NOTE: In preparation for our Christmas worship services on Sunday, December 19, we will be reading five different Scripture passages related to the story of Jesus' birth.

As you read, pay attention to the emotional responses of the various individuals who are part of the story of our Savior's birth.

 ¹Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, ²just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. ³With this in mind, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I too decided to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, ⁴so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.

⁵In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron. ⁶Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord's commands and decrees blamelessly. ⁷But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive, and they were both very old.

 ⁸Once when Zechariah's division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God, ⁹he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to go into the temple of the Lord  and burn incense. ¹⁰And when the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled worshipers were praying outside.

¹¹Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. ¹²When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. ¹³But the angel said to him: "Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John. ¹⁴He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, ¹⁵for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. ¹⁶He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. ¹⁷And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous--to make ready a people prepared for the Lord."

¹⁸Zechariah asked the angel, "How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years."

¹⁹The angel said to him, "I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. ²⁰And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their appointed time."

²¹Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah and wondering why he stayed so long in the temple. ²²When he came out, he could not speak to them. They realized he had seen a vision in the temple, for he kept making signs to them but remained unable to speak.

²³When his time of service was completed, he returned home. ²⁴After this his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and for five months remained in seclusion. ²⁵"The Lord has done this for me," she said. "In these days he has shown his favor and taken away my disgrace among the people."

As we read about the events surrounding Christ's birth, we'll focus on the people we find in these texts--men and women who were called to play a role in God's redemptive plan. What do the Gospel writers tell us about their encounters with God's messengers who brought them their assignments? What were they feeling? How did they respond?

Today we meet Zechariah. Read these verses again and this time imagine the story from his perspective. What caused his fear? Was that a reasonable response to what he experienced? How is joy mentioned? What did this assignment mean to Elizabeth and Zechariah personally? What was their role in God's plan?

You'll find the rest of Zechariah and Elizabeth's story in Luke 1:57-80, where you'll read how God blessed them with a son who had his own special role to play in God's work of redemption.

In spite of his initial fear and doubting, God used Zechariah to father and raise a son whose task was to prepare the way for the coming Messiah--the Lamb of God Who would take away the sin of the world!

Father,

Thank You for sending Your Son into this world and for the salvation that is mine because of Him. Thank you for the experiences of real men and women You've recorded in Your Word, and how we see You at work in and through them to accomplish Your purposes and Your plan to redeem humanity. Show me how You want to use me and help me to be sensitive to Your Spirit's leading.

Amen

Today's reading is found in Matthew 1:18-25:

 ¹⁸This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. ¹⁹Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.

 ²⁰But after he had considered 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 home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. ²¹She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins."

 ²²All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: ²³"The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel" (which means "God with us").

²⁴When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. ²⁵But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.

Just like the story of Zechariah that we read yesterday, God's messenger to Joseph addressed his understandable fear. "Don't be afraid," the angel tells him.

God had an assignment for Joseph, and while this passage doesn't record a great deal of detail, it highlights an important fact: in spite of the consequences and the seemingly awkward circumstances, Joseph did what the angel of the Lord instructed him--he obeyed. And as a result, Joseph is a quiet hero of the nativity story, remembered down through the centuries--and for eternity--as the man who protected and cared for Mary and for baby Jesus, God's own Son.

Father,

Your Word shows me over and over that the people you used to fulfill your plan for Jesus' birth were a lot like me. They experienced fear--and that is often my response to what You want me to do. Thank You for showing me how normal my fears are, and how you will bless me when I obey you in spite of those fears.

Amen

Today's reading is taken from the Gospel of Luke, chapter 1, verses 26-56:

²⁶In the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, ²⁷to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary. ²⁸The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you."

 ²⁹Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. ³⁰But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. ³¹You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. ³²He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, ³³and he will reign over Jacob's descendants forever; his kingdom will never end."

 ³⁴"How will this be," Mary asked the angel, "since I am a virgin?"

³⁵The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. ³⁶Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. ³⁷ For no word from God will ever fail."

³⁸"I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May your word to me be fulfilled." Then the angel left her.

 ³⁹At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, ⁴⁰where she entered Zechariah's home and greeted Elizabeth. ⁴¹When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. ⁴²In a loud voice she exclaimed: "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! ⁴³But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? ⁴⁴As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. ⁴⁵Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!"

 ⁴⁶And Mary said:

  "My soul glorifies the Lord
 ⁴⁷and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,

⁴⁸for he has been mindful
   of the humble state of his servant.

 
From now on all generations will call me blessed,
 ⁴⁹for the Mighty One has done great things for me--
   holy is his name.
⁵⁰His mercy extends to those who fear him,
   from generation to generation.
⁵¹He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;
   he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.
⁵²He has brought down rulers from their thrones
   but has lifted up the humble.
⁵³He has filled the hungry with good things
   but has sent the rich away empty.
⁵⁴He has helped his servant Israel,
   remembering to be merciful
⁵⁵to Abraham and his descendants forever,
   just as he promised our ancestors."

