Month: December 2020

Today in the city of David a Savior has been born to you. He is the Messiah, the Lord. Luke 2:11

There are many movies which I find it impossible to celebrate Christmas without, but one of my all time favorites is It’s A Wonderful Life starring Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed. The familiar movie of George Bailey who is so distraught with circumstances of his life, that he wishes he had never been born, and that wish is granted is a classic. An angel, Clarence, is sent to take him on a journey to see what effect his life had on the lives of so many and his town. He is able to see what the world would be like if he had never been born! He gets to see how much the world needed him and all the good things he was able to accomplish in his life.

Many times I wonder what our lives, our country and our world would be like if Christ hadn’t come into it. What would have happened if the wise men and shepherds had arrived to see an empty manger? Even though we find it hard sometimes to comprehend how, by the Holy Spirit, a virgin could conceive a child, how wise men knew to follow a star, how angels appeared to shepherds watching their flock by night, it’s not necessary that we know all the how’s about the birth of Jesus, we only need to know why He came. He came because “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16

There is a story told of a minister who fell asleep and had a dream of a world where Christ had not come. In his dream, he walked through his home on Christmas Eve and there were no stockings hung, no Christmas tree, no angels or wreaths. He walked outside and there were no steeples or churches to be seen. In his library, there were no books about our Savior. Two days later, he stood at the coffin of a church member, opened his Bible to read familiar scripture in the New Testament, but the scriptures ended with Malachi. There was no message of comfort, no resurrection, no promise of a heavenly home. Christ had not come. He awoke with a start, and praised God as he heard the words from the hymn “O Come All Ye Faithful” drifting down from the church down the street.

If Christ had not come, we would not know God. The only promise the Bible could offer would offer would be “ashes to ashes and dust to dust.”

If Christ had not come, our sins would not be forgiven. Christ lived and died for our sins. He nailed them to the cross so that you and I could enjoy eternal life and forgiveness.

If Christ had not come, our prayers would go unanswered. We would have no advocate with the Father – no one to identify with the prayers we pray.

If Christ had not come the first time, we would have no assurance that He will come the second time and take us away to heaven with Him.

The good new is that He Did Come, and in His coming, he introduces us to God the Father, He forgives our sins, He answers our prayers, and He promises to come again and take us to heaven. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life.

The name Jesus means Jehovah saves! The manger isn’t empty, He is there. All we need to do is come boldly to the manger of our God in humble adoration and love. When we do this, we will receive His mercy, and we will find grace to help to us when we need it the most. Jesus came so that we would have life and have it abundantly. Let us come and adore Him!

O come all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant; O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem! Come and behold Him, born the king of angels.; O come let us adore Him, O Come let us adore Him, O come let us adore Him, Christ the Lord.

Yea, Lord, we greet Thee, born this happy morning; Jesus to Thee be all glory given. Word of the Father now in flesh appearing; O Come let us adore Him, O come let us adore Him, O Come let us adore Him, Christ the Lord. John Francis Wade

My prayer is that Christmas was wonderful and the New Year will be one filled with the spirit of Christ and the joy He brings.

But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times. Micah 5:2

The birth of our Lord and Savior was anything but what we would expect for the birth of a king. It came on a starry night, in a stable, surrounded by animals, shepherds, wise men, and two very inexperienced parents. The bed of the Savior was anything but comfortable as He laid his sweet head in a manger.

The word, manger, comes from a Latin word for chew or eat. It refers to a trough where donkeys and cattle come to eat. It is cold, damp and unsanitary.

The manger that held our Lord as a baby was dirty. I know Mary and Joseph did their best to clean it and somehow pad it for their baby, but the fact remains it was a feeding trough for slobbering animals. Jesus laid in a cold feeding trough and not a royal bed.

God arranged the years leading up to the birth to fulfill the scripture in Micah 5:2. He had the most powerful leader of the day order a census which would bring all the characters in His drama to the city of Bethlehem on the same night. I hear people say constantly during this pandemic, “What in the world is God doing? Why doesn’t He get involved?” If we think He’s not involved in all that goes on in this world, think again. He has and is putting the pieces together exactly as He wants them.

He organized the birth of Jesus carefully. He had the angel appear to the shepherds to declare, “For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior who is Christ the Lord.” Luke 2:11 Then He clarified the announcement by adding a sign so there would be no mistake. The sign was the manger: You shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger. Luke 2:12 If the shepherds and wise men found a baby in a manger, He was the king.

In the announcement, God uses three words to describe Jesus: Savior, Christ, and Lord. The words Savior implies that He will deliver us from our enemies. The word Christ implies He is the Messiah. The word Lord implies authority and power.

For God to use a manger to introduce His son to the world has a symbolism of its own for me. Animals could always approach the manger anytime day or night and there would be food there. The farmer was careful to always have the manger filled for them. The infant Jesus came to be sure His people are always fed. No one needs to be afraid to come to His manger for there will always be food for our souls there, He is the bread of life.

Throughout his life, Jesus used the manger of His humble beginnings to feed those who followed Him with healing, teaching, miracles, and finally the gift of eternal life.

As we approach the manger this Christmas, let’s not forget the humble beginnings of our Lord and Savior who came as a babe, yet lived to be King of Kings.

Merry Christmas!

Away in a Manger no crib for His bed; The little Lord Jesus lay down His sweet head. The stars in the sky look down where He lay. The little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay. Martin Luther

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. Silent Night, Holy Night, Son of God, Love’s pure light; Radiant beams from heaven afar; Heavenly hosts, sing Alleluia; Christ the Savior is born; Christ the Savior is born. Franz Xaver Gruber

My soul glories the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God, my Savior for He has been mindful of the humble state of His servant. Luke 1:46-48

The Christmas story has been played out on live stages, outside stables, and churches everywhere for as long as we can remember. The characters are always the same; Mary, Joseph, the Innkeeper, the Wise Men, the Shepherds, the Angels, the stable animals, and of course, the baby Jesus.

