Luke 2
1 In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2 (This was the first census that took place while[a] Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 And everyone went to their own town to register.
4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David.5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.
8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”
16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.
Man, all of us, have wandered away from the purpose for which God originally created us. We broke the covenant relationship between us and God. On the night described in this story, this Holy night in Bethlehem, God created a new covenant with us in the person of Jesus. He reached out and offered us a second chance.
My prayer for everyone here is that this Christmas, you/we will all experience God/Jesus in a fresh new way. I pray the truth of the gospel will pierce our hearts either again or for the first time and we will be completely helpless to ignore or deny its truth. I pray blinders will be removed from eyes and we will be brought to our knees by the impact of the extreme measures He took to reunite you, me and everyone with Himself. God loves us so much that took on flesh, He put on a skin suit and He came to earth, not as a king but as an infant son of a teenage girl and her carpenter husband. He walked among us and lived a sinless life all the way to the cross. He came and paid a debt He did not owe because we all owed a debt we could never pay, This little baby that the Shepards came to honor, became our living sacrifice. The greatest gift ever offered there and free for the taking for each and every person on earth. I pray God impresses this on our hearts today in such a way that we are helpless to ignore or deny it.
The birth of this precious baby changed the world forever. I pray this truth, this God in flesh, this Redeemer and Reconciler, changes your world today.
Glory to God in the highest!
Merry Christmas, Bunker!
1 In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2 (This was the first census that took place while[a] Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 And everyone went to their own town to register.
4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David.5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.
8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”
16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.
Man, all of us, have wandered away from the purpose for which God originally created us. We broke the covenant relationship between us and God. On the night described in this story, this Holy night in Bethlehem, God created a new covenant with us in the person of Jesus. He reached out and offered us a second chance.
My prayer for everyone here is that this Christmas, you/we will all experience God/Jesus in a fresh new way. I pray the truth of the gospel will pierce our hearts either again or for the first time and we will be completely helpless to ignore or deny its truth. I pray blinders will be removed from eyes and we will be brought to our knees by the impact of the extreme measures He took to reunite you, me and everyone with Himself. God loves us so much that took on flesh, He put on a skin suit and He came to earth, not as a king but as an infant son of a teenage girl and her carpenter husband. He walked among us and lived a sinless life all the way to the cross. He came and paid a debt He did not owe because we all owed a debt we could never pay, This little baby that the Shepards came to honor, became our living sacrifice. The greatest gift ever offered there and free for the taking for each and every person on earth. I pray God impresses this on our hearts today in such a way that we are helpless to ignore or deny it.
The birth of this precious baby changed the world forever. I pray this truth, this God in flesh, this Redeemer and Reconciler, changes your world today.
Glory to God in the highest!
Merry Christmas, Bunker!
