Getting the Facts Straight
In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He 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, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.” “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?” The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come upon 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. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God.” “I am the Lord's servant,” Mary answered. “May it be to me as you have said.” Then the angel left her. (Luke 1:26-38)
Since we are now well into the month of December and everyone has started to think about Christmas, I thought it would be a good idea for us to take a “Christmas Quiz” to see how well we know the facts about the first Christmas. You’ll find the answers at the end of the article:
1. When Mary and Joseph went to Bethlehem, how did they get there?
A. They walked. B. Joseph walked; Mary rode a donkey C. They took a chariot D. We don’t really know
2. How many angels spoke to the shepherds?
A. A multitude B. Two: Gabriel and Michael C. One D. Not sure
3. What song did the angels sing?
A. “O Little Town of Bethlehem” B. “Joy to the World” C. “Glory to God in the Highest” D. None of the above
4. What animals were present at Jesus’ birth?
A. Cows, sheep and camels B. Horses, sheep and donkeys C. Lions and tigers and bears D. None of the above
5. In what books of the Bible can you find the Christmas story?
A. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John B. Matthew and Luke C. Mark and Matthew D. Matthew, Mark and Luke
In our culture Christmas can be a very confusing and frustrating holiday. I don’t mean to sound like a scrooge, but when you think about the elbow-to-elbow shopping, parking at the far end of the mall parking lot, the extra baking, the wrapping, filling out and mailing the cards, the decorating, the house cleaning, putting up the tree, the rehearsals, the cooking, stringing the lights, the visiting, the cleanup, and then all the credit card bills - and add to that mix the never ending stream of Christmas commercials on television trying to get us to spend money we don’t have on junk we don’t need, the daily stack of catalogs arriving in the mail, the unrelenting stream of silly Christmas songs on the radio - and on top of all that add Santa Claus, Frosty the Snowman, flying reindeer, Jack Frost, 4 foot Candy Canes, the little drummer boy, elves, socks hanging by the fireplace and air-filled cartoon characters swaying around on the front lawn – you’ve got to wonder if anyone actually knows what Christmas is all about?
Perhaps it’s time to set the facts straight: In spite of everything the world does to celebrate Christmas, Jesus is the ONLY reason for the season. Now don’t get me wrong, (because I’m really not a scrooge!) I’m not against celebrating Christmas in any way at all. It’s just that in our culture, it is so easy to go through all the “Christmas Stuff” and not really hear what God says to us through the birth of our Savior. Here are a few Christmas facts I hope we all remember as we prepare to celebrate this year.
Christmas Is About An Amazing Announcement: An angel comes from the Lord and proclaims an impossible announcement that no law of physics or biology can explain. It’s something no scientist can hypothesize and no computer can predict. Quite beyond the boundaries of biology, God announces that the Son of God will be born of a virgin. With the birth of Christ, the impossible becomes possible. That’s the first message that Jesus proclaims when he arrives on this earth. He doesn’t articulate the message with words, but rather by his birth. Why born of a virgin? Stock answer is that it was fulfillment of prophecy. But it is more than that. It’s to demonstrate and teach us something. God could have arrived any way he wanted. It’s not like Jesus was constrained by time and space or that he was restricted to coming as an infant to a young Jewish girl. Jesus was preaching his first sermon through the virgin birth. Nothing is impossible with God. Keep saying it to yourself until you really get it. Shout it out the widow to your neighbor if that’s what it takes, because if you don’t get this one – you haven’t come close to celebrating Christmas. Have you accepted this as a truth in your life? Or do you find yourself saying, “We can’t do that.” “I can’t change.” “I can’t see myself doing this.” “I will never be able to ….” Get the facts straight – with God nothing is impossible. Live your faith like nothing is impossible with God. Trust God in a way that shows you believe He can do the impossible.
Christmas Celebrates the Arrival of An Incredible Savior “He 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, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.” At the center of Christmas is the baby Jesus. He is co-equal and co-exists with the Father in heaven. He has always been the second Person of the Godhead. And He was willing to lay aside the unimaginable glory of heaven to become like one of us. I like the way Paul describes it in II Corinthians 8:9: “For you know the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.” A king who becomes poor in order to make his servants rich? That’s what Christmas is about! Get the facts straight - God took on the poverty of human flesh to lavish us with the riches of His grace and love. What an incredible savior!
