December 22, 2024
Reading: Luke 1:26-56; Luke 2:1-39
Focus: Luke 2:10-12 – But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
Father God, we are thankful that Christmas is a part of our lives. Help us to never for get that Jesus is the reason we celebrate. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Well, here it is again. Christmas!! I love this time of year. Not only because it’s winter but because we celebrate the birth of the reason for our faith. Jesus. I’ve said it before and I’ll probably say it again, we need to keep Christmas in our hearts all year long. Celebrate Jesus. Celebrate His life and His death on Calvary. Celebrate His resurrection and the renewal of our relationship with God. Christmas is just the beginning of it all. Now, the Christmas story.
Mary sat in the curtained off portion of the second floor of her home, mending clothes by lamplight. As she worked she hummed psalms of praise to God. Humming helped her focus on her work and on her faith in the God of Israel. Below, she could hear Jeremiah, her brother, bringing the sheep and goats into the stable below for the night. The sounds of their shuffling hooves and soft muffled bleatings were comforting.
The sounds faded as the house settled in for the night. Mary kept working to finish mending her mother’s shawl before she went to see her cousin, Elizabeth. The lamp began to flicker as if running out of oil. She picked up the oil jar to refill the lamp when her little room was flooded with light. A man in shining robes stood in front of her. Her heart raced with fear. Who was this shining man and why was he in her room?
Before she could call out, the man said, “Hello, you are very special. God is with you.”
His words stopped her tongue and reeled through her mind. What did he mean?
Then he spoke again. “Please, don’t be afraid. Mary, you are favored by God. You are going to conceive and give birth to a son. You will give him the name Jesus. He will be a great man, the Son of the Lord Most High. God will give him the throne of his father, David. He will be king over Jacob’s children forever. His kingdom will never end.”
Pregnant? What will I tell Joseph? Mary said, “How? I am still a virgin?”
“The Holy Spirit will surround you and God’s own power will overshadow over you. This is how the Son of God will be conceived and born,” said the man.
Mary realized the man was an angel sent by the Lord God. Isaiah’s prophecy was true. She was THE virgin in the prophecy. The angel said she would conceive and have a baby boy. Her heart leapt. Then suddenly she felt very humbled. That God would choose her to fulfil prophecy. She was nobody. Just a girl from the town of Nazareth.
But she bowed her head, “I am the Lord’s servant,” she said. “Let it happen just like you said.” The angel left her with her thoughts.
Mary sat there, wondering if it had been a dream. As she contemplated all that the angel had said, her body filled with warmth, and she felt a spark deep within. She knew at that moment, that God’s will had been accomplished. She was now the mother of the child of promise. For now, she would keep this secret to herself. She would leave tomorrow to go visit Elizabeth, as planned. Elizabeth would know what to do about telling her parents and her betrothed, Joseph.
Mary joined the caravan headed for Jerusalem. She would leave the caravan at the village where Elizabeth and her husband, Zechariah lived. She planned to stay several months until the caravan started back north toward Nazareth. When she left the caravan, she ran to Elizabeth’s house and called out her name. Elizabeth was in the house kneading bread when she heard Mary’s voice. The baby in Elizabeth’s womb leapt at the sound. She ran to the door to greet Mary.
“Oh, Mary, how blessed you are. How blessed is your baby. I don’t know why I am so blessed to have you, the mother of my Lord, here with me. As soon as I heard your voice, my baby jumped for joy in my womb! You are so blessed by believing that God would fulfill His promises to you.”
Mary replied, “I am so thankful to the Lord. My soul praises Him. I am humbled that He looked upon me and found me worthy to bear the Promised One. Many people will call me blessed because He has done great things for me. Baruch Ha Shem Adonai. Blessed be the name of the Lord. He is merciful to all generations, He is mighty in deed, He has defeated the proud rulers and lifted up the humble. He feeds the hungry but takes away the wealth from the rich. He has remembered Israel with mercy from Abraham to all his descendants, just as He promised.”
Mary and Elizabeth spent three months together, praising God and preparing for the birth of Elizabeth’s baby. When the caravan passed through on its way north, Mary joined them and travelled back to Nazareth. Soon, she would have to share her secret with Joseph and her family. She prayed all the way home for God’s guidance. Unknown to her, God was already at work.
Joseph was a Godly man. He went to synagogue regularly. He fasted and prayed as prescribed by the law. He followed the law to the letter. He loved Mary and was looking forward to being her husband. She was precious to him. So, it was a devastating blow for him to learn that she was pregnant. Her father had come to him with the news. Joseph had gone to Mary, trying to understand what she had done. Mary told him of the night that the angel had come to her with the news that she was the one who would be the mother of the Messiah. To Joseph, her story seemed fabricated to hide her infidelity. He stormed off, with a heart full of pain and disbelief.
