Advent 2023: Mary’s Remembrances

Image: “Mary and Baby Jesus” by Jean Keaton
 https://www.jeankeatonart.com/…/pro…/mary-and-baby-jesus

Of the four gospels, only Matthew and Luke include the birth narrative. Matthew’s perspective is very different from his fellow writer’s. Together both give us a beautiful picture but I love Luke’s account of Jesus’ birth because, according to church tradition, it is Mary’s own recollections. Only Mary could recall intimate details about Gabriel’s visit the remarkable announcement: “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” (vs. 31-32). She remembered her question “How will this be since I am a virgin?” (v. 34), and the angel’s reply about the Holy Spirit’s part in the conception.
Mary even remembered Elizabeth’s miraculous pregnancy and her aged cousin’s joyful greeting, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed I the child you will bear! But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” (vs. 42, 43). And “Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!” (v. 45). Mary shared the song she sang: My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior . . .” (vs. 46-55). Mary recalled the shepherds who told about the angel’s song: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom His favor rests” (2:14).
Luke included more than just the birth story as Mary also remembered when Jesus was presented in the temple according to the law and the old man and woman who spoke powerfully about her son (2:25-38). She remembered 12-year-old Jesus alone in Jerusalem, and how He amazed the Jewish teachers by speaking with authority beyond His years (2:41-50). His mother recalled him saying, “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house? (v. 49).
Luke said that Mary, “treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart” (Luke 2:19, 51). I’m so glad she did because she and Luke gave us the most detailed, intimate account of our Savior’s birth and early glimpses of His ministry. I am sure she pulled those memories out as she watched Him die on the cross.
Beloved, on this Christmas Day, amid the fun and presents and family, take some time to read both accounts and thank God for His most marvelous gift of love.

Advent 2023: You Will Find Him

“Adoration of the Shepherds” Bartolome Esteban Murillo (1617-1682).

Often when I read the Scriptures, which I have done many, many times, the Spirit will highlight a word or phrase and draw my heart with wonder. Today, as I read Luke’s familiar account of Jesus’ birth, three words leaped off the page. It is in the Shepherd’s story in Luke 2:8-18. Shepherds were tending to their flocks through the night. Suddenly a brilliant glow lit up the night sky and an angel appeared before them with the most incredible announcement: “I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord” (vs.10-11).
“The Savior?”
“The Christ?”
“Could it really be the long-awaited Messiah?”
I have no doubt they were overjoyed and excited by this wonderful news.
But this was more than an announcement. It was an invitation! “This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger” (v. 12). They were being called to witness the very One that priests and devout Jews had longed to see! One that would change everything.
Did you see the three words that stood out to me this morning? “You will find . . .” There is such hope and promise in those words. The angel didn’t say, “Just so you know about it . . .” And he didn’t say, “Go see if you can locate this baby.” He said, “You will find. . .” You. Will. Find.
That brings to mind my life verse from Jeremiah: “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart (Jer 29:13). Look at the next verse: “I will be found by you.” (v. 14). The original terminology reads as if God is saying, “I will place Myself in your path so that you cannot miss Me.” You will find . . .
The angel’s proclamation echoed God’s words in Deuteronomy when the Lord rescued Israel and led them on the path to the Promised Land. He said “If . . . you seek the Lord your God, you will find him . . .” (Dt 4:29).
What a promise! God is not playing a divine game of hide-and-seek. He invites us to come and promises we will find. Beloved, this Christmas take a step toward the Baby in the manger. He will meet you more than halfway.

This Baby Changed the World

“While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son” (Luke 2:6).

They say that having a baby will change your life completely, and every parent knows that is true. You give your whole self away to your child and you never get yourself back. Your time is no longer your own – your days are filled with feedings and diaper changes, and more of the same through the night. Your money is not yours anymore – whoever imagined someone so tiny would need so much stuff? Your priorities are different, your goals are reshaped, and your entire identity is redefined. And you wouldn’t have it any other way.

There is a Baby who will change your life in far greater ways. This Baby will give your life direction and purpose. This Baby will bring you peace in the midst of a storm. He will comfort you when you are weary and broken. He will lift you up when you fall. This Baby will bring you immeasurable Joy. He can wash away the stain of guilt and shame and make you new. This Baby brings hope where all hope is faded. He brings light into the darkest night. This Baby brings healing to body and mind and heart. This Baby will change the way you think and the way you live. He will transform your heart and cause you to love in ways you never expected. And if all that wasn’t enough, this Baby will change your life beyond this life.