Christmas Calls Us To Accept Impossible Assignments “How will this be?” Mary asked the angel, “Since I am a virgin?” Mary says, “How with this be? I don’t understand how this could happen. It goes beyond the limitations of knowledge and experience.” We really can’t fault Mary for responding this way. She was simply being honest and logical. I doubt anyone of us would have responded any different. The thing that sets her apart though (and perhaps it’s the reason God choose to use her) is she had a surrendered spirit. “I am the Lord's servant,” Mary answered. “May it be to me as you have said.” Though none of us will ever have to trust God the exact way Mary did, all of us have been called at different points in our lives to step out in faith, and not to doubt, not to fear, not to hesitate, not to refuse to move forward until we can see, but to move forward in faith alone. Often because we don’t understand how God is going to work out every little detail, we hesitate. When we miss stepping out in faith, we miss seeing God do the impossible. Get the facts straight – Christmas reminds us to walk by faith, not by sight.
Will you remember the facts this Christmas Season? Is Christmas a time to celebrate? A time to decorate? A time to throw a party? Absolutely! But sometime during the season, spend a few moments looking at that little manger scene you’ve placed in your living room. Thank God for doing the impossible by sending such an Incredible Savior just for you. And tell Him you are willing to step out in faith and take on whatever impossible assignment he may have picked out for you to do.
Live the Victorious Life,
PT
Answers to the Christmas Quiz:
1. The correct answer is “D.” The Bible gives no record of their means of travel.
2. The right response is “C.” Luke 2:10: “The angel said to them…”
3. This is a trick question. The correct choice is “D.” According to Luke 2:13, they were: “…praising God and saying…” There’s no mention of them singing anything.
4. There is no mention in the Bible about any animals being present. The answer is “D.”
5. The right choice is “B” -- Matthew and Luke. These two gospels give us insight into the birth of Jesus and provide much of what we know about the first Christmas.
Since we are now well into the month of December and everyone has started to think about Christmas, I thought it would be a good idea for us to take a “Christmas Quiz” to see how well we know the facts about the first Christmas. You’ll find the answers at the end of the article:
1. When Mary and Joseph went to Bethlehem, how did they get there?
A. They walked. B. Joseph walked; Mary rode a donkey C. They took a chariot D. We don’t really know
2. How many angels spoke to the shepherds?
A. A multitude B. Two: Gabriel and Michael C. One D. Not sure
3. What song did the angels sing?
A. “O Little Town of Bethlehem” B. “Joy to the World” C. “Glory to God in the Highest” D. None of the above
4. What animals were present at Jesus’ birth?
A. Cows, sheep and camels B. Horses, sheep and donkeys C. Lions and tigers and bears D. None of the above
5. In what books of the Bible can you find the Christmas story?
A. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John B. Matthew and Luke C. Mark and Matthew D. Matthew, Mark and Luke
In our culture Christmas can be a very confusing and frustrating holiday. I don’t mean to sound like a scrooge, but when you think about the elbow-to-elbow shopping, parking at the far end of the mall parking lot, the extra baking, the wrapping, filling out and mailing the cards, the decorating, the house cleaning, putting up the tree, the rehearsals, the cooking, stringing the lights, the visiting, the cleanup, and then all the credit card bills - and add to that mix the never ending stream of Christmas commercials on television trying to get us to spend money we don’t have on junk we don’t need, the daily stack of catalogs arriving in the mail, the unrelenting stream of silly Christmas songs on the radio - and on top of all that add Santa Claus, Frosty the Snowman, flying reindeer, Jack Frost, 4 foot Candy Canes, the little drummer boy, elves, socks hanging by the fireplace and air-filled cartoon characters swaying around on the front lawn – you’ve got to wonder if anyone actually knows what Christmas is all about?
