Christmas – Page 2 – Be Still…

Christmas ? Luke 2:25-35 – Faith

Read Luke 2:25-35

Can you imagine having received the message Simeon had, giving him the assurance he would see the Messiah before he died? Many had been waiting for the Messiah to come rescue them. It had been hundreds of years since the prophets had foretold a Messiah would come. In Simeon’s day, the Roman oppression was so great the people were anxiously awaiting the day their Messiah king would powerfully come to save them.

Simeon’s faith is commendable. Amidst the struggles of life under Roman control, and the natural aging process our bodies go through, Simeon never lost hope. He had faith in God’s promise. It seems as if his faith was the fuel that sustained Simeon through each day of waiting.

Christmas ? Matthew 2:1-12 – Wisdom

Read Matthew 2:1-12

These men were expecting a Jewish king to be born from prophecy. They must have been elated when they finally saw the star. We don’t know much about these men, other than they were wise. The text doesn’t say where they came from, how long they had traveled, or how many of them there were. Have we assumed three because there were three special gifts? (Fun fact: the Eastern church recognizes there were twelve wise men!)

Their wisdom had prepared them for this moment. You can imagine many people had seen that glorious star in the sky, but they had no idea what it meant. Somehow, these men knew it signified the birth of a future Jewish king, even greater than King Herod, the then current king on the throne.

Christmas ? Luke 2:1-7 – Obedience

Read Luke 2:1-7

The Christmas story never gets old. I know people that play Christmas music year round just because of the hope it brings. There is something indescribably special about the miracle of Christ’s incarnation. Knowing that God loved us that much to send his son into this world can leave you speechless if you let it. All our hopes and dreams can be met by that darling infant King.

But the Christmas story is more than the hope and promise of salvation. We shouldn’t be surprised that there are multiple layers of blessing and wisdom we can glean from this story. The lesson we’ll focus on today is Obedience.

Christmas ? Isaiah 9:6 – Jesus

For a child is born to us,
    a son is given to us.
The government will rest on his shoulders.
    And he will be called:
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

What do you think Isaiah thought when he gave us this message? Did he know it was a Messianic prophecy? Did he have any inkling that this child would be so famous? Of course, any child being called Mighty God had to be pretty special!

At Christmas we remember the precious child, God’s own son, born just for us. God loves us that much! Make sure you stop a couple of times today to marvel at how God’s majesty was laying in a manger bed. How humbling!

Day 12 ? Joy to the World

silhouette of a girl with her arms raised with a bright light beaming on her depicting joy

I saved my second favorite Christmas carol until the last day, the 12^th Day of Christmas Carols & Scripture. For me, the song’s message is not just for Christmas. It evokes the kind of praise we should have all year long. Many of us are certainly ready to receive our King when he comes again! In the meantime, as we find ourselves in the day to day grind, how do we keep our praise alive?

Joy to the world! the Lord is come;
let earth receive her King;
let every heart prepare him room,
and heaven and nature sing,
and heaven and nature sing,
and heaven, and heaven and nature sing.