Seek Good, Not Evil

Seek good, not evil, that you may live. Then the Lord God Almighty will be with you, just as you say he is. Hate evil, love good; maintain justice in the courts. Perhaps the Lord God Almighty will have mercy on the remnant of Joseph. — Amos 5:14-15

God is with us.

And He calls us to seek good, not evil.

Even stronger, to hate evil and love good.

Maintain justice.

And perhaps God will have mercy on us as He had on the remnant of Joseph.

Kirk has been suffering from a cough for the past nine days, poor guy.

Abby and I are now healthy.

We pray for his recovery and for sleep. 

She Will Give Birth to a Son

But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” — Matthew. 1:20-21 

An angel appeared to Joseph in a dream.

Telling him to take Mary as his wife.

And promising that she would give birth to son, born of the Holy Spirit.

The baby's name would be Jesus.

Because He will save His poeple from their sins.

And we are grateful.

We owe Him our lives.

Joseph and Mary Returned to Galilee

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 

Merry Christmas!

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!

The Baby Lying in a Manger

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

Our Savior, Jesus, was born in a lowly manger — a feeding trough for cattle.

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.

The Virgin's Name Was Mary

God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. — Luke 1:26

God sent Gabriel to Nazareth.

To the virgin Mary.

She was pledged to be married to Joseph.

Joseph was a descendant of David.

And so was His Son, Jesus.

Here's a photo of our choir concert from yesterday.

Beautiful.

The Child Grew

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

Joseph and Mary did everything required by the law of God.

Then they returned home.

Jesus grew and became strong.

That's what we hope for our children, too.

That they will grow in the Lord and be filled with wisdom.

May the grace of God be on them in this new year.

The Baby Was Lying in the Manger

So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. — Luke 2:6

The shepherds hurried off after hearing the host of angels praising God.

They found Mary and Joseph.

And they saw the Baby Jesus lying in a manger.

Because there was no room for the family in the inn.

Today we praise God, too.

And we thank Him for sending Jesus His Son to earth to save us.

 

Bethlehem, the Town of David

So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. — Luke 2:4-5

Joseph trusted God enough to take Mary as his wife, even though she was expecting a child.

He obeyed when God told him to take the child and flee to Egypt.

When God spoke to him, he listened and obeyed.

When the angel Gabriel appeared to him, he listened and obeyed.

Help me, Lord, to listen and obey just as Joseph did.

Thank You for sending the best gift of all - your son, our Savior Jesus.

God Appeared to Joseph

An angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. — Matthew 1:20

And angel appeared to Joseph.

What a strange dream.

The first thing the angel says is that Joseph should not be afraid.

Then Joseph is told to take Mary as his wife, even though she is already expecting.

What a leap of faith!

Yet he obeys God without question.

Dear Lord, help me to obey without question, too.

Mary the Mother of Jesus

And Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, and Mary was the mother of Jesus who is called the Messiah. — Matthew 1:16

This week marks the first week in Advent.

We anticipate the coming Jesus during this time.

Advent means coming.

Jesus was born to Mary and joseph, two ordinary young people.

He is called the Messiah, the Savior of His people.

His lineage shows that people of all nations and people groups are represented in his ancestry.

And he came to save all people. 

Including me! Amazing.