When Randy and I served our very small churches, it became necessary for us to be in charge of the production on some years. Almost every young girl wanted to be Mary, and it wasn’t an easy job to choose Mary from a group of young girls vying for the starring role. I wonder if those girls would have been as courageous as Mary, and I wonder if she, herself, would have ever chosen that role if Jesus had not chosen her?

Scholars believe that the virgin Mary was only 14-15 years old when the angel Gabriel appeared to her and gave her the news that she was to bear a child that was the Son of God. This announcement turned her life upside down. She had planned to marry Joseph, then have a child, but God called her to a different plan. She was called upon to bear shame, reproach and humiliation for the Glory of God. Hers is the greatest honor ever afforded to a woman, yet it came at the cost of tremendous social disgrace.

History tells us that every Jewish girl of that time hoped God would use them as a vessel through which He would send His Messiah into the world. Despite the shame, Mary was willing to submit her life to the will of God and, in so doing, she became the Mother of Jesus.

In speaking of how Mary must have felt when her holy child was born, Max Lucado says “Mary didn’t know whether to give the baby Jesus milk or give Him praise, so she gave him both. She had to assume He was both hungry and holy.”

Mary exemplifies the characteristics that all Christians should show. She was faithful, obedient, and surrendered her will to that of the Father. Even at her young age, she realized that God was doing something wonderful through her life. After all, she was the vessel through which God entered His son into the world and into the history of the world.

As Christians, each of us have to acknowledge that God has done “great things” in and to us. Think of the changes He has made in our lives, and the blessings and benefits we enjoy as children of God! Think of the glory that awaits each of us as God’s child. We have been blessed abundantly. Like Mary, our soul glories the Lord.

In the cast of characters, which part would we choose to play today if we could go back to that time and place? Which part would we play in the Christmas story? Are we just content to admire Mary, or would it behoove us all to be more like her? Our role should not be that of the people who judged her, but rather of the ones who praised her for her role! I wonder if she ever knew the impact she has had on the Christian world!

Mary did you know that your Baby Boy would someday walk on water? Mary did you know that your Baby Boy would save our sons and daughters? Did you know that Baby Boy has come to make you new? The child that you delivered will one day deliver you. Mary did you know that your Baby Boy will give sight to a blind man? Mary did you know that your baby boy will calm the storm with His hand? Did you know that your baby boy has walked where angels trod? When you kiss your little baby, you kiss the face of God.

Mary Did You Know by Mark Lowry and Buddy Green

So Jesus said to him, “unless you see signs and wonders, you will not believe“. John 4:48

I read lately that every miracle must have a witness in order to be a miracle. Someone has to be there to record it and to report the results.

A miracle is startling, but it is simple. It is simple because it is a miracle. It is power coming directly from God instead of indirectly through nature or human wills says G. K. Chesterton Miracles appear in the scripture when God is speaking to his people through accredited messengers, and because of that, miracles in the Bible always have a purpose. Jesus’ sole purpose in miracles was to teach spiritual truth, demonstrate his own character and show His father’s power. Miracles had one purpose – to confirm faith. Jesus himself is the one convincing and permanent miracle. If Christ had not been raised from the dead, out faith is useless.

The miracles of Jesus serve as a glimpse and foretaste of what God will accomplish on a grand and glorious scale when Jesus comes to establish the New heaven and the New Earth. The miracles of Jesus offer a foretaste of that day-a glimpse of heaven on earth. Miracles show the compassion Jesus had for people. He used miracles to teach us to have faith.

The birth of Jesus is a miracle in itself! A virgin girl from a humble background chosen to be the mother of our Savior!! God sent a miracle in the form of a tiny baby who would save the sins of the world. God came down in human form to show the world His love and His willingness to show that love by living and teaching among us. He used wise men, shepherds and angels as witnesses of the miracle of the holy birth.

If miracles need witnesses, then what a great opportunity for us. This world needs a cloud of witnesses to proclaim that Jesus Christ is Lord. We can witness that a babe was born of a virgin in Bethlehem. We can be a witness that that Babe gave His life for you and for me. We can witness that He took away your sins and mine by His death. He gives a grace that not only forgives our sins, but offers relief from pain and grief. The church can be the kind of witness that reaches out to a world that is hurting.

Disciples were witnesses of the miracles of Jesus during His ministry as were others. They gave witness to the power of the resurrection. We, as Christians, have to be of one mind, one heart and one soul as we witness to the world of the coming of the light of the world born as a babe in a manger.

We need miracles in our lives today, and this Christmas I’m praying that we will see them. God wants us to have miracles of kindness, miracles of healing, miracles of forgiveness, miracles of answered prayer, miracles of joy, miracles of peace, and miracles of love.

As we celebrate Christmas this year, let’s take the time to witness the miracles all around us every day!

Merry Christmas!

Miracles do happen, they happen every day. We don’t recognize them for our minds get in the way. We think we know what’s going on when something strange occurs, but when we try to figure it out, the vision often blurs. There is no explanation when God comes by our way and does things that are not possible on any ordinary day. We often say quite honestly, we want a gift from God, but when He gives us one we end up feeling odd. We see it or we feel it but we still don’t quite believe that this is indeed a miracle our minds just can’t conceive. But God’s so good, He loves us so and has such mighty power, He cares for us and fills our needs, no matter the day or hour. Elizabeth Thornton Watkins