December 25 | Luke 2:15-21

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DAILY READING

Luke 2:15-21

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REFLECTION

Do Your Part

by Pr. Dave Mann

There are many aspects of a memorable Christmas holiday. The best ones are when everyone takes part in the preparations and on the day itself. If only one person or a few people do the work, it can become burdensome, and the joy of the occasion is diminished — shopping for gifts, wrapping presents, decorating, cooking, baking, worship events, music, carols, prayer, worship, games, perhaps travel, etc. When all do their part, there is joy and celebration.

Even at the first Christmas, there were multiple players, all performing their piece of the celebration of God’s miracle of the incarnation.

Mary played a key part, of course. She believed the message of the angel Gabriel (Luke 1:38) and offered herself as a willing servant. For nine months she bore the holy child, which had been conceived by the Holy Spirit, and then she gave birth. In our text today, Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. I truly wonder what these “ponderings” were like for her during that “silent night” and throughout her life.

The shepherds hurried off from their flocks that they were watching on the Judean hills to find Mary, Joseph, and the baby in Bethlehem. After seeing the child, they spread the word and returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, just as they had been told.

And let’s not forget Joseph, who at first sought to quietly divorce Mary (unwed and pregnant), then he believed the Lord’s plan, thanks to a dream (Matthew 1:18-25). He organized the journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem, and there secured the only lodging available (Luke 2:1-5). On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise the child, Joseph saw to it that the baby was appropriately named—Jesus — according to Gabriel’s instruction to Mary (Luke 1:31), and an angel’s command to Joseph via a dream. (Matthew 1:21) He listened to the Lord again in another dream and quickly scurried the holy family off to Egypt to save Mary’s and Jesus’ lives (Matthew 2:13-15).

Each of these people was important in the story of the first Christmas. Each showed his/her devotion to the Lord in different ways. It appears that no two players tried to imitate another’s visible devotion. Each had his/her devoted way of serving the Lord. What is your way of showing devotion to Jesus?

PRAYER

Lord God Almighty, you orchestrated the various parts of the first Christmas. You conferred to them various abilities and developed skills, and they employed them so that the incarnation would happen as planned, and Jesus—the God-Man—would enter this world on mission to redeem all who would believe. Please show me what part I should play to worship you, the newborn King, in Jesus’ name, Amen.

December 24| Luke 2:1-14

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Daily Reading

Luke 2:1-14

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REFLECTION

ANGELS

by Elaine Pierce

How many times have you read these verses? I'm guessing your children or grandchildren - or maybe you - have 'performed' these verses in days past as part of a Sunday School pageant. Many of us have cherished nativity scenes we display every year in our homes, right alongside our Christmas trees, poinsettias, and our jingle bells. Yes, we deck the halls. We sing Christmas carols and we enjoy time with family and friends. We bake, we buy, we wrap, we rush. And then we take it all down and store it for next year.

Why do you suppose God chose the shepherds to hear the news of the savior's birth? Yes, they are part of our nativity displays, but they certainly aren't prominent. And let's face it: shepherds weren't the elite of society, then or now. They were on the bottom rung of the social ladder, down there with tax collectors. They had little schooling; they were coarse, unlearned men, and they were shunned by the 'good' Jews, the scribes and pharisees. Ah...Isn't that exactly who Jesus came to save? All of our intellectual pride, our social standing, our self-importance often stands in the way of following Jesus. We pat ourselves on the back and offer our works to Jesus as a way to earn our way in. The shepherds? They had very little to offer, and yet there they are, worshipping the King at the manger.

In John 10:11 Jesus says "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep." The shepherds were at work when the angel brought them the good news of Jesus' birth. It was an ordinary day for them. They had not 'earned' this heavenly visit, and yet God chose to reveal his Son to them. As we sing carols and gather with family and friends, let's not lose sight of how the Lord works in the ordinary, in the mundane, in the everyday-ness of our lives. Thanks be to God that he is always ready to meet us and bless us. Enjoy every moment of celebrating his birth, knowing that the gift of eternal life is yours, without strings attached, and thank him for this day, and the days to come.

The shepherds told everyone the good news. May we join them in sharing God's love in this Christmas season and in our routine, daily lives. Glory to God in the highest!

PRAYER

Lord, you often use the lowly, the overlooked, and the outcast to bring good news. Help us in this most holy season to notice those in need, those who mourn, those who suffer, and to share your love and hope. Thank you for your gifts, so freely given, and help us follow our Shepherd in the good times, and the hard times. Amen.

DECEMBER 23| 1 PETER 1:3-12

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DAILY READING

1 Peter 1:3-12

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REFLECTION

Jumping for Joy

by Mary Alice McGinnis

Have you ever spontaneously jumped for joy? A memory comes to mind when one of my family members did just that.

They were enjoying some precious moments - times that memories are made of, pleasant, long-awaited memories. But then the mood quickly shifted. Circumstances arose that threatened that precious time. It looked as though all of it would be stolen away and end abruptly.

There came a knock at the door. There was an uninvited guest on the other side of the doorway, and that person had a serious, emotionless look on his face. The uninvited guest came inside and words were exchanged. The bad news turned into wonderful news. The tide was turned, the threat extinguished, and that precious time together reestablished!

My family member could not help it. Spontaneously, they hopped up and down, skipped across the room, and jubilantly jumped for JOY!

What circumstances are threatening you right now? Is there news that is bringing you down? Are you experiencing the pain of dashed hopes that are leaving you feeling lifeless? Have the treasures you have set your heart on deteriorated, rotted, or vanished? Is there something happening that threatens to undo you?

There is good news waiting for you! You have the mercy of God! His mercy is His undeserved kindness and compassion. Though we are helpless, miserable creatures, God was so moved with compassion toward us that He took unthinkable action. He put all His compassion into bodily form—coming to us in the flesh of Jesus. He sent Jesus to rescue us. This deliverance was borne out of God’s divine, unmerited favor. His grace. He is our living hope!

Mary also heard disturbing news when an uninvited guest, the Angel, came to her.  

“But the angel said to her, 'Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God.'”  

Luke 1:30

Mary responds with spontaneous JOY! 

“. . .my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.”

Luke 1:47

Our inexpressible, glorious joy is centered on a person, not on our circumstances. 

The prophets searched for this very person, this salvation that brings inexpressible, glorious joy! Through generations, they predicted it, and it all pointed to this glorious moment in time, when Jesus came as an infant. They predicted that Jesus would suffer for our sake. They still point to the fulfillment of all time, when God the Father will pour out His astonishing, unearned grace upon us once again when He sends Jesus, our risen King, to bring us safely home.

We have been given a new birth, into an inheritance that cannot be taken away. It cannot be destroyed. It will never die or decay. It will never rot and will never fade. Our precious time with our unimaginably glorious Heavenly Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, will last forever.  

“Even Angels long to look into these things.” 1 Peter 1:12b 

PRAYER

Lift your heart in inexpressible, jubilant praise to God our Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ.

Go ahead, give yourself permission to spontaneously, JUMP FOR JOY! 

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade."

Perhaps use the words of this song: Hallelujah Here Below by Elevation Worship.