This Baby left the glory of heaven to save the entire human race. He brought peace between God and man. He broke the chains of sin. He erased the curse of death. This Baby took on your sin and mine; He bore the punishment that you and I rightly deserved. He surrendered His body to the cross and the grave. He did it all so that you and I could have life – full and abundant and eternal. He gave Himself away so that you could get yourself back. This Baby – the Lord Jesus Christ – changes everything. Beloved, I pray you have received this Baby, this Man – the Son of God – as your Savior.

Advent 2023: God in Flesh

Genesis 1 says that when God created the heavens and the earth, He spoke them into existence. “Let there be . . .” light, sky, land, seas, and plants, sun, moon, and stars, fish and birds and animals. Everything except man was created by the power of His Word. John declared that the Speaker/Creator became “the Word made flesh” (Jn. 1: 14). Jesus, the Son of God. He proved Himself as God when the wind and waves obeyed Him (Mk 4:39). He proved His authority over the spiritual realm when He spoke and cast demons out of a tortured man (Mk 5:1-20). He spoke with such authority that a centurion’s servant was healed from a distance (Lk 7:1-10) and a dead man walked out of the tomb (Jn 11). He was – and still is – the all-powerful, all-mighty God of the Universe. Nature, spirits, sickness, and even death have no choice but to obey Him when He speaks.
Yet He came to His creation as a helpless babe in the arms of a peasant girl – the only one who responded to the sound of His voice. Still, I wonder . . . did the wind and waves begin to still at the sound of His cries? Did the demons tremble when they recognized Him cooing? Did the stars shine brighter when He protested the hunger in his belly? Despite his diminutive human state, He was still God. Still the Creator and Sustainer of all things. Still the Author of Life. Still the long-awaited King. Did creation recognize Him, even if His image-bearers did not?
Yes, He was a baby just like any other baby. He needed someone to feed and clothe Him, to carry Him from place to place, to wrap Him in swaddling clothes from the cool night air. But He was a baby unlike any other and I imagine all of heaven was in awe at the sight of God in tiny flesh, so helpless and frail. I believe the creation that obeyed Him “in the beginning” knew that these were no ordinary cries. There was always power and authority and sovereignty in the sound of His voice. It was just small and quiet on that holy night.

Advent 2023: Waiting for Jesus

“Simeon’s Moment” Ron DiCianni

The old man shuffling through the temple courts was a common sight. You could tell exactly what time of day it was when Simeon came around. Same gait, same expression, the same sense of yearning. But today there was something different about him. He was excited, his eyes darted around and his feet moved as if every step was determined by a force outside of himself. Suddenly his weathered face lit up like a thousand candles as his arms extended towards a young couple. With Jesus cradled in his arms the old man began to speak in the sing-song voice of worship: “Sovereign Lord, as You have promised, You now dismiss Your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen Your salvation, which You have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to Your people Israel” (Luke 2:29-32).

Just then an old woman came up to the little group, her eyes bright with wonder and fixed on the infant in Simeon’s arms. “This is Him! This is the One! Oh, praise the name of the Lord – He has sent the Redemption of Israel!” Simeon smiled at Anna and nodded his head in agreement with her proclamation. They had both held tightly to the assurance that God would one day comfort and redeem His people and he was glad to share this glorious moment with his friend.

For the two elderly people, the baby was the fulfillment of a promise they had long held to and yearned to see. Simeon, filled with the Holy Spirit, had been assured by God that he would see the Hope of mankind before he died. Anna, widowed early in her life, had dedicated her years to worship, fasting, and praying for the Messiah to come. It had been such a long time – not just their lifetime, but hundreds of years for the oppressed nation of Israel. In the temple courts that day, their faith was rewarded and they received the child with great Joy.

How do you hold on when the promise of God is a long time in coming? Just like Simeon and Anna did – with faith. They never wavered in their expectations. They never stopped believing that every promise God made was as sure as His name – El Emunah, The Faithful God. Beloved, His name still stands today. You can wait in faith because God is still always and forever faithful. Christmas is the blessed proof that He will never fail to do what He says He will do.

