Month: December 2019

They spread the word. God sent an angel to announce the birth of Jesus, the Messiah that God’s people had been waiting on for hundreds of years. God didn’t choose to reveal this exciting news to the priests or religious leaders who were familiar with the words he had spoken through the prophets. Instead, God chose some ordinary shepherds who were out in the field keeping watch over their flocks at night.

“Do not be afraid,” the angel said to them. “I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you:  You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

The shepherds rushed off to Bethlehem to see for themselves the things the Lord had told them about through the angel. Everything was just as they had heard.

Luke recorded how this impacted not only the shepherds but those who the shepherds shared the news with, “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…. 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 2:17-18 & 20).

I love the 2^nd chapter of Luke that tells about the miraculous birth of Jesus. I can only imagine what it was like for the shepherds as the glory of God shined around them on that dark night. I can just picture them racing off to see for themselves and then finding themselves in awe that the Savior had really been born. What an honor it must have been to have received this news straight from God and to have the opportunity to visit God’s Son.

My heart is filled with joy when I read that they spread the word and that all who heard it were amazed. The shepherds didn’t keep this news to themselves; they had to share it.

I thought about those ordinary shepherds as I opened a Christmas card tonight from my friends Hary and Janee’ who are serving God in Belgium. Janee’ is just an ordinary woman who grew up in a tiny town here in the Midwest, and Hary is an ordinary guy from Syria who works part-time as a welder.

The spiritual battle rages in their Muslim community, and the government sometimes makes ministry difficult. But despite one of their partners being thrown into jail for five months this year and despite the challenges they face to simply gather to worship, they spread the word about Jesus.

They spread the word because of the things they have heard and seen. They share the Good News because they know that Jesus is the Savior and that life is found in him. They spread the word because of the impact that Jesus has made on their lives and their desire for others to know the love, joy, hope, salvation and peace that is found in him alone.

Those who experience Jesus cannot keep from sharing the ways in which he has blessed them. They spread the word just like the shepherds. Who do you know who needs to hear about the hope that comes through Jesus? Go spread the word!

“For nothing is impossible with God.” The powerful words leaped off the page.

Since Advent began on December 1 this year, and the book of Luke has 24 chapters, I decided to read a chapter of Luke each evening of Advent and go back to chapter 2 (the birth of Jesus) on Christmas day. Luke’s introduction of the book makes it clear that Luke had “carefully investigated everything from the beginning” and wanted to write an orderly account to tell the truth about Jesus. His writings would confirm the teachings of the apostles who had been with Jesus up to his death, burial, resurrection and ascension. And so it seems a good book to study and meditate on through this season that celebrates the birth of Jesus.

As I attentively read through Luke chapter 1, many things caught my attention, but the words in verse 37 burned in my heart, “For nothing is impossible with God.”

I read through the chapter again. God was doing some seemingly impossible things for sure. First of all, an angel appeared to Zechariah to let him know that his prayer had been heard, that Zechariah’s wife, Elizabeth would have a son and that they were to name him, “John.” Zechariah didn’t understand how this could be. He and his wife were both old.

Not only would Elizabeth give birth in her old age, the baby would be very important. He would be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb. He would be a joy to many as he would go before the Lord to prepare their hearts for his arrival.

Elizabeth’s pregnancy of this special baby wasn’t the only seemingly impossible thing that God was doing in chapter 1. An angel appeared again in the chapter, but this time to a young woman named Mary, a virgin who was pledged to be married.

The angel spoke to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.”

Mary didn’t understand how this could happen since she was a virgin. So, the angel explained, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God.”

For nothing is impossible with God. He can open the womb of a barren woman. He can cause a virgin to conceive a child by the power of the Holy Spirit. And greater still, He can raise a man to life and save man for eternity.

God sent his Son, Jesus to fulfill what he had spoken through the Old Testament prophets. Jesus would be the Messiah God’s people had been waiting for.

You see, God is holy and perfect; he can’t tolerate sin. He created man in his image. However, man sinned when he chose to disobey God.

The punishment for sin is death, eternal separation from God. We can’t fix that separation on our own.

Matthew, Mark and Luke all touched on this when they wrote about a rich man who later came to Jesus asking what he must do to inherit eternal life. The man claimed to have kept God’s commandments and wondered what else he needed to do. Jesus told him to go sell his belongings and then come back to follow him. The man sadly walked away because of his wealth.

The disciples questioned Jesus about this, “Who then can be saved?” they asked. Jesus replied, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.

There is nothing we can do to save ourselves. Only God can give us salvation. We are saved by the grace he extends through Jesus. God sent Jesus, the promised Messiah, to pay the price for our sin.

The baby growing inside Mary’s womb by the power of the Holy Spirit was Jesus. He was born of a virgin just as the Old Testament said. He was both God and man. While he lived here on earth, he was tempted in every way just like we are. However, he did not sin. He lived a perfect life, and the blood he shed for us when he died on the cross paid the price for all of our sin.

Jesus conquered death when God raised him from the dead, and because of his great sacrifice, his death and his resurrection, we too can live. Do you understand this? We were given the death sentence because of our sin. There was nothing we could do to make things right. Salvation was impossible for us, but salvation is possible with God, for nothing is impossible for God!

When we realize our sinfulness and cry out to Jesus to save us, he will. When we accept God’s gift of grace, God sends the Holy Spirit to live in us, to guide us and transform us. The Holy Spirit gives us the desire to do things God’s way instead of ours.

No one is out of God’s reach. He is able to transform any heart that is willing to surrender to his will. For nothing is impossible with God, and that’s the best news ever!

December can be a pretty hectic month! The calendar can get pretty full with Christmas programs, parties and family gatherings. Our to do list can get pretty long with decorating our homes, sending Christmas cards, shopping for gifts, baking cookies and cleaning our houses for guests. Our schedules can get pretty tight leaving little time for enjoying our families, resting our worn bodies or reflecting on the actual miracle of Christmas itself. We must remember the reason we celebrate.

Today is the first day of the Advent season, a time to remember when God’s people were awaiting the birth of the Messiah who would save us from our sins. Advent is also a time for us to anticipate Jesus’ second coming when He will return to take us home.

Today we light the first Advent candle which is the “Prophecy Candle” or “Candle of Hope.” This candle reminds us of both the fulfilled prophecy of Jesus’ birth and the prophecy of his second coming, for which we continue to wait and hope for. The candle’s purple color represents Christ’s royalty as the King of Kings.

My prayer for each of you is that during the hustle and bustle of the season, you will keep your focus on Jesus. I pray that you will reflect on Him, be aware of His presence, become overwhelmed by His love, grow closer to Him and experience His peace and hope. As you excitedly prepare to celebrate His birth, I pray that you will also anxiously anticipate the day that He will return again to take us home.

Don’t let yourself get too caught up in thinking you have to stick to every Christmas tradition in effort to make the day special for your family. We can easily miss the beauty of the season when we go overboard in decorating, shopping, gift wrapping, baking, cleaning and involving ourselves in every single program and party that pops up.

Keep things simple, reflect on Jesus, the Greatest Gift of all. Remember how He left the comforts of heaven to be born in a stable. Be thankful that He lived a sinless life and took the punishment for our sins by dying on the cross in our place. Focus on His love, goodness, mercy and grace. Share the Good News with others. Anxiously wait for His return.

Throughout the Advent season, may your life be full because your focus is on Jesus and all that He is, yet simple because He is all you need. We must remember that He is the reason.

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” ~Isaiah 9:6

“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him” ~John 3:16-17