“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those who have his good will!” Luke 2:14

Merry Christmas! On this day we celebrate the transition from the Old Testament days when God’s people believed for a Savior to come, to the New Testament believers that Jesus came as God on earth to save us.

The amazing thing about Christianity is that God came to earth to save people. There is nothing we can do to save ourselves, we are at the mercy of God’s grace. Thank God, he loves us and did all the work.

As John writes in John 3:16, “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.”

Dear Lord, We praise and thank you for coming to earth to save us. Help us to always remember how you humbled yourself to be our savior, and as a result all we must do is accept you to be saved. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Matthew 1:1 “This is a record of the ancestors of Jesus the Messiah, a descendant of David and of Abraham, and goes on to list the names of the ancestors from Abraham to Jesus concluding with verse 17, “All those listed above include fourteen generations from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the Babylonian exile, and fourteen from the Babylonian exile to the Messiah”

What an amazing plan God created fulfilling the prophesy from Isaiah 9:6,7 “For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder and His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, To order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.”

God’s perfect plan to reconcile his creation through God, Jesus, born as a man for us.

Praise and thanks to you Lord for the plan you gave us through Jesus. Let us live in the peace and joy that you intended for us. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

The gospels write about the angel Gabriel appearing to Mary to tell her she would bear Jesus. What a shocking and frightening experience this must have been. However, her response recorded in Luke is an example for all of us.

Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her.
Luke 1:38

If only we could have this conviction and faith in response to the promises that are made to us in the Bible, like this in Hebrews 13:5-6, “For God has said, “I will never, never fail you nor forsake you.” That is why we can say without doubt or fear, “The Lord is my helper, and I am not afraid of anything that mere man can do to me.”

Dear Lord, you have given us a tremendous example of faith and confidence in Mary’s reply to Gabriel. Help us learn from this example to trust your promises and say as well, “we are your servants.” In Jesus’ name. Amen.

One of the fundamentals of Christianity is that God saves us. There is nothing we can do to be saved, it is a gift given to us by God through Jesus.

One way this is described, in the Bible, is in the revelation about Jesus by the angel to Joseph.

Matthew 1:20-21 says, “ an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. The angel said to him, “Joseph, descendant of David, don’t be afraid to take Mary as your wife. She is pregnant by the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus [He Saves], because he will save his people from their sins.”

Jesus’ name actually means, “He saves,” or some translations say, “the Lord saves”

From the announcement that Jesus was coming, it was made known that God was saving those who believe, and Jesus is that salvation.

Dear Lord, what a comfort and joy it is to know that you save us, we never could meet the standard of perfection to earn our salvation, and by your grace we don’t have to. You save us. Joy to the World! In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Luke 2:10-11 tells us through the angels who appeared to the Shepherds, “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today.”

Doesn’t this cover the entire message of Jesus Christ and Christianity. We don’t need to fear, because of the “good news of great joy for all people.”

Dear Lord, help us have the joy in our hearts and lives that comes from knowing our Savior has come. In Jesus’ name. Amen.