Advent 2023: (Not) Just Another Baby

“The Virgin of the Angels” William-Adolphe Bouquereua (1825-1905)

Joy had a bumpy week with us this week. She was not at her best – there were many tantrums and tears and lots of “NO!” punctuated with stomping feet. She is a strong-willed little girl with a lot of emotion. Heaven help us. She especially fights bedtime. But when she finally falls asleep – usually curled up on Poppy’s arm – I look at her and all the frustrations of the day melt away.

To watch a child sleeping is to see the sweet face of innocence. Their eyes are closed to the world; mouth in soft repose as a tranquil, near-holy hush settles over their whole being. They say that when a baby smiles in his sleep, he has been kissed by an angel. If that is true—and why would we doubt it—the Infant Jesus must have smiled the whole night through. This Child was loved and adored on earth and in heaven.

Every baby brings a sense of promise to his family. Mother and father have dreams in their hearts of who this child will be—a doctor, a teacher, a missionary, or a dancer, perhaps even a leader who will one day change the world. One mother knew that her baby indeed would. One mother held the true Child of Promise for all mankind, the Messiah who would bring peace on earth.

Oh, He looked like any other baby lying there in her arms, small, helpless, and beautiful. He cried like other babies. He needed to be fed and changed like other babies. But she had heard the angel say that her child would be the Son of God (Luke 1:35). Joseph said that the angel had come to him too, and told him that this Child “will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). Her cousin Elizabeth had declared “Blessed are you among women and blessed is the child you will bear” (Luke 1:43). And what about the shepherds that came from the fields with a wild and glorious story of singing angels (Luke 2:8-18)? It is any wonder that “Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart” (Luke 2:19)?

To the rest of the world, it was just another night. To anyone who might have come upon the stable, he was just another baby. But a young mother—and all of heaven knew—peace had come to the earth, wrapped in rough cloths, sleeping in a manger.

Advent 2023: Gifts Fit For a King

“They opened their treasures and presented Him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh,” (Matthew 2:11)

What kind of gift do you bring to a newborn King? When royals or celebrities have babies, gifts pour in from all around the world. Lavish, expensive presents like giant stuffed animals, beautiful baby clothes, and the very latest in baby transportation. Only the best will do for these little ones of such high standing. When the wise men came to visit Jesus, they brought gifts worthy of a first-century king – gold, incense, and myrrh. Many scholars believe there is significance in each of these gifts: “Gold might represent His deity and purity, incense the fragrance of His life, and myrrh His sacrifice and death (myrrh was used as an embalming spice).” (From The Bible Knowledge Commentary: New Testament). Scholars believe these costly gifts funded the family’s flight to Egypt and back to Nazareth to protect Jesus from Herod.

I love the story of the little boy who, during the offering at church, set the plate on the floor and stood in it. His embarrassed mother pulled him back to his seat and whispered “What are you doing?” He replied in a very loud voice, “But Mommy, I don’t gots no money, so I wanted to give Jesus myself!” He preached a sermon by his example But our little friend is right on target. Just as the magi presented Jesus with gifts, the Bible tells us that we are to “present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God,” (Romans 12:1). In the first two verses of Romans 12, Paul tells us that our gifts to God are our bodies (v. 1) and our minds (v. 2) – what we do and how we think. In other words, we are to give every bit of ourselves to the Lord. Remember Jesus’ words about the great commandment: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength” (Mark 12:30). This covers your affections, your emotions, your convictions, and your life-focus. It’s total surrender. We love God by giving Him ourselves, inside and out.

The greatest treasure you have is you. Beloved, let all of you be your gift to Jesus this Christmas.

Advent 2023: Wise Men, Shepherds, and Atheists

The atheist philosopher Bertrand Russell, when asked what he would say if he ever encountered God, said he would tell God “Not enough evidence.” I would tell Mr. Russell that all depends on where you looking and the state of your heart.

We so often hear the complaint that Christianity is just “blind faith,” and many simply refuse to believe without “proof.” But that is not what the Bible indicates. God invites us to step into faith with our eyes wide open. He said “If . . . you seek the Lord your God, you will find Him, if you look for Him with all your heart and with all your soul” (Deuteronomy 4:29). God does not require mindless devotion to an unseen, unproven entity. He has gone to great lengths to make Himself known. Even through His flesh-and-blood Son.

On the night of Jesus’ birth, God announced the way to this blessed Child. A chorus of heavenly hosts who appeared to the shepherds in the fields – and they told them exactly where to find this Baby – “in the town of David” (Luke 2:11) and how they would recognize Him – “wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger” (v. 12). They responded to God’s revelation – “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see . . .” (v. 15). They determined to follow the evidence that God has given them.

