Luke 2:10-11 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.”
 
IS there a more wonderful message in the Bible and in the history of the world than these words? “Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.”  What a headline! What a story! The Messiah, who is God, has come to earth. And “he has been born to you”. What do we do with our lives when we understand this immortal truth?
    This is the truth that gives our lives meaning. “A Savior has been born to you” sets you free from sin’s death. You are assured of God’s love. You understand your life’s purpose. Hope for a grand and glorious future with the eternal God is certain in your heart.
    Yes, this is the event that completes God’s promise from ancient times: “I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God” (Exodus 6:7).
    Yes, God spoke these words to Jacob’s descendants to tell his people he would personally come to them long before Jesus spoke in the first person “I who speak to you am he.” (John 4:26). The personal God came to build a personal relationship with first the Jews and then the people of the entire world.
    Do you know the personal pleasure of this very personal truth in your life today? As you work, parent children, struggle with circumstances, confront financial issues and wonder about “tomorrow”, know this: The highest truth and meaning in your life is, “He has been born to you”.
    Miraculously, Jesus is available to you night and day. He offers his peace when distress disturbs your soul. He offers his truth when you need to know what’s right. He gives you his strength when you know there is no way to get through another week. Submitting to the Savior, who “is Christ the Lord,” you receive his life for all eternity. He is your God in so many, many ways. Yes, Christ the Lord, the One who saves has come to you. I pray that for you it Is “good news of great joy!”
   
Prayer: Thank you, Jesus. I rejoice that you are my Savior, born to save my soul! Amen.  

Luke 2:8-9 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.
 
WHEN my granddaughters were toddlers, as I was playing with one or talking with her, my attention would drift to something else in the room. When that happened, she would put her hands on my face, turn my face to her face, look me in the eye and say, in effect, “Pay attention, Grandpa. I’m talking to you.” She got my attention. I was quickly back on track. It is important to honor our loved ones with our undivided attention, isn’t it? 
    Through Luke’s account of Jesus’ birth, we see how God lovingly came to Zechariah, Mary and now the shepherds. Very powerfully, in the form of an angel and then a multitude of angels, God personally appeared to put his spiritual hands on the faces of those he had chosen for a special relationship with him. God graciously, lovingly and pointedly said to them, “I need your undivided attention. You must know you have a special role in my plan to send my Savior to the world.”
    The glory of the Lord that night over the dark sheep pastures turned the shepherds’ eyes upward to see God’s brilliant glory come down to earth. It is no wonder this announcement transformed their lives.
    When Jesus ministered to the world, he continued to demonstrate God’s glory through his preaching, his discipling, his love, his forgiveness, his healing, his death and his resurrection. Jesus wanted the world’s full attention to say, “The Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.” (Luke 19:10)
    Thankfully, in God’s power, countless people have paid attention since then to know God has pointed to them out of all mankind to say, “You are mine. I have a special purpose for your life.” Yes, God’s message is sure and clear. “It is finished! I am the Alpha and the Omega – the Beginning and the End. To all who are thirsty I will give freely from the springs of the water of life.” (Revelation 21:7) May we all pay absolute attention to this each day of our lives.
 
Prayer: Thank you, Father, for Jesus’ message. I submit my heart to hear your love, forgiveness and salvation for my soul. Amen.

Luke 2:6-7 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 room for them in the inn.
 
“THERE was no room for them in the inn.” What kind of culture was this to keep a very pregnant woman from a bed? Do you think somebody should have said, “Here. You can have my bed. I’ll gladly give it up for you.” But no one did. There was no room for Mary, Joseph and no room for Jesus.
    This is the human heart, isn’t it? How sad it is to consider our sin nature closes the door on the Savior. Our tendency is keep him from our heart because his commands interfere with our lives. We do not want to see all he has to offer us.
    Jesus is love incarnate. He is joy, peace, kindness and goodness. Jesus’ ears listen; his hands heal. Even more his mouth speaks correction, forgiveness and grace. His feet walk among the physically and spiritually poor. Mercifully, his eyes look into your eyes to invite, “Come, follow me.”
    We love what Jesus offers. Even so, we’re not sure we want to receive him. It might mean we will need to give back to him. Committing to Jesus is too much for our reluctant hearts. We may even be prone to reply, “No room, Jesus. My schedule is full. I’m not ready, yet.”
    On that night in Bethlehem Jesus came knocking at the world’s door, and only a few poor shepherds came to see. But the gracious, wonderful thing is, he’s still knocking on doors. Jesus hasn’t quit. Through the Holy Spirit the risen Lord still acts to open countless hearts to make room for him.
    In God’s grace, your Lord Jesus is entering your life to say, “Let’s go show the world my salvation. Let’s listen to people’s needs. The culture of the entire world needs healing, forgiveness and grace. As good shepherds we can walk among the nations to offer eternal wealth to the physically and spiritually poor.”
    Do you hear Jesus asking, “Got room?”
 
