“If we could condense all the truths of Christmas into only three words, these would be the words: ‘God with us.’ We tend to focus our attention at Christmas on the infancy of Christ. The greater truth of the holiday is His deity. More astonishing than a baby in the manger is the truth that…
Category: A Faith in Process
Notes from the Journey
A Son
And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. Luke 2:7 KJV Mary had the baby. That is all the Bible tells us. From this distance, we tend to visualize a landscape devoid of people,…
Joseph
This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: 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. Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he…
What Mary Knew
Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her. Luke 1:38 NLT ********** “Mary knew God loved her. From the moment Gabriel appeared to her, Mary has a distinct sense that God’s presence was with her and His hand upon her. She…
“Holy Is His Name”
Then Mary said,My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior,because he has looked with favor on the humble state of his servant.Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed,because the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. Luke 1:46-49 EHV
“Blessed Because …”
A few days later Mary hurried to the hill country of Judea, to the town where Zechariah lived. She entered the house and greeted Elizabeth. At the sound of Mary’s greeting, Elizabeth’s child leaped within her, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.Elizabeth gave a glad cry and exclaimed to Mary, “God has blessed you above…
Immanuel
All right then, the Lord himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’).Isaiah 7:14 NLT The Lord himself will give you the “sign,” something to see, touch, hear. A baby like us, but…
“Yes”
So Mary said, “Yes, I am a servant of the Lord; let this happen to me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her. Luke 1:38 New English Translation ********** Mary first conceived Jesus in faith and then in the flesh, when she said “yes” to the message God gave her through the angel. What does this mean? It means that God…
Did You Hear What I Hear?
What I hear, and what speaks volumes to me every time is at the end. After the gently contemplative Silent Night, Jingle Bells come in and begin working up to a frantic pace; like I tend to do. But then, the strong brass cuts in with the steady pace of O Come All Ye Faithful….
Do You Hear What I Hear?
Before we all get heartily sick of Christmas carols, I want to share what I consider to be the Best Carol Medley Ever: Leroy Anderson’s A Christmas Festival. Every year I make sure I listen to this music several times. It speaks to me in a particular way. I wonder if you will hear what…