by Sharon O | Dec 11, 2016 | Uncategorized
The next character we are introduced to; is Joseph.
There is not a lot about him that we know, he was older than Mary, he was a carpenter.
He was a descendant of King David so the lineage for Jesus would be right and accurate.
He was an honorable and righteous man. I would imagine and wonder if he had a ‘religious’ faith.
I also wonder about the conversation he might have had with Mary.
We know she went to go see and be with Elizabeth, maybe as a way for Joseph and herself to have time to think.
To be expecting a baby, without having been with ‘him’, or anyone would be hard for Joseph to understand.
I wonder what they talked about.
She was confused at what the angel had told her, and he must have been confused as well.
Mary seemed to accept her role in this ‘story of Jesus’, now Joseph has to accept this too.
When he has a dream he is told to marry her from the angel.
[Matthew 1:18-19 The birth of Jesus took place like this.
His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph.
Before they came to the marriage bed, Joseph discovered she was pregnant. (It was by the Holy Spirit, but he didn’t know that.)
Joseph, chagrined but noble, determined to take care of things quietly so Mary would not be disgraced.
20-23 While he was trying to figure a way out, he had a dream.
God’s angel spoke in the dream: “Joseph, son of David, don’t hesitate to get married. Mary’s pregnancy is Spirit-conceived.
God’s Holy Spirit has made her pregnant.
She will bring a son to birth, and when she does, you, Joseph, will name him Jesus—‘God saves’—because he will save his people from their sins.”
This would bring the prophet’s embryonic sermon to full term:
Watch for this — a virgin will get pregnant and bear a son;
They will name him Immanuel (Hebrew for “God is with us”).
24-25 Then Joseph woke up. He did exactly what God’s angel commanded in the dream: He married Mary.
But he did not consummate the marriage until she had the baby. He named the baby Jesus.]
I wonder how this all happened to both of them emotionally.
To have a life ‘altering event’ come at you full force.
Not having a lot of time to think on or ponder about it.
They had to deal with it right then and right away.
During this time frame; Elizabeth gave birth to John and then a census was issued for all people to return to their ancestral towns to register.
Luke 2:6 So Joseph went from the Galilean town of Nazareth up to Bethlehem in Judah, David’s town, for the census.
As a descendant of David, he had to go there. He went with Mary, his fiancée, who was pregnant.
The journey was not easy for them as we will soon find out.
by Sharon O | Dec 9, 2016 | Uncategorized
[39 At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea,
40 where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth.
41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.
42 In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear!
43 But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
44 As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.
45 Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”]
When we read these verses we are amazed that John who was not born but very much alive inside Elizabeth,
heard and knew Mary had arrived and HE knew her voice and the truth about her baby filling Elizabeth with the Holy Spirit.
Isn’t that powerful?
Elizabeth who had known Mary all her life realized in an instant, SHE was the mother of Jesus. The chosen one.
It is both amazing and awesome that the bond between these two women were around the miracles they were given.
Both were carrying special son’s and both were chosen to do the miraculous.
After hearing Elizabeth and seeing her excitement, Mary said this prayer.
[ “My soul glorifies the Lord
47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
48 for he has been mindful
of the humble state of his servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed,
49 for the Mighty One has done great things for me—
holy is his name.
50 His mercy extends to those who fear him,
from generation to generation.
51 He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;
he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.
52 He has brought down rulers from their thrones
but has lifted up the humble.
53 He has filled the hungry with good things
but has sent the rich away empty.
54 He has helped his servant Israel,
remembering to be merciful
55 to Abraham and his descendants forever,
just as he promised our ancestors.”
56 Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned home.]
What we are amazed by is her response.
She was a young teen and she has been told she was going to be the Mother of Jesus.
Her response was acceptance, obedience and even peace.
We are not told about Mary’s family, whether she had a mother and a father, but we do know she was close to Elizabeth.
Was she there when John was born? Was she there for Elizabeth to help her in her aging condition?
Many things we don’t know. What we do know is this: We are amazed at the miraculous.
Let us continue on as we move through the Christmas story.
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.
