Then Jesus paid the price to redeem us from our sin.
And now we have seen a great light — the light of God's Son.
We were living in the land of deep darkness.
But His light has now dawned on us.
And we shine in His glory.
When Joseph and Mary had done everything required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee to their own town of Nazareth. And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was on him. — Luke 2:39-40
When Joseph and Mary took Jesus to the temple to dedicate him, both Simeon and Anna blessed them.
They did everything required by God's Law.
And when they had offered thanks to God, they went home, back to Nazareth in Galilee.
Little Jesus grew and became strong.
He was filled with wisdom.
The grace of God was on Him.
And Jesus our Savior extends that grace to us.
Merry Christmas!
Coming up to them at that very moment, she [Anna] gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem. — Luke 2:38
She came up to the couple with their newborn and gave thanks to God.
Then she told everyone who would listen about the Messiah.
She knew that Jesus would bring redemption to Jerusalem.
And to us, too.
The salvation of the world was upon Him.
There was also a prophet, Anna, the daughter of Penuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. — Luke 2:27-28
She blessed Him when He was brought to the temple.
She had been fasting and praying, worshiping God night and day.
She was a widow, 84 years old.
And she loved the Lord.
So do we!
The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about him. Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed." — Luke 2:33-35
Simeon was waiting there to see the promised Messiah.
When he saw Jesus, he blessed his family.
And he prophesied about Jesus that He will cause the falling and rising of many.
And Christ will be a sign that the world will speak against.
He will reveal the hearts of people everywhere.
We welcome Jesus into the world!
Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. — Isaiah 7:14
And the Lord always keeps His promises.
God told us He would give us a sign of that special birth.
A virgin will conceive and have a Son.
He will be called Immanuel, Prince of Peace.
His kingdom will have no end.
We will welcome His birth with a service of lessons and carols on Christmas Eve this year.
Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come to his people and redeemed them. He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David (as he said through his holy prophets of long ago), — Luke 1:68-70
He has come to us in the form of His Son, Jesus.
Redeeming us through the blood of Christ's sacrifice.
God has raised up a horn of salvation for us.
He promised this long ago through the prophets.
Out of the house of David, Jesus has come. Our Messiah!
We sing His praises.
Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” — Galatians 4:6
And He sent the Holy Spirit into our hearts.
God is Abby, our Father.
Today is the birthday of Kirk's dad, Gary.
He and Rita adopted me into their family when I started dating Kirk.
We miss him and think of him and his mom Lucille especially this time of year.
They had December birthdays, and we would often celebrate together.
Happy Birthday, Dad!
We love and miss you.
But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship. — Galatians 4:4-5
And we celebrate the coming of our Savior.
Born of a woman, born of the Holy Spirit.
To purchase our salvation.
He adopted us into His family.
So when we believe in Him, He can draw us into His grace.
And forgive us from all the ways we continue to miss the mark.
Hallelujah!
The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told. — Luke 2:20
They began praising and glorifying God.
The things they had heard were just as they had been told.
And they were anxious to share the good news.
Just as we are called to share the gospel with others.
But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. — Luke 2:19
She pondered everything He had told her in her heart.
God wants us to treasure up His Word and keep it in our hearts.
He wants us to memorize and learn His Word and hold it fast in our thoughts and minds.
And learn from it and act on it.
To put it into action in our lives.
So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. — Luke 2:16-18
But the shepherds were so excited to see Him that they ran off to tell their friends.
Everyone who heard about it was amazed.
Dear Lord, help me to keep that amazement at the birth of your Son.
Instill in me the wonder of His birth.
And the awe of His sacrifice.
Thank you.
When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” — Luke 2:15
How have I been doing in that regard?
Have I been sharing the good news of Jesus?
The angels told the shepherds.
The shepherds went to Bethlehem to see for themselves.
And they saw that God had kept His promise to send His Son to us.
The shepherds hurried off to tell their friends and neighbors.
Lord, help me to do the same.
