by Sharon O | Dec 8, 2016 | Uncategorized
We know that the story was planned way before it actually took place and we also know God had a certain way for it to play out.
The next person we are introduced to, is Mary.
She was a key player in this ‘story’ and a wonderful example of faithful obedience.
In the New Testament book of Luke:
[26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee,
27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary.
28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”
29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be.
30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God.
31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus.
32 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,
33 and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”
34 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”
35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on 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.
36 Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month.
37 For no word from God will ever fail.”
38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.]
What we believe to be true.
Mary was a virgin and had not been with any man before.
She was chosen and set aside by God; who knew her and understood the condition of her heart.
She asked a simple question, “how can it be?” not unlike the question Zechariah asked. Only she was told the HOW and He was told to be quiet.
The angel validated her question with, the answer “even Elizabeth your aging relative is having a baby too”.
I believe that was making the miraculous more powerful for Mary because she knew Elizabeth’s age.
The preparation of hearts and obedience took place.
Mary had to have been thinking, what shall I do now?
Can you even imagine being told by an angel YOU are highly favored by God?
It would be something very life changing to grab onto and understand, a baby… YOUR baby will be born.
He will be special and He will be chosen just as YOU were chosen.
What we believe to be true is this: Mary was chosen and because of that choice her life was forever altered.
In a very intense way.
Let us continue onto the Christmas story.
by Sharon O | Dec 6, 2016 | Uncategorized
The Christmas story does not begin in the New Testament of the Bible.
It actually began in the Old Testament beginning with Genesis when the word was with God and we read that the word was Jesus.
Then it moves to the book where we find ‘Zechariah and Elizabeth’… as a few of the first key players.
Think of it as act one, in a stage play where the first scene builds to the second and the second builds to the third till the full story is told.
In Luke 1:7 it tells us about Zechariah and how he was a tribal priest and was honored for the ‘first time,’ at a very old age to go into the temple and burn incense.
This was a very formal and special occasion and he had waited for many years to be asked to do this.
[When he went into the temple he was praying and an angel showed up right next to him. (can you imagine?)
When Zechariah saw him he was startled, and gripped with fear.
But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid Zechariah; your prayer has been heard.
(Remember he is a very old man at this time.)
Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son and you shall call him John.
He will be a joy and a delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord.]
Elizabeth was a relative of Mary, and John would be like a cousin born before Jesus but paving the way for his ministry.
This was told and spoken before either of them were born.
He was an important player to the story of Jesus… and his birth.
As we continue to read this story:
[Zechariah had doubts and asked the angel. “how can this be? how can I be sure?”]
I think that was a logical question to ask, for they were both beyond the age of ‘child bearing.’
[The angel said to him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, I have been sent to you to speak to you and tell you this good news.
And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their appointed time.]
AT THEIR APPOINTED TIME.
Everything was ordained and orchestrated in order for the story to be told.
God had it planned, He knew when the time was to take place and HE was preparing the way.
What we have read, is this: Nothing is without a plan or reason.
The Christmas story had many players and each one had to be; ‘chosen, set aside and spoken to, in order for the story to be completed.’
Let us continue to see how God in His wisdom creates the Christmas Story.
by Sharon O | Dec 4, 2016 | Uncategorized
The Christmas story is one of the most extravagant presents of all.
It not normally thought of as a gift.
But let’s look at the reason behind the baby in the manger.
God so loved the world, that HE gave (HE chose) He declared, His only son to be the righteous hope and redeeming love for a world who often failed him. John 3:16
Isn’t that an extravagant gift?
Even as an adult later in the story we see the conversation.
[Even Jesus when he was talking to the woman at the well, said to her, “If you only knew the gift God has for you and who you are speaking to, you would ask me, and I would give you living water.”]
He knew his purpose all along. He knew from the beginning of time He was from His Father.
Those who were chosen to be in the beginning of the story didn’t have a clue they were to be in the final moments of God’s plan.
Could it have been a different way, perhaps another way?
