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The Story Of Christmas

And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name. And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation. Luke 1:46‭-‬50 KJV https://bible.com/bible/1/luk.1.46-50.KJV

The Story Of Christmas

And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren. For with God nothing shall be impossible. And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her. And Mary arose in those days, and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Juda; And entered into the house of Zacharias, and saluted Elisabeth. And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost: And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. And blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord. Luke 1:26‭-‬45 KJV https://bible.com/bible/1/luk.1.26-45.KJV

The Story Of Christmas 7 Day Devotional

Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us, Even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were eyewitnesses, and ministers of the word; It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus, That thou mightest know the certainty of those things, wherein thou hast been instructed. There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth. And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both were now well stricken in years. And it came to pass, that while he executed the priest’s office before God in the order of his course, According to the custom of the priest’s office, his lot was to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord. And the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the time of incense. And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him. But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John. And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth. For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother’s womb. And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God. And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord. And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years. And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings. And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season. And the people waited for Zacharias, and marvelled that he tarried so long in the temple. And when he came out, he could not speak unto them: and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple: for he beckoned unto them, and remained speechless. And it came to pass, that, as soon as the days of his ministration were accomplished, he departed to his own house. And after those days his wife Elisabeth conceived, and hid herself five months, saying, Thus hath the Lord dealt with me in the days wherein he looked on me, to take away my reproach among men. Luke 1:1‭-‬25 KJV https://bible.com/bible/1/luk.1.1-25.KJV

Today’s Devotional Verse

And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart. Luke 2:15‭-‬19 KJV https://bible.com/bible/1/luk.2.15-19.KJV

Today’s Devotional Verse

Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us, Even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were eyewitnesses, and ministers of the word; It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus, That thou mightest know the certainty of those things, wherein thou hast been instructed. Luke 1:1‭-‬4 KJV https://bible.com/bible/1/luk.1.1-4.KJV

Imperfect Christmas Perfect Gift

Good News to Share with All

By Danny Saavedra

“So many others have tried their hand at putting together a story of the wonderful harvest of Scripture and history that took place among us, using reports handed down by the original eyewitnesses who served this Word with their very lives. Since I have investigated all the reports in close detail, starting from the story’s beginning, I decided to write it all out for you, most honorable Theophilus, so you can know beyond the shadow of a doubt the reliability of what you were taught.”—Luke 1:1–4 (MSG, emphasis added)

“When the angels left them and went back into Heaven, the shepherds said to each other, ‘Now let us go straight to Bethlehem and see this thing which the Lord has made known to us.’ So they came as fast as they could and they found Mary and Joseph—and the baby lying in the manger. And when they had seen this sight, they told everybody what had been said to them about the little child. And those who heard them were amazed at what the shepherds said.”—Luke 2:15–19 (PHILLIPS, emphasis added)

According to a 2010 sociological experiment, good news travels faster than bad news. Dr. Jonah Berger, a world-renowned expert on word of mouth, viral marketing, and social influence summarized the findings of this extensive study by stating, “If I’ve just read this story that changes the way I understand the world and myself, I want to talk to others about what it means.” 

Isn’t that amazing and also somewhat surprising? Many people would have you believe that bad news travels way faster than good, but that does not seem to be the case. I suppose it’s like the old expression, “You catch more flies with honey than vinegar.” Think about it: whether it’s the best thing you’ve ever eaten, an awesome movie you just saw, a compelling book you just couldn’t put down, a really great gift you received, landing your dream job, or a wonderful, life-changing announcement, when something amazing happens, the first thing we usually want to do is share it with others! 

Christmas is the celebration of the greatest news humanity has ever received: the birth of Jesus. And unlike the tastiest burger you just ate or whatever other piece of exciting news you have that likely only impacts you or a small number of people, the coming of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world, is good news for everyone! It’s the kind of news we should be desperately, unashamedly excited to share with each and every person we encounter. There is no news that should travel faster than the good news that God has made a way for us sinners to be restored to a right relationship with Him, redeemed of our sins, and received into His family as children.

In today’s passages, we see two instances of people who set out to share the good news of Jesus. First, we see Luke who heard and surely saw incredible things—things he knew he needed to share with everyone he could. 

Luke, a Greek who has the distinct honor of being the only Gentile to have authored a book of the Bible, was also referred to as “the beloved physician” by none other than the apostle Paul. While physician may bring about glamorous ideas and prestige in today’s world, in the time of the early church, physicians were often servants. It is likely that Theophilus was a patron of his, possibly a Roman ruler, as the designation “most excellent” was generally reserved for those in a position of power in the Roman Empire. Yet, Luke confidently shared with him the message of a kingdom that is above and beyond Rome, and a King greater than Caesar.

In his intro, Luke tells Theophilus that the message he’d received from eyewitnesses about the life and ministry of Jesus needed to be shared, so that he—and by extension everyone else who has read through Luke and Acts—may understand the message of hope. From the amazing detail we find in the Gospels, it is clear Luke spoke with various pivotal people, likely including Mary, Peter, John, and others who had walked with Christ. 

A few days ago, we read about the shepherds who were the first to receive the incredible news that the Savior had been born. But they didn’t keep this news to themselves. Instead, “they told everybody what had been said to them about the little child. And those who heard them were amazed . . . .” (Luke 2:19 PHILLIPS).

As we celebrate Christmas, I pray we all remember we’ve been called to share the message of salvation through Jesus with all those whom God has placed in our lives. Like the shepherds and Luke, we have an incredible message for the whole world, and we simply cannot keep it to ourselves! 

Today, everyone shares everything. From photos, to emotions, to golden nuggets of wisdom, our Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram feeds are never lacking content. We’ve witnessed the power of Christ change our hearts and give us peace. Now, we must share this amazing news with the same excitement and joy as we do a great photo on Instagram! Take some time today to creatively share what Jesus is doing in your life.