Luke Two: Jesus’ Doings

It happened in those days that a proclamation went out from President Augustus that every citizen must register. This was the first registration while Quirinus was Secretary of War. So everybody went to register, each going to his own hometown. Joseph too went up from south Georgia from the city of Valdosta, to his home in north Georgia, a place named Gainesville, to register with his bride Mary, who by now was heavily pregnant.

While they were there, her time came, and she gave birth to her first boy. She wrapped him in a blanket and laid him in an apple box. (There was no room for them at the hospital.)

Now there were some farmers in that section who were up late at night tending their baby chicks. And a messenger from the Lord appeared to them, and evidence of the Lord was shining all about them. It nearly scared the life out of them. And the messenger said to them, “Don’t be afraid; for listen, I’m bringing you good news of a great joy in which all people will share. Today your deliverer was born in the city of David’s family. He is the Leader. He is the Lord, And here’s a clue for you: you will find the baby wrapped in a blanket and lying in an apple box.”

And all of a sudden there was with the messenger a crowd of angels singing God’s praises and saying. “Glory in the highest to God, And on Earth, peace to mankind, The object of his favor.”

When the messengers went away from them into the sky, the farmers said to one another, “Let’s go to Gainesville and see how all this the Lord has showed us has turned out.”

So they went just as fast as they could, and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in an apple box. Seeing this, they related the story of what had been told them about this little fellow. The people were simply amazed as they listened to what the farmers told them. And Mary clung to all these words, turning them over and over in her memories. The farmers went back home, giving God the credit and singing his praises for all they had seen and heard, exactly as it had been described to them.

Clarence Jordan
Cotton Patch Gospel

the Friend of Sinners

Only four women are mentioned in Jesus’ Genealogy in Matthew.

First, there’s Tamar. Harlotry and incest. That’s what we know of Tamar. Read Genesis 38 if you want the details.

The second woman is Rahab. What two words come to mind when you hear her name? For most people who grew up in Sunday School it is Rahab the.. harlot. She was a pagan – and a professional prostitute, according to Joshua chapter two.

The third women is mentioned in verse five. Ruth. A nice lady. But Ruth was a Moabite. She was a Gentile, an outcast, a descendant of incest. In Deut. 23:3, God curses the whole nation of Moabites. But here, God picks up a cursed lady, born of an incestuous relationship and uses her to help bring forth the Messiah.

Now, there’s one more woman mentioned in verse six of Matthew one: "Uriah's wife.” Who was Uriah’s wife? Bathsheba. What do we know about her? She was an adulterous.

And we could go on. But I think we’ve established the point.

What is the message here? Grace. This genealogy was a knockout punch to the Jewish legalist who was so caught up into purity of lineage and the line of descendents and stuff. Matthew introduces their glorious Messiah.. as descending from two harlots, one born out of incest and an adulterous. And they are the only four ladies mentioned in the genealogy other than Mary.

Let it be known that Jesus Christ is the friend of sinners.

He came crashing through the barriers that said, “You have to be born spiritual out of the ‘right kind’ of people.” And today, he comes crashing through barriers we’ve erected too. The barriers that place God in a nice comfortable corner where you can keep an eye on him. He breaks down those excuses that say, “God, you can’t use me. You can’t love me. I’m a sinner.

God built a monument to grace on that genealogy. That’s why you shouldn’t shy away from admitting your past for what it was. It can be a monument to God’s grace in our lives. That’s when God can use us the most. When we realize who we are, where we come from and how much our lives are dependent on God grace.. on receiving it and giving it to others.

If we hide from our past and pretend it didn’t happen, it’s almost as if we are trying to pretend we are people we are not. By admitting who we are, acknowledging how God completely changes our past, He is able to bring us further than he could otherwise and use us more.. just like those people in the genealogy.

Bottom line: You stack up a row of harlots and liars and murderers and cheaters and what do you have? You have Jesus. That’s the way God works.

Stephen Goforth

He remembers my name

One important part of the Christmas story we typically skip past is the first chapter of the New Testament.  Flip a Bible open to Matthew chapter one and take a look. Why do you think did Matthew started his Gospel with a seemingly boring list of decedents? That dry list of names is Jesus' genealogy. It tells us where He came from on a human level. It is recorded first because anyone presented as "King to the Jews" at this time had better have the ancestry to prove it.

