The birth of Jesus took place like this. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. Before they enjoyed their wedding night, Joseph discovered she was pregnant. (It was by the Holy Spirit, but he didn’t know that.) Joseph, chagrined but noble, determined to take care of things quietly so Mary would not be disgraced.
While he was trying to figure a way out, he had a dream. God’s angel spoke in the dream: “Joseph, son of David, don’t hesitate to get married. Mary’s pregnancy is Spirit-conceived. God’s Holy Spirit has made her pregnant. She will bring a son to birth, and when she does, you, Joseph, will name him Jesus—‘God saves’—because he will save his people from their sins.” This would bring the prophet’s embryonic revelation to full term:
Watch for this—a virgin will get pregnant and bear a son;
They will name him Immanuel (Hebrew for “God is with us”).
Then Joseph woke up. He did exactly what God’s angel commanded in the dream: He married Mary. But he did not consummate the marriage until she had the baby. He named the baby Jesus.
Matthew 1:18-15 The Message
We’ve journeyed together through Christ’s promises for weeks, and now we’re here!
Merry, merry Christmas.
May your day be bright as you celebrate the Greatest Gift — the never-ending, amazing love of Jesus. He is our Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, and Prince of Peace, and He loves you dearly.
Like the angels and shepherds, we cry, “Glory to God in the highest!”
We’re thanking God for the gift of Emmanuel, the gift of a Savior, and God’s radical, creative love in sending Him as a baby named Jesus.
Merry Christmas, friends, from all of us here at (in)courage!
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Merry Christmas to all of you! May your day be blessed with God’s Presence, as we celebrate the greatest gift of all, Jesus.
Thank you for all the wonderful support your posts have provided to me in what has been a tough year. God led me here and I am forever grateful. God bless you all. Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas! What a blessing this community of writers is. Thank you for sharing the joy of Jesus each day.
In Courage,
I pray everyone had a Christ-filled Christmas. Enjoy time with friends & family. Remember “It’s about the Cross”; “It’s called Christmas with a Capital C” both are songs by Go Fish.
Blessings 🙂