But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship. — Galatians 4:4-5
He was born of Mary.
And born under the la
Born to redeem those under the law.
Jesus was born that we might receive adoption into His family.
He is the light in our darkness.
Sent by God to redeem us from our sins.
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. — John 1:14
Jesus was born as a baby in Bethlehem and lived among us on earth.
He came from God the Father.
We have seen His glory.
Jesus is full of grace.
And He is truth.
Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” — Luke 2:13-14
Praising God and saying, Glory to God in the highest.
Here's Abby and friends as bad angels before taking part in our Church Christmas live nativity.
I think this may have been the year they had Abby up in the balcony, looking down over Mary, Joseph and baby.
You can tell they really got into the part.
God's angels are messengers, sent to tell us news from Him.
This was the best news of all - Jesus was born.
Glory to God.
And on earth peace to those on whom God's favor rests.
"This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” — Luke 2:12
They said there would be a clear sign of the Christ child.
The shepherds were told to look for a baby wrapped in cloths.
That baby would be lying in a manger.
The feed trough for oxen.
From this humble birth our Savior came.
We anticipate His come with expectation and joy!
Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. — Luke 2:11
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| Latch-Hook tree skirt by Kirk & Carol 1985 |
Advent means coming.
And Jesus is our Lord and Savior.
Who was born in Bethlehem, the town of David.
He is our Messiah and Lord.
We worship him with our songs of joy.
But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people." — Luke 2:10
But the angel Gabriel brought her good news.
He announced the coming of Jesus!
News that would cause great joy for all people.
Not the worldly temporal joy that we often celebrate this time of year.
But the deep-seated, everlasting joy of God coming to earth as a man.
And saving us from our sins.
How great our joy!
And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. — Luke 2:8-9
At night an angel of Lord appeared to them.
The glory of the Lord shone around them.
And they were afraid - terrified!
But the angel had come to tell them the good news of Jesus' birth.
And when they heard it, they got so excited that they ran off to tell others.
This is great news of tremendous joy!
We should be sharing it with our friends and neighbors, too.
While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them. — Luke 2:6-7
Remembering His birth and humble beginnings as a baby.
And how Mary rejoiced in God when she heard the news that a Savior would be born to her.
We sing Christmas carols to remind us of Jesus' birth.
And to prepare us for His coming as our Prince of Peace.
Advent means "coming."
Jesus is our Savior and Lord.
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| Randolph-Macon Woman's College |
Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. — Colossians 3:15
His peace overflows and overwhelms me when I start to worry.
Making the troubles of life bearable because God is in control rather than me.
As a member of the body of Christ, I am called to peace.
My heart is comforted with Christ's love.
Even when life happens and things don't go my way.
And I am thankful.
I always thank my God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus. For in him you have been enriched in every way—with all kinds of speech and with all knowledge. — 1 Corinthians 1:4-5
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength. — Deuteronomy 6:5
The first is to love the Lord our God with our entire being.
To love the Lord with everything we have.
With our heart, soul, and with all our strength.
So every fiber of our being sings His praise and glory.
Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. — John 17:17
Pilate asked Jesus in reply, "What is truth?"
Jesus had already answered that question.
He is the Word.
And that Word is truth.
Help me to follow Your Word, Lord.
You are the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
Thank You for the sacrifice You made for me.
Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path. — Psalm 119:105
Shining His radiance on my way so my feet can see where to go.
Scripture lights my path so I don't have to stumble in the darkness.
When I'm not sure which direction to head, God's Word helps illumine the right way.
Guiding me in the direction He would have me go.
Shining the light and love of Jesus into my life.
Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law. — Psalm 119:18
When I read His Word, the Bible, He also opens my eyes to His statues.
The Holy Spirit helps me understand the words.
And shows me the wonderful things in His law.
Then He guides me to obey God's will each day.
Often I miss the mark.
Those times, He guides me back to get me on the right path.
Without Him, I am lost.
With Him, I am secure and grateful.
I am loved.
