Merry Christmas!

He humbled Himself and became vulnerable, choosing to be revealed as a man and was obedient. He was a perfect example, even in his death—a criminal’s death by crucifixion! Because of that obedience, God exalted Him and multiplied His greatness! He has now been given the greatest of all names! The authority of the name of Jesus causes every knee to bow in reverence! Everything and everyone will one day submit to this Name—in the heavenly realm, in the earthly realm, and in the demonic realm. And every tongue will proclaim in every language: “Jesus Christ is Lord Yahweh,” bringing glory and honor to God, His Father! Philippians 2:8-11 TPT

Let our worldly “rights” go, knowing that when you lay down your rights, you get to pick up His righteousness!

Luke 2:13-16 TPT Then all at once, a vast number of glorious angels appeared, the very armies of heaven! And they all praised God, singing: “Glory to God in the highest realms of heaven! For there is peace and a good hope given to the sons of men.” When the choir of angels disappeared back to heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go! Let’s hurry and find this Word that is born in Bethlehem and see for ourselves what the Lord has revealed to us.” So they ran into the village and found their way to Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in a feeding trough.

THE WORD IS BORN, wow!

They must have hurried to the village, I’m certain I would! would you not drop everything and run to meet glory manifested in a person!  And there they and found Mary, Joseph, and the baby. 

And then they departed into God’s great commission! Telling the world that what the angel had said about the way praising and glorifying God.

But again, remember Mary kept quiet, treasuring their words in her heart and the news they brought of their visit from the Angel of the Lord. It must have been beyond her ability to grasp, that sleeping in her arms—her tender newborn baby—was the Savior of the world. 

And the very idea that God chose the Shepards,  considered in their ancient society as the lowest of the low class. In fact, shepherds were deemed so untrustworthy by society, they could not serve as a witness in court. 

So if angels were going to appear to announce the birth of the Savior, why would God choose to send them to untrustworthy shepherds? Wouldn’t a group of priests seem logically like a better choice?

But the Lord’s purpose prevails over logic. From the very beginning, Jesus came to “save that which was lost” (Matthew 18:11). 

Seriously. It’s just so exciting to serve a God who is so intentional in the details.

First, the shepherds ran to Jesus. Then, they shared with others what they had experienced, and people paid attention. There must have been a drastic difference in these outcasts of society after they encountered Jesus for people they encountered to actually stand near enough to listen! 

There are a few lines from “Oh Holy Night” that started really standing out to us as His truth and we want to understand and live out each year:

“Long lay the world in sin and error pining, 

‘til He appeared and the soul felt it’s worth.

“The thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices, 

for yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.”

Our broken world is desperately seeking the hope we, brothers and sisters in Christ, have in Him, for their soul to feel it’s created worth. 

Praise the Lord that Jesus’ birth means Love came down in its truest, living  form.  

What a gift it is to follow Jesus, rejoice in His mercy, new each morning!

Merry Christmas!