by Sharon O | Dec 8, 2014 | Uncategorized
The sixth person of the Christmas story appears many times.
The first appearance is before he was born.
There were already prophetic words spoken of him, which brings
to mind the knowledge that God knows us,
before we leave the darkness of our mother’s womb.
The sixth person of the story is John as a baby waiting to be born.
The word tells us that after Mary was told by the angel,
about her own ‘baby to be’ she hurried over to Elizabeth’s house.
Perhaps she was like a mother figure to her or just a great mentor.
They obviously shared with each other since Mary wanted
to talk to her first, maybe even before she talked to Joseph.
In Luke 1:39 the story begins:
In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean
town in the hill country, where she entered the house of Zechariah
and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting,
the child leaped in her womb.
And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed
with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and
blessed is the fruit of your womb.
And why has this happened to me, that the mother of
my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound
of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy.
And blessed is she who believed that there would be a
fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.”
This is amazing to me on many levels.
First of all because of Mary’s young age, I find it fascinating
that she left her home to go be with Elizabeth.
Did her parents say that was fine for her to go, or did she just
leave in haste sensing the need to talk and be with someone who was close to her.
I am not sure how far she had to travel, but it couldn’t have been too close and the risk was high for her to go alone.
Not only that, it says she stayed with Elizabeth for several months.
They didn’t have cell phones in that time so Joseph must have
had to wait with a lot of heavy thoughts in his mind and on his heart.
The other part of the story is Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit
and the knowledge of Mary’s baby was revealed during that time.
Was that before Mary even told her about the ‘fruit of her womb’?
The other part of the story is the tiny baby John.
He heard and recognized something very significant before he was born, at this time he was nearing the pre-birth age of six months.
As Elizabeth went in to hiding for five months before Mary came to visit.
The baby leaped upon hearing. Which proves a point I have often
said and thought, that they are babies with the ability to hear and react and respond to different voices.
It also tells how he ‘knew’ that Mary was the mother of the Son Jesus.
The story tells us that Mary stayed with Elizabeth about three months
before returning to her own home.
Which would put her own pregnancy nearing the fourth month.
Perhaps this is where she learned and saw the process of giving birth, in preparation for her own birthing experience.
It’s a wonderful way to learn when one can see it with your own eyes and experience it with your own heart and emotions.
Not only did John the baby react upon Jesus arrival then John the man was sent to prepare the way for him too.
On this seventh day of December we learn of the sixth person
of the story and I find it amazing how every character shares in the same experiences.
Holy Spirit God ordained moments.
by Sharon O | Dec 7, 2014 | Uncategorized
Today we are learning about the fifth person of the Christmas story.
Another very important person who was chosen by God.
This would be Joseph.
He was engaged to Mary and a carpenter by trade.
Unlike Mary I don’t believe we are told how old he was,
but I am sure he was older than her by a few years.
He was considered righteous and honorable.
I would imagine when he heard that Mary was expecting
a child and he knew for a fact it wasn’t his own
like any man in that position he was confused and perhaps
even angry at her.
This would be a life altering moment for him.
We aren’t really told how long they had been planning
on getting married or what the standard engagement time
was for that time period.
In Matthew 1:9 then 1:20-25 the story begins.
Joseph a righteous man unwilling to expose her to public disgrace,
planned to dismiss her quietly. But just when he had resolved
to do 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 as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from
the Holy Spirit.”
When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord
commanded him; he took her as his wife, but had no marital
relations with her until she had borne a son,
and he named him Jesus.
What a tremendous and honorable thing to do.
Instead of running or abandoning her, he stood beside her
in the time when she most needed him to be supportive and loving.
I always find it fascinating that angels appear in dreams.
It was not uncommon in those times for this to happen.
It also is interesting that he didn’t question the dream or the words
spoken in the dream. That would mean he knew for a fact
it was real, true and spoken by an angel.
Joseph had to have been a man of faith to listen and obey
that quickly and then decide to not ‘make her his wife’
in an intimate way till the baby was born.
On this sixth day of December we learn about Joseph and
how willing he was to do what God asked of him and how
trusting he was in the process.
Later on he would leave his job, his family and his friends
to be with Mary… and the baby they would raise together.
Joseph is a wonderful example of love, companionship and
a servants heart. He was an earthly father to a heavenly son.
by Sharon O | Dec 6, 2014 | Uncategorized
The fourth person of the Christmas story is Mary.
What an important part she has been asked to do.
Can you even imagine?
She was very young most likely between the ages of 12 and 15
and she was not expecting anything so life changing to happen to her. I often call it a life altering moment.
In Luke 1:28 The angel Gabriel said to Mary:
“Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.”
But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered
what sort of greeting this might be.
The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you
have found favor with God. And now, you will conceive
in your womb, and bear a son and you will name him Jesus.
And he will be great, and will be called the son of the most high,
and the Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David.
He will rein over the house of Jacob forever, and
of his kingdom there will be no end.”
Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?”
The angel said to her,
“The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and
the power of the most high will over shadow you:
therefore the child to be born will be holy;
he will be called Son of God.”