Prayer: Lord Jesus, I welcome you and the great salvation you have for me. In your name I welcome you, amen. 

Luke 2:4-5 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.
 
JOSEPH and Mary are on an 80-mile walk from Nazareth in Galilee to Bethlehem in Judea. The journey would take from five to eight days, depending, as you can imagine, on weather, congestion on the roadway and how everyone, especially Mary, was feeling. These steps to Bethlehem are the next steps of God’s magnificent plan to save your soul and all who call on Jesus’ name. 
    Consider here the centuries of promises and prophecies that had come to the Jews. The spoken and written word of God had been revealed from Adam to Noah to Abraham to Isaac to Jacob to Joseph to Moses to Samuel to David to Isaiah to Daniel and now to Joseph and Mary. Wait, can we say, “Joseph and Mary”, in the same breath with the mighty patriarchs and prophets of Israel’s history? They seem to be uneducated, impoverished misfits.
    But they aren’t misfits. Joseph and Mary surely fit into God’s salvation covenant as the mighty and famous. God puts people of all shapes, sizes, backgrounds on a journey with him to reveal Jesus to the world. God takes misfits and fits them perfectly into his plan.
    That’s why he’s called you. Yes, you. Sometimes we may not believe we fit into God’s will. But when you say, “Yes, Lord. I will follow you.” you have spoken a life-changing commitment. In God’s grace, Jesus’ atoning death and the Spirit-giving life, the Lord has set you on a journey for you to faithfully walk with your personal, loving God.
    When you confess Jesus, “Lord and Savior.” he leads you to the places he has prepared for you to perfectly fit into his kingdom. Such places could be as Joseph and Mary –  a crowded town, a stinky stable, a sheep pasture and a rocky road. You might fit on a mountain top, a fertile plain or a cross. Yes, there is that promise from Jesus that you will fit into the Kingdom of God when you “take up your cross”. (Mark 8:34)
    Joseph’s and Mary’s cross included a pre-marital pregnancy, a hard journey, a primitive birthplace for their son, a flight to Egypt to protect him and a daily responsibility to look after the Son of God. In the Spirit’s power, they fit well into their mission, and so will you.

Prayer: Thank you, Lord, for the ways you fit me into your salvation plan for the world. Amen. 

Luke 2:1-3 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 Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 And everyone went to his own town to register.
 
THESE words seem fairly simple. Orders are given; it’s time to pay the tax. But when you read these words, do you see the very bad news? More taxes are bad news for such poor Jews as Joseph and Mary.
    But the bad news goes deeper than money. It goes to the very soul of a nation. Rome controlled Israel. Israel’s people were subject to Rome’s intention to use Israel’s wealth to fund its domination and expansion.
    This passage also represents a point in history. Luke wants to give evidence of the time, day and month – October – when Jesus was born. The more deliberate he can be of the circumstances around that time, the more we can trust Jesus truly was born in Bethlehem.
    This also helps to confirm Jesus’ ministry time, his death, his resurrection and his ascension. One fact helps lead to another. True steps lead to the true God.
    The truth is, God turned the bad news into good news. The Father sent his Son into the midst of political oppression at just the right time. It may seem odd our Lord would come when Rome ruled. But it was the Sovereign LORD, who truly ruled. The LORD used Rome’s government as a means to spread the gospel into the world. The Roman Empire would be generally tolerant for a time of Jesus’ followers. Many new churches were founded within its borders. Acts 21-23 tells us Rome protected the apostle Paul when the Jews passionately tried to kill him. It was the Jews, who were the first persecutors of Christ’s church.
    In addition, Rome’s good roads and effective mail system would help transmit the gospel. Paul’s, Peter’s, James’ and others’ teaching letters were delivered to Jesus’ disciples in many towns and villages. Consider, also, that the oppressive nation Rome would later become one of the first nations to proclaim Christianity as an acceptable religion. In these ways, Rome, the “bad news nation” became a “good news nation”. God raises governments and deposes governments for his purposes.
   
Prayer: Lord, use our governments as a means of spreading the good news. Amen

Luke 1:80 and the child grew and became strong in spirit; and he lived in the desert until he appeared publicly to Israel.
 