In the Old Testament, after conquering Canaan, it was your tribe, family and father's house that determined where you lived. The book of Ruth tells us that for some land transitions, the pedigree had to be known to conduct business. After the Babylonian captivity, Ezra tells us that many were claiming to be priests. To verify this, they had to be able to produce the proper pedigree. Remember what Mary and Joseph were doing at the start of the New Testament? They were going to register by pedigree for taxation purposes.

Knowing where you came from helps you understand who you are--as well as where you are going.

There's another reason this list of names in Matthew chapter one is significant. There are some 50 genealogies in the Old Testament filled with the names of people we don't know. People who've been forgotten. The record is a reminder that they lived--and while they aren't important to us, they were important to God. He remembered each one.

You may not be know beyond your small circle of acquaintances, but you are significant to him. So much so, Jesus says the hairs on your head are numbered (Matthew 10:30).

Next time you open up the New Testament to read the story of the birth of Christ, don't just skip to angels, shepherds and wise men. Pause for a moment and remember what it means to see those names.

Stephen Goforth

For the Birds... pt. 2

Christmas comes each year to draw people in from the cold. Like tiny frightened sparrows, shivering in the winter cold, many live their lives on the barren branches of heartbreak, disappointment, and loneliness, lost in thoughts of shame, self-pity, guilt or failure. One blustery day follows another, and the only company the keep is with fellow-struggers who land on the same branches, confused and unprotected.

Then, as the year draws to a close, Christmas offers its wonderful message. Emmanuel. God with us. He who resided in heaven, willingly descended into our world. He breathed our air, felt our pain, knew our sorrows, and died for our sins. He didn't come to frighten us, but to show us the way to warmth and safely.

Charles Swindoll
The Finishing Touch

For the Birds, pt. 1

The Christmas story absolutely escaped Tom. The whole “God born in a manger” thing was beyond him. Or maybe it was just too simple for him to grasp. At least, until that Christmas Eve when the snow began to fall. Tom had just settled into his fireside chair and begun to read when he heard thumping sounds on the window and at first he thought someone was throwing snowballs. He went to the door. Looking into the yard, he found a small flock of birds, huddled there in the snow. They had been caught in the storm and had desperately tried to find shelter by flying through his large living room window. He knew he couldn’t let those little creatures freeze. The barn! Where the children keep the pony. That would provide shelter if he could get the birds in there.

He opened the barn doors and turned on a light. The birds didn’t move. Maybe some food would entice them. He sprinkled bread crumbs next to the stable door. Nothing. He tried catching them and shooing them. The birds went everywhere, except into the barn. They were afraid of him. I want them to trust me, he thought. How can I convince them I want to help? But any move he made tended to frighten them. They would not follow or be lead or shooed.

“If only I could be a bird myself,” he thought. “If I could be a bird and mingle with them and speak their language and show them the way to the barn, then they could see and understand.” It was at that moment the church bells began to ring. Listening to the good news, Tom understood--and sank to his knees in the snow.

How well do you know the Christmas Story?

1. What did the angels sing to the shepherds?

2. In what direction did the Wise Men look to see the star in the sky?

3. Where did the wise men go to see the baby?

4. How many wise men were there?

5. In which season of the year was Jesus born?

6. What did Mary ride on to Bethlehem?

7. What did the wise men ride on?

8. In what country did the Christmas tree originate?

9. In what century did Christmas celebrations begin?

10. Was there ever an original, real Santa Claus?

11. What Christmas tradition commemorating the birth of Jesus did St. Francis of Assisi begin? 

12. What is frankincense?
    a. a precious metal
    b. a precious fabric
    c. a precious perfume
    d. an Eastern monster story

13. What is Myrrh?
    a. an easily shaped metal
    b. a spice used for burying people
    c. a drink
    d. aftershave lotion

14. Did Jesus tell us to remember his birth?

15. What did Jesus tell us to remember?

Answers

He Gave

“For God so loved the world, that he gave… “ We are never more like him than when we do the same.