Perhaps it’s time to set the facts straight: In spite of everything the world does to celebrate Christmas, Jesus is the ONLY reason for the season. Now don’t get me wrong, (because I’m really not a scrooge!) I’m not against celebrating Christmas in any way at all. It’s just that in our culture, it is so easy to go through all the “Christmas Stuff” and not really hear what God says to us through the birth of our Savior. Here are a few Christmas facts I hope we all remember as we prepare to celebrate this year.
Christmas Is About An Amazing Announcement: An angel comes from the Lord and proclaims an impossible announcement that no law of physics or biology can explain. It’s something no scientist can hypothesize and no computer can predict. Quite beyond the boundaries of biology, God announces that the Son of God will be born of a virgin. With the birth of Christ, the impossible becomes possible. That’s the first message that Jesus proclaims when he arrives on this earth. He doesn’t articulate the message with words, but rather by his birth. Why born of a virgin? Stock answer is that it was fulfillment of prophecy. But it is more than that. It’s to demonstrate and teach us something. God could have arrived any way he wanted. It’s not like Jesus was constrained by time and space or that he was restricted to coming as an infant to a young Jewish girl. Jesus was preaching his first sermon through the virgin birth. Nothing is impossible with God. Keep saying it to yourself until you really get it. Shout it out the widow to your neighbor if that’s what it takes, because if you don’t get this one – you haven’t come close to celebrating Christmas. Have you accepted this as a truth in your life? Or do you find yourself saying, “We can’t do that.” “I can’t change.” “I can’t see myself doing this.” “I will never be able to ….” Get the facts straight – with God nothing is impossible. Live your faith like nothing is impossible with God. Trust God in a way that shows you believe He can do the impossible.
Christmas Celebrates the Arrival of An Incredible Savior “He 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, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.” At the center of Christmas is the baby Jesus. He is co-equal and co-exists with the Father in heaven. He has always been the second Person of the Godhead. And He was willing to lay aside the unimaginable glory of heaven to become like one of us. I like the way Paul describes it in II Corinthians 8:9: “For you know the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.” A king who becomes poor in order to make his servants rich? That’s what Christmas is about! Get the facts straight - God took on the poverty of human flesh to lavish us with the riches of His grace and love. What an incredible savior!
Christmas Calls Us To Accept Impossible Assignments “How will this be?” Mary asked the angel, “Since I am a virgin?” Mary says, “How with this be? I don’t understand how this could happen. It goes beyond the limitations of knowledge and experience.” We really can’t fault Mary for responding this way. She was simply being honest and logical. I doubt anyone of us would have responded any different. The thing that sets her apart though (and perhaps it’s the reason God choose to use her) is she had a surrendered spirit. “I am the Lord's servant,” Mary answered. “May it be to me as you have said.” Though none of us will ever have to trust God the exact way Mary did, all of us have been called at different points in our lives to step out in faith, and not to doubt, not to fear, not to hesitate, not to refuse to move forward until we can see, but to move forward in faith alone. Often because we don’t understand how God is going to work out every little detail, we hesitate. When we miss stepping out in faith, we miss seeing God do the impossible. Get the facts straight – Christmas reminds us to walk by faith, not by sight.
Will you remember the facts this Christmas Season? Is Christmas a time to celebrate? A time to decorate? A time to throw a party? Absolutely! But sometime during the season, spend a few moments looking at that little manger scene you’ve placed in your living room. Thank God for doing the impossible by sending such an Incredible Savior just for you. And tell Him you are willing to step out in faith and take on whatever impossible assignment he may have picked out for you to do.
Live the Victorious Life,
PT
Answers to the Christmas Quiz:
1. The correct answer is “D.” The Bible gives no record of their means of travel.
2. The right response is “C.” Luke 2:10: “The angel said to them…”
3. This is a trick question. The correct choice is “D.” According to Luke 2:13, they were: “…praising God and saying…” There’s no mention of them singing anything.
4. There is no mention in the Bible about any animals being present. The answer is “D.”
5. The right choice is “B” -- Matthew and Luke. These two gospels give us insight into the birth of Jesus and provide much of what we know about the first Christmas.
posted by Larry | 3:40 PM
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