 ⁵⁶Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned home.

The people in the passages we're looking at this week display a range of emotions--from "gripping" fear to "extreme" joy. They were real people, men and women who felt and expressed the same range of feelings and emotions that God embedded into all of us. God used people like us, whose days were full of smiles, tears, anxiety, doubt, hope, and pain to carry out this chapter of His plan of redemption.

Look back through today's text, pausing when Luke records emotional responses. What caused Mary to be troubled? Was that an understandable response to what she experienced? How is joy mentioned? What was her role in God's plan? What did this assignment mean to her personally?

It is humbling to read how this young girl was able to hear her assignment, overcome her fears, and respond with an amazing song of praise.

Father,

Thank you for Mary's example of obedience that transformed fear into praise. Through your Spirit, help me to hear your assignments for me--large and small--today. Help me to praise You for the privilege of being part of Your eternal plan.

Amen

Today's reading is found in the Gospel of Luke 2:1-20:

 ¹In 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 Quirinius was governor of Syria.) ³And everyone went to their own town to register.

 ⁴So 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. ⁵He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. ⁶While they were there, the time

came for the baby to be born, ⁷and 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.

⁸And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. ⁹An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. ¹⁰But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. ¹¹Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. ¹²This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."

 ¹³Suddenly 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."

¹⁵When 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."

¹⁶So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. ¹⁷When 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. ¹⁹But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. ²⁰The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

It is important that we do not allow our familiarity with this story and these words to dull the impact of the full range of emotions Luke recorded.

In these verses, we are introduced to the shepherds, out doing their jobs on a quiet hillside. How must these events have felt from their perspective? Imagine the quiet, late-night hours, the comforting and familiar sounds of the settled animals, men likely on the edge of dozing, with eyes adjusted to the darkness of the night. Suddenly, there's a startling brightness, an unearthly light, as God's messenger appears.

What emotions did they experience? What caused their terror? How is joy mentioned? What did this assignment mean to the shepherds personally? What was their role in God's plan?

Within moments, those run-of-the mill sheep herders became impassioned men on a mission, caught up in the drama of the ages--key players in the first Christmas night.

Father,

Thank You for the rescue plan you had in mind before the creation of the world. Thank you for sending Your Son to be born as a baby--knowing He would die a cruel death as our perfect sacrifice. This Christmas draw me to a fresh understanding of what His coming meant for me and what it could me for people you've brought into my life who don't know You. Give me the enthusiasm of the shepherds--who dropped everything to come and find You and then couldn't wait to tell everyone they met about all they had seen and heard.

Amen

As we anticipate this Sunday's worship, we read today from Matthew chapter 2, verses 1-12:

¹After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem ²and asked, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him."

³When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. ⁴When he had called together all the people's chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. ⁵"In Bethlehem in Judea," they replied, "for this is what the prophet has written:

 ⁶"'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
   are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for out of you will come a ruler
   who will shepherd my people Israel.'"

 ⁷Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. ⁸He sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him."

 ⁹After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. ¹⁰When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. ¹¹On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. ¹²And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

This is a different, much different set of characters and display of emotions. No staffs to guide sheep or grass-stained clothes. Today, we meet a king, troubled by news of a possible rival, and a group of wise men who had seen signs that the Messiah had been born.

As we've read through the Gospel accounts of the events surrounding Christ's birth this week, we've seen a range of powerful emotions--emotions that can help us put our own Christmas emotions into perspective and help us to respond in ways that bring us closer to Christ. No doubt some of us are feeling excited and happy this Christmas, anticipating close family times and memorable, picture-worthy moments. But it is even more likely that some of us are worried, even fearful, maybe disappointed with circumstances we're facing--and Christmas is a time when all of those emotions are felt even more strongly.

 But what an opportunity these Gospel accounts provide us to put our own intensified Christmas emotions into the context of God's eternal plan! Let's not forget the response of each person who is part of the nativity story. May our emotions engage authentically like theirs: the startled priest; the barren woman overjoyed at a late-in-life pregnancy; the quiet obedience of a dutiful husband-to-be; the excitement of newly empowered working men tasked to tell an amazing story; and the winsome girl who accepted a difficult assignment and responded in a song of praise to God.

Father,

Thank you for the powerful human emotions You have indelibly written into the story of Jesus coming to earth. Give me a joy-filled heart this Christmas, not dependent on the circumstances of my life, but in response to the Good News that a Savior has been born, that He grew to manhood, and gave Himself to be my perfect sacrifice--taking on the pivotal role in Your amazing grace-based plan for redeeming humanity, and making me alive for now and for eternity. 

Amen