That night, he lay awake trying to digest this tragic event. Even knowing that Mary had been unfaithful, he did not want to increase the humiliation that she was already experiencing. He knew what the law said but did not want to expose her to public disgrace. It was then he decided to quietly divorce her. That way, she could go away and have the baby with no one the wiser. He rolled over and went to sleep.
As he slept, an angel appeared to him.
“Joseph, son of David,” the angel said. “Don’t be hesitant to take Mary as your wife. What she told you is the truth. The baby was conceived by the Holy Spirit. It will be a boy, and you will give him the name Jesus. He will save his people from their sins. This is the fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah. ‘A virgin will conceive a son, and he will be called Immanuel, God with us.”
Jospeh woke up. At first light, he ran to Mary’s house. “I believe,” he told her. Together they packed her belongings and went home. His beloved Mary was now his wife! Joseph was careful with her, and they did not truly become husband and wife until after the baby was born.
During this time, Ceasar Augustus decided to see just how many people he ruled. Everyone was to go to their family seat to be registered and pay a tax. Joseph, being of the family of David, had to travel to Bethlehem. At first he did not want to stress Mary with the trip and told her that she should stay in Nazareth. Mary did not want to be left behind. Alone and pregnant. What if she went into labor and there was no one around. Joseph relented and together they made the journey south.
Once they arrived in Bethlehem, it was full of people. So many families were related to David and his brothers. Luckily Joseph had cousins living in Bethlehem. Joseph met with his cousin to see if there was room to be had for he and Mary while they were there. The cousin, Micah, only had the stable room of his house available (see illustration). But it was clean and private. So, Joseph accepted the offer, and they settled in the stable. Mary and Joseph decided to stay in Bethlehem until the baby was born. So, Joseph earned money doing carpentry work for neighbors and friends. He was a talented carpenter and in great demand. Mary sewed clothes for the baby, making preparations for the birth of her son.
Late one afternoon, the labor pains began. Mary was alone until Joseph returned from work. When he entered their temporary home, he heard her moan. He ran to her side and carried her to the bed they had prepared for the birth. Mary told him to gather the cloths and the knife they had set aside. Then Joseph ran to get hot water from his cousin’s wife, Rachel. Joseph and Rachel gently coaxed Mary through the contractions. He held her hand, wiped her face. Rachel bustled in and out, checking on Mary’s progress. The rest of his cousin’s family stayed upstairs waiting for news of the baby’s birth. Around midnight, Mary cried out, then the sound of a baby’s cry was heard. It’s a boy!
Rachel showed Joseph how to tie the umbilical cord and cut it. She took the baby, washed him, rubbed him down with salt and washed him again. Then she wrapped him tightly in cloths Mary had prepared and laid him in Mary’s arms. Tears rolled down Mary’s cheeks. She unwrapped the baby. She wanted to count his fingers and toes. She was so proud of this little baby. She replaced the swaddling clothes and held the little boy close and kissed his cheek. As she did so, she thought, ‘I am kissing the cheek of the Son of God.’ She stared, amazed, into the eyes of God. Micah asked what they were going to name the baby. “Jesus,” Mary and Joseph replied at the same time.
Jesus let out a soft murmur. He was hungry. Mary put him to her breast and began to feed him. She watched in wonder at the new life in her arms. Little did she know the impact this one life would have on the world. When Jesus fell asleep, Mary laid him in the manger, lined with sheepskin so that he would have a soft warm place to sleep and drifted off to sleep herself.
Joseph held Mary in his arms as she slept. He marveled at the way the promise of the angel had come true. Marveled at the fulfillment of the prophecies about Jesus had been accomplished. They had had no plans to come to Bethlehem until Caesar decreed the census. No plans until the order was made to return to the family seat for the census. But all those decrees, by a Gentile, fulfilled the prophecy of Micah that the Messiah was to come from Bethlehem. Joseph bowed his head and silently worshipped and gave praise to the Lord God. He felt humbled that God would allow him to parent the Son of God.
One never knows how God’s guidance of many unknown people will affect our lives and our world. We need to be willing to accept the calling that God places on our lives. Obediently and without question. I know, it is hard sometimes to let go of our plans and follow God’s. But remember, God sees how all the puzzle pieces fit. He is the master planner. He knows the plans He has for us. Plans to prosper, not harm us. Plans to give us a future. (Jeremiah 29:11)
He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. (Micah 6:8)
Father God. Thank You for Christmas. Thank You for the plans You have for us. Help us to be willing to follow Your calling. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
Food for Thought
- Do you think that Mary could have said no? Why or why not?
- Do you think that Joseph could have refused to follow the angel’s words? Why or why not?
- Do you believe that God puts His plans into motion before we know what He asks of us? Why or why not?
- Do you believe that God gives us a choice when He calls us to do something? Why or why not?
- If God called you to do the seemingly impossible would you do it? Why or why not?