I can imagine Mary and her thoughts.
Who would she talk to, who would she tell?
What about Joseph and how is he going to deal with this?
I don’t believe we are ever told about her parents.
Not sure what happened to them and her news about a child.
We know that for her to be pregnant with a child and
to have no husband, could actually be a death sentence for her.
We also know that she knew the rules and seemed accepting of them.
I wonder what happened in her life to give her such strong ‘faith’
without fear for her life and her situation.
Then Mary said, “Here am I, a servant of the Lord,
let it be with me according to your word.”
Then the angel departed.
On this fifth day of December, we think of Mary and her chosen role
to be ‘the Mother of Jesus’…a new little baby…the Son of God.
I wonder what she thought and how she felt when the angel departed from her, did she feel alone, overwhelmed, sad, confused or was she filled with deep peace.
There are so many things about her I wonder about, many of them
we will never know. All we know for sure is God found favor in her.
That is very commendable in fact that is why many give her honor
and praise and lift her up highly.
Mary was chosen.
Out of everyone else God chose a little teenage girl.
To be a very important part of the ‘Nativity story.’
by Sharon O | Dec 5, 2014 | Uncategorized
The third person in the Christmas story actually arrived before the first two.
God decided at some point in time that the angel Gabriel would play an important part on many levels within the Christmas story.
God sent him with a very specific assignment.
To Zechariah, in Luke 1:19 The angel replied,
“I am Gabriel.
I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent
to speak to you and tell you good news.”
I always find it amazing that the angels can speak in a language we can understand.
I also find it amazing that once the initial ‘fear’ leaves the one listening,
they seem comfortable in speaking with an angel.
Remember he always says, “do not fear” before he gets their attention.
Imagining that it would be a bit scary and unsettling,
to all of a sudden have a heavenly being in your presence,
not only that, but speaking to you as if they know who you are.
Each time they show up they know who they are speaking to and they know why.
There is a purpose and a lesson.
I also find it interesting that not only did Gabriel give good news to Zechariah,
he also had the power to discipline him.
In verse 20 the angel said,
“But now, because you did not believe my words,
which will be fulfilled in their time, you will become mute,
unable to speak, until the day these things occur.”
In other words, I am in control and you need to be quiet.
If he was mute till the baby came that would be almost nine months.
That would be a powerful lesson.
The next assignment Gabriel had was to go visit Mary six months later.
That means he left God’s presence to tell Zechariah something.
Then he returned till it was time to tell Mary something.
Amazing details and interactions.
Luke 1:26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God
to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, vs 27 to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David.
The virgins name was Mary.
Notice the specifics in this, a town within a town, a virgin who was engaged and he knew the virgins name along with who she was engaged to.
Nothing is missed. All the details very specific within the story.
In the book of Matthew 1:20 Joseph was met by an angel in a dream
and it doesn’t say it was Gabriel but it makes me wonder.
Just as in Matthew 2:13 and 2:19 an angel met him again in a dream.
In Luke 1:28-38 we are told of Mary’s interaction with Gabriel.
Every year more details seem to come out of the Christmas story.
Nothing was by accident or chance it was all planned and ordained.
On this fourth day of December,
I am amazed that so much detail was poured into the birth of Jesus.
I can’t help but believe in this all knowing, all powerful God.
by Sharon O | Dec 3, 2014 | Uncategorized
The second person of the Christmas story is the wife of Zechariah.
Her name is Elizabeth.
Her story begins in Luke 1:6
[Both of them were righteous before God, living blameless
according to all commandments and regulations of the Lord.
vs7 But they had no children, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were getting on in years.
vs 24 After those days his wife Elizabeth conceived, and for five months she remained in seclusion. She said, vs 25 this is what the Lord has done for me when he looked favorably on me and took away the disgrace I have endured among my people.]
Those who have studied the Christmas story know how old Elizabeth was and how it was medically impossible for her to be with child.
It was also a great ‘shame’ to be without a child in those days.
I would imagine she was post menopause in age and definitely not young enough
to be even thinking of having a new little baby.
You can imagine her joy when she found out she was chosen to have a child
not just a child but a very important ‘chosen’ baby boy.
Have you ever waited for something for so long that after a while
your longing and dreaming becomes a thin wish… and then sorrow
takes the place of the fulfillment of your dream?
Yeah, I would imagine that is what they felt within their empty broken hearts.
Wishing and hoping and waiting for a baby and like every other couple who have difficulty conceiving a child the disappointment becomes the normal feeling month after month.
Then all of a sudden she realizes with Zechariah the dream is real.
She understood the miracle of the moment and that God was blessing them in a miraculous way.
God had chosen their child for a special reason and purpose.
Their son, the one they would conceive and the angel said
his name would be called John and he would play an important part
in the Messiah’s story.
Johns name means “the Lord has been kind.”
What an important part of the story and also a great reminder for us.
Don’t get discouraged in the waiting process.
Someday, when you are least expecting it, your ‘dream just might happen’ and it will be better than anything you could imagine.
