Dec. 16, 2008

The Person of Christmas


Read the Bible through:
AM – Obadiah : PM – Revelation 7

The Savior, Christ the Lord
Luke 2:8-12

10 “Then the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. 11 For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.’"

It was a normal work night out in the hills. Sheep were bedded down for the night. Occasionally, a shepherd might throw a few twigs on the little fire where he sat watching. Another might move down the hill to investigate an unfamiliar sound.

Then something wonderful happened! An angel made an important announcement to these working men, these shepherds. “So what?” you say.

Shepherds were low on the socioeconomic scale. But God selected these lesser sons of Abraham to hear the news first: The Christ is born! In one action, they were elevated to a new position of worthiness. The Messiah, the Shepherd King, had come; it is perfectly understandable that shepherds would have been the first to know.

Thank You, Lord, for being the Savior of the world.

Dec. 15, 2008

The Person of Christmas

Read the Bible through:
AM – Amos 8-9 : PM – Revelation 6

Born in Humble Circumstances
Luke 2:6-7

7 “And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn."

Have you considered what it meant, physically, for Jesus to be born to earthly parents in humble circumstances? Jesus gave up heavenly prerogatives to become a human, helpless baby dependent on parental protection and care. He was confined to one space and one time. He lived the first days of His earthly life in a rough animal shelter and had no servants to tend to His needs.

Do you think Jesus was ever frustrated by the confinement of His human body or by the constraints of time and space He had to endure? Did His eyes long for a glimpse of “home”? However humble His circumstances, Jesus willingly entered them so we might enjoy the heavenly delights of eternity with Him.

Thank You, Lord, for giving up so much that I might have everything.

Dec. 14, 2008

The Person of Christmas

Read the Bible through:
AM – Amos 5-7 : PM – Revelation 5

Born in Bethlehem
Luke 2:1-5

4 “Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David."

Sociologist talk about the mobile society of the 21st century. It is the unusual few who live in the same town where their ancestors lived. I grew up in Tulsa, my wife in Colorado. We have lived 19 years in Southern Nevada. Our three children live in Africa, Florida, and Northern Nevada. Our daughters married men from Germany and Missouri.

Is this a 21st century phenomenon? Not at all. Mary and Joseph lived in Nazareth, a small town 80 to 90 miles north of Jerusalem. However, Joseph’s ancestors were from Bethlehem. Whatever the reasons for Joseph’s ancestors to migrate north years earlier, a trip south became essential.

At the right time, the decree went out for a census and Joseph and Mary headed south. Was this historical coincidence? No. Jesus was to be born in Bethlehem.

Lord, I am in awe of Your perfect timing.

Dec. 13, 2008

The Person of Christmas

Read the Bible through:
AM – Amos 3-4 : PM – Revelation 4

Revealed to Joseph
Matthew 1:18-21

21 “And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins."

Recently a young couple told me that they were searching for appropriate names for their children. They had too many relatives to play the namesake game. They decided to choose names that identified characteristics they wanted to encourage.

Many parents have probably experienced the same sorting and culling exercise until just the right combination of names seemed perfect for their sons and daughters. Whether traditional family names or something entirely new, those were the names their children got on their birth certificates.

Joseph might have considered several family names in his lineage. He had a distinguished ancestry. Instead, he skipped that exercise before Mary gave birth. The name revealed to him was given to the baby from the beginning: Jesus. His name was a revelation of His very reason for being: to save people from their sins. Jesus – a name to remember.

Thank You, God for Jesus, the name above all others.

Dec. 12, 2008

The Hope of Christmas

Read the Bible through:
AM – Amos 1-2 : PM – Revelation 3

Patience Affirmed
Romans 8:24-25

25 “But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance."

I read recently an interesting article in my morning newspaper. It raised the issue of whether or not we can be aware of things we cannot see. The writer referred to the mystery, but certainty, of the dark space between the stars.

What an appropriate description of “hope.” Like that dark space between the stars, you can’t see it, touch it, weigh it, or even describe it accurately. Yet no other aspect of human experience is more real, or more vital, than hope.

We meet hope at virtually every turn in life. Expectant parents, investors, hospital patients, sports fans, students, teachers, young men clutching engagement rings and campaigning politicians are all fortified by hope.

But the Christian’s hope is planted firmly in the soil of faith; for faith is “the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Lord, give me glimpses of realities that lie beyond my vision.

Dec. 11, 2008

The Hope of Christmas

Read the Bible through:
AM – Joel 1-3 : PM – Revelation 2

The Glory of God
Romans 5:1-2

2 “Through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God"

“But ‘glory’ doesn’t mean ‘a nice knockdown argument,’” Alice told Humpty Dumpty in a scene from Lewis Carroll’s children’s classic Through the Looking Glass.

“When I use a word,” Humpty Dumpty replied scornfully, “it means just what I choose it to mean.”

What does it mean, this word “glory”? We use it in sermon and song, sometimes even in exclamations. (Glory, be!”) The Old Testament word kabod, refers to “heaviness.” Contemporary slang reflects the meaning. Confronted by overwhelming circumstances, teenagers are likely to exclaim, “Man, that’s heavy!”

Figuratively speaking, that’s what Paul meant by “the glory of God” – God’s heaviness, the weight of glory (2 Cor. 4:17), a divine grandeur so awesome we can’t begin to comprehend it. But we shall someday. The very thing forfeited through sin (Rom. 3:23) has become our hope through the grace of our Lord Jesus.

Lord, increase my yearning to taste Your glory.

Dec. 10, 2008

The Hope of Christmas

Read the Bible through:
AM – Hosea 13-14 : PM – Revelation 1

Joy in Believing
Romans 15:13

13 “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."

As a friend waited to board a flight in a Berlin airport, the boarding call came over the intercom. The agent ended the announcement by saying, in a commanding tone of voice, “You will enjoy your flight.” “I boarded the plane resolved to enjoy the flight,” my friend said, with a smile, “since I apparently had no choice in the matter.”

At this time of year we see throngs of people who are determined to enjoy Christmas because everyone knows that is the thing to do. They throw themselves into a frenzy of shopping, decorating, partying, eating, and drinking in a determined effort to capture the elusive joy that the season is supposed to bring forth.

But Paul’s guaranteed formula for experiencing Christmas joy seems so little known. There is “joy and peace in believing.” This is the gift of God through faith in Christ.

I pray for the gift of deep-down joy, dear Lord, and use me to share it with others.