered the house and greeted Elizabeth. 

41 At the sound of Mary’s greeting, Elizabeth’s child leaped within her, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42 Elizabeth gave a glad cry and exclaimed to Mary, “God has blessed you above all women, and your child is blessed. 43 Why am I so honored, that the mother of my Lord should visit me? 44 When I heard your greeting, the baby in my womb jumped for joy.  45 You are blessed because you believed that the Lord would do what he said.”

TRUTH

GOD was intimately involved in the arrival of all the forecasts of the coming Messiah.  Jesus was coming and the Father was actively involved in this coming to pass.  The Godhead was aware from before there was time that this day would come and that the prophecy would unfold as the Father intended it to happen. 

12/19               Zechariah 9:9

9 Rejoice, O people of Zion! Shout in triumph, O people of Jerusalem! Look, your king is coming to you. He is righteous and victorious, yet he is humble, riding on a donkey— riding on a donkey’s colt. 

JESUS

Jesus is Lord.  He knew why He came.  He knew what he must do.  He willingly died for all-while they were still dead in their trespasses and sin.  This wonderful Jesus came that each one of us might have eternal life from this moment and forever. 

12/18               Titus 3:3-7

3 Once we, too, were foolish and disobedient. We were misled and became slaves to many lusts and pleasures. Our lives were full of evil and envy, and we hated each other. 4 But— When God our Savior revealed his kindness and love, 5 he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit. 6 He generously poured out the Spirit upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior. 7 Because of his grace he declared us righteous and gave us confidence that we will inherit eternal life. 

CONFIDENCE

You can know where you are going when you die.  Jesus says you can.  The Spirit of God will testify to your spirit that you are a son or daughter of the Living God and that you are a part of God’s family.  Jesus is Lord. 

12/17               Isaiah 9:6-7

6 For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 His government and its peace will never end. He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David for all eternity. The passionate commitment of the LORD of Heaven’s Armies will make this happen! 

BIRTH
The birth of Jesus was foretold in Old Testament and came to pass in the little town of Bethlehem.  Jesus is Lord.  He is the conqueror of death.  He is our forgiveness-the Holy One from the Father.  Jesus saves us from our sin. 

12/16               1 Timothy 1:15-17

15This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”—and I am the worst of them all. 16 But God had mercy on me so that Christ Jesus could use me as a prime example of his great patience with even the worst sinners. Then others will realize that they, too, can believe in him and receive eternal life. 17 All honor and glory to God forever and ever! He is the eternal King, the unseen one who never dies; he alone is God. Amen. 

THE ONE

Jesus is the One way to the Father. He is the exact representation of God and brings the eternal infinite God to a sinful, lost and finite mankind.  Jesus is the way the truth and the life and He is the perfect One who paid our price for salvation, relationship and eternal life. 

12/15               Micah 5:2

2 But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, are only a small village among all the people of Judah. Yet a ruler of Israel, whose origins are in the distant past, will come from you on my behalf. 

JESUS

Jesus is the Creative Agent of the Godhead.  He is Lord and the plan for Him to save us was put into place by Father, Son and Holy Spirit prior to there being anything but them for all things were made by Him and for Him.  Jesus is Lord-Rejoice for our joy is complete.