“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.

So the angel Gabriel appears to Mary and tells her she will have a child as a virgin. What incredible faith and trust Mary showed in responding, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” Luke 1:38.

In the same way, Joseph, who learns his fiance is pregnant, which in that culture and time would have been a very bad situation. In a dream an angel tells Joseph the child is the Messiah. Matthew 1:24 says, “When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife.”

Do you think they had doubts after the visits from the angels? They were human like us, but out of faith and trust in God they continued on the path God led them.

What about us? We read the bible lessons instructing us to give tithes and offerings, commit our plans to the Lord, put God ahead of everything, give God thanks and praise for our blessings. How are we doing? Do we doubt if we follow his direction he will let us down?

In Romans 9:33 Paul says, “But anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced.”

And Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.”

Dear Lord, what great examples you gave us in the story of Mary and Joseph. They accepted your direction and acted in faith. Help us to do the same with our lives, trusting that if we follow your will, you will protect and guide us. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

One of the great things about the Bible is how it ties together. The books were all written separately over the course of a couple thousand years, and archaeological evidence continues being found supporting the details. The books are also written with reference to secular kings and rulers that can be cross referenced with other archaeological evidence.

This makes the Bible prophecies all the more amazing.

At this Christmas time of year, one prophecy in particular is relevant.

One of the many prophecies about Jesus and which Jesus fulfilled is in Micah 5:2 where the prophet wrote, “But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, are only a small village among all the people of Judah. Yet a ruler of Israel, whose origins are in the distant past, will come from you on my behalf.”

Micah wrote this several hundred years prior to Jesus’ birth, but specified the town in which the Messiah would be born. It would be like someone from a time before the founding of the United States, writing the name of the town from which a US President 100 years from now would be born; Obviously hard to explain outside of the supernatural.

Dear Lord, Thank you for giving us the rich complexity and detail in our Bible, providing us continually amazing evidence for Bible accounts. Help us use this detail to strengthen our own faiths and our witness. In Jesus’ name we pray. 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.

I am sure you have seen professional athletes after completing an amazing, or very difficult goal, basket, touchdown or other play, stop and point to the sky, pointing to God. They may not know it, but they are expressing this Latin phrase, Soli Deo Goria which means To God Alone the Glory.

Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 10:31, “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” This is truly our mission here on earth, to glorify God. He has given us all skills talents and situations to allow us to do this in our own way. We can do it by sharing Gods love with the poor in the soup kitchen line, or we can do it on national television using amazing athletic skills God gave a few. We should remember it is not how amazing we are, it is how amazing God is.

Dear Lord, Help us remember that all we have came from You, and remember to give you the glory for the great things we can do and the great things we have. In Jesus’ name we pray. Soli Deo Gloria! Amen.