HE lived in the desert? Isn’t John formed to be someone very special, born to point the way to Jesus? Don’t you think God would pamper him and let him grow up with good home cooking, a nice bed and good friends all around? Why the lonely, challenging desert?
    “Why, God?” is often a weak question when it is asked to understand God’s motives and his role in unhappy circumstances of our lives. “Why, God?” seems to be asked with an attitude that says, “I can do better than this.”
    But if you ask, “Why God?” with humility and desire to truly understand God’s answer, it can be a very strong question. If we are prepared to adjust our lives to the “Why?” we will more deeply grow into the way God has designed our life. Receiving and submitting to God’s will deepens our love for our Father in Heaven. Often, as recorded in Job’s life, God will not give us an answer. His inherent will is that we accept our lives as they are under his reign.
    But perhaps we can answer, “Why did John the Baptist live in the desert?” Let’s first consider plants that grow in the desert. Desert plants look different from those in other habitats. They are often spiny with tiny leaves, rarely “leaf green.” Why are they so different?
    It is because God has formed them to grow and multiply in drought and heat. They need to be different to survive and thrive, don’t they?
    In this manner, the desert was the perfect place to strengthen John into God’s purpose. Notice how the verse says, the child grew and became strong in the Spirit. God put John where he could grow and mature to be different than other people. He will only thrive and multiply his mission if he has a sure faith rooted in God.
    God planned that John will look different, and he will be different. The LORD God sanctified him – set him apart – from the world to form him to challenge the norm. John would go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous – to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” (Luke 1:17)  
    This was John’s destiny. In the desert, away from physical and emotional comfort, John experienced God’s redemptive power to faithfully enter into God’s purpose.
    Are you perhaps wondering why you are in a “desert” in your life? Or do you have friends asking you, “Why is my life so difficult?” The Bible often tells us that such times in our lives are God’s time to shape us more closely to him. When there is little of the world to hold onto, we can turn and hold fast to the steadfast Creator of the world.
         
Prayer: Thank you for the desert, Father. May I blossom in you. Amen.
 

Luke 1:76-79 “And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him, 77 to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, 78 because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven 79 to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.”
 
IN the latter 19th and early 20th centuries, the circus was a celebrated form of entertainment. Before a circus would arrive for their performance in a town, the circus’ public relations people would go into the town and surrounding area with large brightly-colored posters. The promoters would nail them to any flat surface. “The Big Event is coming here to this town next week! Be ready. Be excited!” From the posters and past experiences, people’s hearts grew to expect the circus wonders they would soon enjoy.
    Then the circus entered town with a colorful, noisy parade to say, “We’re here! The shows begin tomorrow.” Huge tents soon changed the town’s landscape in a matter of hours, turning an ordinary day into one extraordinary holiday.
    The Bible is God’s announcement he is far above the ordinary. He has sent many prophets to announce his Son would come to deliver God’s wonders to the world. Is anything more exciting than to know the coming King will give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins? Do we grasp the excitement of the tender mercy of our God? With great anticipation and thankfulness we worship the rising sun – a metaphor for Jesus, who will come to us from heaven. God’s revelation will come with the Savior, who will shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death. We humbly receive his grace to guide our feet into the path of peace.
    For centuries Israel’s faithful believers expected the Messiah. The time had come. God had sent John to lead the parade of his redemptive work to point to the Lord Jesus and say, “He’s here!”
    Jesus will reveal his tender mercies. He will transform the world from ordinary into an extraordinary display of his salvation. Indeed, the gospel message is a celebration of the Big Event.
    Are you excited Jesus has come? Are you one announcing he’s coming again? Everyone needs to know God has come to town. All must know, too, Jesus is coming again. Isn’t God wonderful to advertise his Big Event, so you can experience his glory?
 
Prayer: Thank you, Father, for announcing, “Jesus is coming!” Thank you, Jesus for telling us to anticipate your Second Coming: “They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. (Matthew 24:30) I  pray I am prepared, and I will help others to be prepared! Amen. 

Luke 1:67-75 John’s father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied: 68 “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come and has redeemed his people. 69 He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David 70 (as he said through his holy prophets of long ago), 71 salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us 72 to show mercy to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant, 73 the oath he swore to our father Abraham: 74 to rescue us from the hand of our enemies, and to enable us to serve him without fear 75 in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.”
 