I don’t think so.
He needed all the characters, all the pre-planned people who played part in this nativity story to be innocent of the master plan.
Extravagant means exceeding the bounds of reason, going beyond what is deserved or justifiable.
We as a people surely didn’t deserve to be given such a valued gift, but God who knew us from the beginning and knew we needed a Savior for we couldn’t save ourselves.
What we have been given is a beautiful story of love, of mercy, of compassion and strength.
Without the nativity there is no cross.
It was planned from the very beginning, that Jesus would come in a way that was not forceful, not over powering and not too intense.
Isn’t a baby a tender way of showing us HIS love.
When we see a newborn we move towards it, not away. For it’s sweetness is something we all ‘find to be precious’.
As we move through the story, we will see this baby in all His innocence and all His ability to bring others to the awareness of more.
Let us learn and discover the story together.
by Sharon O | Dec 2, 2016 | Uncategorized
[In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God.
The same was in the beginning with God.
And the word became flesh, and dwelt among us (and we beheld his glory, glory as of the only begotten from the father), full of grace and truth.]
John 1:1,2
The message version is more detailed.
[From the very first day, we were there, taking it all in – we heard it with our ears, saw it with our own eyes, verified it with our own hands.
The word of life appeared right before our eyes; we saw it happen!
And now we’re telling you in most sober prose that what we witnessed was, incredibly, this:
The infinite Life of God himself took shape before us.
John: 3,4
We saw it, we heard it, and now we’re telling you so you can experience it along with us, this experience of communion with the Father and his Son, Jesus Christ.
Our motive for writing is simply this:
We want you to enjoy this, too.
Your joy will double our joy!]
I cannot imagine being in the time and place as the story of Jesus unfolded right before the eyes who were there.
Not even fully realizing the magnitude of the moment or what they were experiencing.
The birth, the baby coming to us, meaning so much for so many, especially those who were there.
The story tells of all who saw, all who experienced and all who played a part, of the nativity scene.
It had to happen. It had a purpose and there was a reason.
What we know; it was planned, ordained and orchestrated way before it ever happened.
God in His master plan and great love for us, designed a way for us to receive Salvation.
The way was going to be through His son, the Christ child, the baby Jesus.
As we continue on and move through the story, let us not forget the deep love God had for his people.
He brought ‘life’ to us through Jesus.
Let us not forget the powerful meaning of the story.
by Sharon O | Dec 1, 2016 | Uncategorized
We begin the Christmas season with decorations, and traditions of trees, lights, music and nativity sets.
Most of us have one special one we bring out each year.
We have a very simple one we purchased on our first year together. It was very expensive at the time as we were newly weds with little money, we found it at a local drug store and although it was above our budget we wanted a first nativity for our home.
Every year for 43 years we have set it out as a remembrance of many things.
The Christmas story has been told in so may ways.
Always the same characters and always the same story of hope.
We have seen children dressed up in Mary and Joseph outfits carrying a tiny doll representing the baby Jesus in church programs.
We have watched TV shows about the Nativity or movies that tell the story in a more real narrative way.
Each of us holds a reason for the season.
It can’t always be Santa and his sleigh or Rudolph the red nosed Reindeer. These are wonderful traditions for us, even Charley Brown and the crew sharing the Christmas story is tradition.
In the final decision making it is Jesus and his story that makes the Christmas season complete.
One cannot hear, “Oh Holy Night” and not capture the beauty of the birth, the Holiness of the season and the silence of the night.
The story begins with a simple couple who followed the path laid out for them through their obedience and faith.
It wasn’t easy, it was never meant to be.
It is a story that has lasted for years and years because it is real, and it gives hope and it tells us of God’s love for us.
The story begins.
In the Old Testament of the bible and then moved into the New Testament. There are many characters and many details.
The story. The story of life, hope and precious love.
As we move through the story let us remember nothing happened without a plan, nothing happened without a reason.
The story begins and we are told, Mary kept all the things in her heart and thought about them often.
Luke 2:19
