In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is [...]
The Birth of Jesus Christ In those days, a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. Luke 2:1 ESV The Savior Born a Stable? Seriously, you can’t make this stuff up. A stable? A manger? A feeding trough? Animals? Put me in charge, and it would have been [...]
"Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word." Luke 1:38 Can you sense the excitement? It was a small town with a population of around 400 people, and everyone knew everyone. Nothing went unnoticed, and there was a buzz of excitement with the new engagement. Plans [...]
Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” 29 But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. 30 And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb [...]
As I sit here thinking about all the preparations made for one day each year, I’m overwhelmed at how we spend so much time coordinating with family members to meet for good times together and the annual gift exchange. Families from different areas drive through horrible traffic and finally arrive at the designated home. [...]
What if you were in Bethlehem the night Jesus was born? Here’s what I know. You probably would be unaware of anything going on in the city. It was a normal night for you and your family. In fact, if you were able to get a room you would have considered yourself very lucky. It [...]
In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2 This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 And all went to be registered, each to his own town. 4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the [...]
We focused earlier in the month on the idea of worship being a response to God’s grace in our lives. I really wanted to put it together for you as we look at the complete picture of worship with some of the key people in the Christmas story. We’ll look at Elizabeth, Mary, the angels, [...]
12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” [...]
Have you ever felt really insignificant? You know, like you didn’t matter. Maybe you have a job where you feel like you don’t make a difference. Maybe you struggle with your chosen profession or even your self-esteem. I think we all struggle with self-esteem. Either we think too lowly of ourselves or we think too [...]