Mary Did You Know?

And Mary said, "Behold, I am a handmaiden of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word."
~ Luke 1:38

And Mary said, "My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour."
~ Luke 1:46-47



An angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins."  All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: "Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call him Immanuel" (which means, God with us).
~ Matthew 1:20-23

And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear.  And the angel said to them, "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the City of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord."
~ Luke 2:10-11

This baby was born...

Thus it is written, that the Christ (messiah) should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all the nations.
~ Luke 24:46

... to die for our sins.

Let us remember that the Son of God left heaven and became man so that he could shed his blood and give his life so that we may have forgiveness of sins and life eternal. He has given us the greatest gift of all ~ salvation though faith.

 

Glory to God

May you have a blessed Christmas as you rejoice in the celebration of the first coming of Jesus
and await His return.

Make Room

"If Jesus were born one thousand times in Bethlehem and not in me, then I would still be lost. There was no room in the inn for Him. Is there room in your heart for Him?"
~ Corrie Ten Boom

And she gave birth to her firstborn son
and wrapped him in a manger,

because there was no place for them in the inn.

Luke 2:7

All this took place to fulfill
what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:

"Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,

and they shall call his name Immanual
(which means, God with us).

~ Matthew 1:22-23

And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.”

~ Luke 2:9-12

 

For God so loved the world,

that He gave His only begotten Son,

that whosoever believeth in Him

should not perish but have everlasting life.

~ John 3:16

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life.

 No one comes to the Father except through me.

~ John 14:6

 If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord
and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead,
you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified,
and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.
For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him
will not be put to shame.”
For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek;
for the same Lord is Lord of all,
bestowing his riches on all who call on him.
For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

~ Romans 10:9-13

For by grace you have been saved through faith.
And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,
not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

~ Ephesians 2:8-9

For the grace of God has appeared,
 bringing salvation for all people,
training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions,
and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives
in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope,
the appearing of the glory of our great
God and Savior Jesus Christ,
who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness
and to purify for himself a people for his own possession
who are zealous for good works.

~ Titus 2:11-14

May you make room in your heart for Jesus and receive His grace.

The Night Before Christmas

Empty manger, perfect stranger, about to be born
Into darkness, sadness, desperate madness, creation so torn
We were so lost on earth, no peace, no worth, no way to escape
In fear, no faith, no hope, no grace, and no light
But that was the night before Christmas

Warm hay, cold sweat, a mother, not yet,
praying Godspeed the dawn
She looks to her man, holding her hand,
they wonder how long
And the shepherds, wise men come to find them,
and bow to a king
One star above shining on love, so bright it lit up
the night before Christmas

And the world didn’t know mercy was meek and so mild
And the world didn’t know that truth was as pure as a child
The night before Christmas
The night before Christmas

And the world didn’t know, redemption was sweet and so strong
And the world didn’t know salvation was writing a song
The night before Christmas
The night before Christmas
The night before Christmas

Empty manger, perfect stranger, about to be born

Lyrics by: Stephen Brown, Chuck Butler & Regie Hamm
Performed by: Brandon Heath



Because Jesus became flesh and sacrificed His life...

...light shone into the darkness, sadness transforms into joy, the desperate are comforted, the broken are mended, and the lost are found.

In Him...

...we find peace, worth, an escape

Through Him

....we find faith, hope, and grace

Because of Him we now know...

... how gentle His mercies and how sweet and strong His redemption.

You are invited!

You are cordially invited to
A BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION!!!

Guest of Honor: Jesus Christ

Date: Every day. Traditionally, December 25 but He's always around, so the date is flexible.

Time: Whenever you're ready. (Please don't be late, though, or you'll miss out on all the fun!)

Place: In your heart . . . He'll meet you there. (You'll hear Him knock.)

Attire: Come as you are . . . grubbies are okay. He'll be washing our clothes anyway. He said something about new white robes and crowns for everyone who stays till the last.

Tickets: Admission is free. He's already paid for everyone - you wouldn't have been able to afford it anyway. It cost Him everything He had, but you do need to accept the ticket!!Refreshments: New wine, bread, and a far-out drink He calls "Living Water," followed by a supper that promises to be out of this world!

Gift Suggestions: Your life. He's one of those people who already has everything else. (He's very generous in return though. Just wait until you see what He has for you!)

Entertainment: Joy, Peace, Truth, Light, Life, Love, Real Happiness, Communion with God, Forgiveness, Miracles, Healing, Power, Eternity in Paradise, Contentment, and much more! (All "G" rated, so bring your family and friends.)

R.S.V.P. Very Important! He must know ahead so He can reserve a spot for you at the table. Also, He's keeping a list of His friends for future reference. He calls it the "Lamb's Book of Life."

Party being given by His Kids (that's us!!)! Hope to see you there!

Bearing Precious Seed

"Does it not thrill our hearts to realize that we do not go forward in our own strength! Think of it, God Himself is with us for our Captain! The Lord of Hosts is present in Person on every field of conflict, to encourage us and fight with us. With such a Leader, who never lost a battle, or deserted a soldier in distress, or failed to get through the needed supplies, who would not accept the challenge to go forward, "bearing precious seed"? 

~ John Stam, missionary and martyr who followed God's leading to China to bear precious seed
(excerpted from The Triumph of John and Betty Stam)

Recently, I found the biography of John and Betty Stam in my church library. While the book is tattered and pages are coming loose from the binding of this book that was published in 1935, the lessons are timeless and inspiring. May we each be willing to go forth in the name of the Lord bearing precious seed!