Matthew records another visible and powerful proof of Jesus’ birth as the Magi declared, “We have seen His star in the east and have come to worship Him” (Matthew 2:2). “The star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was” (v. 9). God not only gave directions; He led the way with a star in the sky. They were overjoyed – they sought the King, and their search was rewarded.

There is another path that God has clearly provided for man to find his Creator. That path leads up a hill in Jerusalem, to Calvary, and to the Cross. God made this way clear and unmistakable when He covered that path with the blood of His one and only Son, Jesus. He has declared that this is the way to find Him – the only way. To all who will accept Him, God has promised not only to reveal Himself but to claim the seeking soul as His own. He welcomes those who seek Him with a heart to believe. Beloved, are you seeking that you may believe?

Advent 2023: Emmanuel – God With Us

“They will call Him Emmanuel, which means, ‘God with us’” (Matthew 1:23).

It is a promise I have held to through this difficult year.  God’s presence has given me strength day by day and bolstered my faith. But to truly understand the name and its significance, we have to go back to Exodus, to the most incredible statement by God: “Have them make a sanctuary for me, and I will dwell among them” (Exodus 25:9).  Pagan gods did not dwell with human beings; they were far too important to be bothered with mortals and their petty lives.  But the God who created, sustained, and ruled over all things wanted to dwell with His people – first in a tabernacle and then in the temple. 

Until their idolatry and sin became unbearable and God said, “Enough” and withdrew His presence.  Ezekiel records the terrible sight of the cloud of His presence drawing up and away. Shortly afterward the people were taken into exile and the temple was destroyed.  And though it was rebuilt when the exiles returned to Jerusalem, the Lord’s presence did not return.

Until the angel visited a carpenter, betrothed to a young woman, and proclaimed the return of Immanuel.  Joseph would instinctively know what this name meant – God with us.  God came once again to dwell among men – this time as a human baby born to peasant parents and laid in a feeding trough for animals.  The name “Emmanuel” recalls the glorious presence of God in the midst of His people.  But not just in the temple.  No, this time Emmanuel would walk among them, eat with them, touch them with human hands – and die for them.  God had been absent and silent for hundreds of years, but now He had returned to His people.

Emmanuel is still present with His people today.  He is present in the Holy Spirit that dwells in every believer.  He is present in our worship.  He is present when we pray.  He is present when we rustle the pages of the Bible.  He is present when we reach out to touch a suffering soul with His love.  He is present in holy, divine moments and in the everyday events of our lives.  Because He is Emmanuel, He is always present. Because He is God with us, we are never alone.

Advent 2022: In Heaven’s Eyes

I’ve always wondered about heaven’s reaction when Jesus was born.  What was the Father thinking?  Did He look over at Jesus’ empty throne?  Were the angels rejoicing?  Or were they silent with wonder?  The Bible doesn’t tell us specifically, but we do have a small clue.

“Even angels long to look into these things” (1 Peter 1:12).   The word Peter used for “look” means “to bend over to look intently.”  Can you picture it with me – tens of thousands of angels bending over the edge of heaven to gaze upon the Son of God in human flesh? The One who, with the Father and the Spirit, created the first human being had now become one of them.  The omnipotent was now a helpless infant, subject to cold and hunger and pain.  The One who provided all men with all things now needed a young woman to provide for Him.  He who called the light forth now squinted His eyes at the brightness of Joseph’s lantern.   He had spoken the animals into being; now they were His only companions at His birth. 

No doubt the celestial beings marveled at the sight before them, but they were particularly in awe for the purpose of it all.   They had always known that God is complete love, they had experienced that love for themselves.  But grace. Grace was something foreign to them.  These earthly creatures had rejected and abandoned their Creator; they deserved destruction.  But God offered forgiveness and even more – was willing to accept these rebellious humans as His own beloved children.  How could it be that the Sovereign Lord God Almighty sent His One and Only Son to pay the penalty for humanity’s sin?  To the heavenly beings, it was extraordinary. They recognized the greatness of God’s offer – even if the recipients of it did not.  Peter said the angels “eagerly desired” to know this amazing grace.  But it is a gift only human beings can receive.

This Christmas Day, Beloved, as you unwrap presents and embrace loved ones, consider with fresh eyes the gift of God’s grace.  From heaven brought down to earth, it is, in fact, the true heart of Christmas.