REMEMBER the moment that something amazing happened to you. You’ve passed a test you’ve failed several times. You have given birth to a long-awaited child. You have scored the winning points in a championship game. In that moment, you knew a very, very special victory in your life. Nothing can contain your joy.
    That is Zechariah’s joyful praise. For centuries, God had promised a horn of salvation – one who will be powerful to save his people. Zechariah knows that his son will point to the Prophesied One who will come and redeem his people. Zechairah, the priest, understands Israel is on the verge of witnessing the Great Arrival of the Savior so long promised.
    And there is more in this scripture. Zechariah’s words also point to Israel’s final victory: To show mercy to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant…to our father Abraham. This is a prophecy of God’s eternal plan to rescue Israel from the hand of Israel’s enemies, and to enable us to serve him without fear in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.
    Jesus’ incarnation is a sign God’s eternal promise will come true. This will happen when Jesus returns. As many of God’s prophets before him, Zechariah pointed to the soon coming Savior and to the eternal King of Kings, who will reign all our days. God has promised. God is keeping his promise.
    Scripture is very plain to tell us God is, indeed, a Promise Keeper, who has come to redeem you into his eternal kingdom. Be as Zechariah. See God at work in the world. Know the joy of God’s eternal hand on your eternal soul.
    Oh yes, there is joy in Zechariah’s voice. Do you hear it? It is as if he is being born again.
 
Prayer: Excite my heart each day, Lord God, as I remember your promise from Isaiah 43:1 “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.” Amen

Luke 1:66 Everyone who heard this wondered about it, asking, “What then is this child going to be?” For the Lord’s hand was with him.
 
“CAN I give you a hand?” Isn’t it good when someone offers to help you with a task? It means they care about you. They want to lighten you work and help you complete it more easily. A helping hand at the right time is a wonderful blessing. This reflects God’s image. Psalms 46:1 God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. When someone offers to help you, see it as God’s strength and mercy coming to you.  
    The Lord’s hand was on Zechariah’s and Elizabeth’s son John. People knew John’s life was God’s special miracle and a loving sign.
    In Acts, Luke used the same phrase to note God’s help for his evangelists: Acts 11:21 “The Lord’s hand was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord.” The only way the church could begin was for God’s hand through the Holy Spirit to powerfully change the hearts of those who spoke and heard the gospel message of salvation in Jesus.
    The Lord’s hand is his power to protect, guide, transform and care for his people. We thank God he does not sit by with his hands folded to merely watch you live your life. He ignites your life into a new creation. The Holy Spirit offers the Savior’s hand to you, and says, “Here, take my hand. I’ll pull you up, so you are close beside me. I’ll keep you from falling. I will keep you under my care. I’ll lead you through the trouble you are facing to a good place to be safe with me. Be at ease. Be confident. I’m here loving you. Take my hand.”
    When you pick up your Bible, look for God’s hand. It’s there on every page waiting to help you.
 
Prayer: Thank you, Lord, for your warm, loving, powerful hand. In Jesus’ name, I receive your help. Amen.
 

Luke 1:62-65 Then they made signs to his father, to find out what he would like to name the child. 63 He asked for a writing tablet, and to everyone’s astonishment he wrote, “His name is John.” 64 Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue was loosed, and he began to speak, praising God. 65 The neighbors were all filled with awe, and throughout the hill country of Judea people were talking about all these things.
 
IN awe they were talking about these things. The things were the miracles in Zechariah’s and Elizabeth’s lives – a son born to the once-barren coupled, Zechariah’s voice returning, the son named John. These remarkable things were big news. Headline news, breaking news – whatever the term is today to grab our attention – truly defines the news around John’s birth. Every Media outlet available was flooded with these things.  Yes, this family was big news.
    And how would they talk about these wonderful things? Would they say Zechariah and Elizabeth finally got themselves a baby? Would they say, “Did you hear about Zechariah’s and Elizabeth’s good luck? They have a baby boy! They called him Jehochanan. The name means the grace and mercy of Yahweh – what good fortune!”
    No, they would have talked of God. They called him Yahweh. He is the “I am who I am” (Exodus 3:14). He is the infinite, personal God, who is the origin of everything. Nothing happens by chance or luck. These have no power to affect any circumstance. Yes, God sovereignly entered into this family’s barrenness and long-lost hope to say to Judea, “Here I am! I love you, and I have something grand for you. I have made the impossible happen in this family. This is a sign for all of you! More impossibles are about to come”
    From Judea the news of these things has spread throughout the ages and across the globe and to you this very day.
    What now is your response? Have you spoken of these things to anyone? Do you talk of God?
    Yes, go ahead and talk of his wonders in your life. Talk of the life he has given you. Talk of God’s grace to give you his Son to redeem your soul. Talk of God’s love to send you the Holy Spirit to live in you. Talk with words of praise and awe. Tell your church. Tell your friends. Tell your family. Tell the world of God’s good news to come to save you.
 
Prayer: I open my mouth to speak of your great miracles in my life, Lord. Thank you for Jesus, for your Spirit and for your love. Amen.