It is the near the end of 2023 and we will be out of the fray and celebrating the holidays with family and friends and will not be back till December 28th. The news line will be running on automatic. May God bless and Keep You till then…..
In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be registered, each to his own town. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.
Luke 2:1-7 (ESV)
Steven K. Haught, Th.D, wrote:
“December seems somewhat unsuitable for the appearance of the promised hope of Christmas—the message of the birth of Jesus. Why then is this month of long, cold nights proper for celebrating the “Dayspring from on highâ€?
The audacious claim of Christmas is that, to redeem us, God Himself came in the most vulnerable human form. Multiple prophecies foretold His birth in Bethlehem of a virgin mother, of the line of David. Each prophecy is more than a prediction; it is a promise. He is the Messiah, the Promised One, Emmanuel, who fulfills the promise of reconciliation with God.”
To continue on that theme, we began as a nation of great promise and great promises, the sheer force of which compelled our Founding Fathers to persevere. Clearly, these men believed human liberty to be the Gift of God the Creator and they captured this belief in our nation’s seminal document:
“And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor.”
We, as do we all, have many promises to keep. In the coming year, then, may we look to the Christ Child, and may we embrace the promise He so faithfully fulfilled.
The claim that Emmanuel fulfilled the promised reconciliation with God challenges the rising conceit and doubt in our culture, that nothing can be known to a certainty. That is why this holiday, marked by the shining of the miraculous Christmas Star, is best honored at the deepest darkness during the year. The brightest promises are those made at the bleakest times.
“I admire the serene assurance of those who have religious faith. It is wonderful to observe the calm confidence of a Christian with four aces.”
Mark Twain
During this Christmas season, and every day of the coming year, may God’s peace and blessings be upon you and all those around you.
Merry Christmas!
