Episode 92: Advent Day 16

12/16/19 • 5 min

Matthew 1:18-25 (NLT)

The Birth of Jesus the Messiah
18 This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit. 19 Joseph, to whom she was engaged, was a righteous man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly.

20 As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. 21 And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

22 All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet:

23 “Look! The virgin will conceive a child!
She will give birth to a son,
and they will call him Immanuel,
which means ‘God is with us.’”

24 When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife. 25 But he did not have sexual relations with her until her son was born. And Joseph named him Jesus.

Mary was an ordinary Hebrew girl. She blended in. She was part of the crowd. But God chose Mary to play an important role in His plan to bring blessing and salvation to the world.

Mary supernaturally carried God’s Son in her belly and brought Jesus into the world. God saw fit for His only Son to be born, nurtured, and taught by Mary and her husband, Joseph. No longer able to blend into the crowd, Mary was set apart by God Himself.

Why? What made Mary so special? She didn’t have wealth, nobility, or social standing. Any talents she may have possessed were unimpressive. While her earthly possessions were few, Mary did possess three valuable traits.

First, Mary’s heart was fully surrendered. Mary answered the angel Gabriel, “I am the Lord’s servant. May it be to me as you have said.” Though she had questions, she was open to God’s plan.

Second, Mary had faith. Mary shared the life-altering encounter with a close friend and relative, Elizabeth. Elizabeth recognized Mary’s faith, “Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!” (Luke 1:45).

Third, Mary was a worshiper. Luke 1:46-55 beautifully captures Mary’s heart as she points the focus and praise back to the One who saw her and knew her. God elevated Mary because she surrendered to Him and His plans for her life.

God uses the ordinary for His extraordinary plan. We can trust in Him.

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Matthew 1:18-25 (NLT)

22 All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet:

23 “Look! The virgin will conceive a child!
She will give birth to a son,
and they will call him Immanuel,
which means ‘God is with us.’”

24 When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife. 25 But he did not have sexual relations with her until her son was born. And Joseph named him Jesus.

Mary was an ordinary Hebrew girl. She blended in. She was part of the crowd. But God chose Mary to play an important role in His plan to bring blessing and salvation to the world.

God uses the ordinary for His extraordinary plan. We can trust in Him.

Support the show

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Episode 91: Advent Day 15

Luke 21:1-4 (NLT)

The Widow’s Offering
21 While Jesus was in the Temple, he watched the rich people dropping their gifts in the collection box. 2 Then a poor widow came by and dropped in two small coins.

3 “I tell you the truth,” Jesus said, “this poor widow has given more than all the rest of them. 4 For they have given a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she has.”

Each year, we try to make the holidays bigger and better than the year before. We frantically search the aisles and spend hard-earned money on the perfect gift. At Christmas, we feel the need to go above and beyond for show. So, we fill stockings to the brim and meticulously decorate the tree.

Luke 21:1-4 reminds us that Jesus is not impressed by our status, wealth, or online following.

In Jesus’ day, most widows lacked the means to support themselves. Without a husband or children to provide, they relied on welfare from the church or the kindness of strangers. As the wealthy placed their gifts into the treasury, a widow placed two small copper coins in the offering. She gave only a few cents, but she gave all she had.

You can imagine the widow trying to hide her gift, embarrassed at its lack of size. But Jesus saw the depth of her sacrifice and called attention to her faith. The gift most likely to be seen as insignificant and the person most likely to be overlooked is the one Jesus brought to the forefront.

It’s easy to get caught up in the celebration and forget the person we’re celebrating. Jesus came so everyone — the poor and the wealthy, the curated and the chaotic — would have an opportunity to know their Father in heaven.

Those who have a lot and those who have a little can both lose sight of what matters. Jesus cares far more about the spirit with which we give than the amount we give. He longs for us to feel the same way (Matthew 6).

What if this Christmas we gave others the same attention Jesus gave the poor widow? What if we looked past the stuff to see a person’s heart? We might just help someone take a step closer to their heavenly Father.

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Episode 93: Advent Day 17

Luke 2:7 (NLT)

7 She gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them.

The little drummer boy is a classic Christmas song written in 1941 it's about a little boy invited to see the Christ child being a poor boy he's worried about not having a suitable gift to bring to the newborn King. The little boy is far more concerned about this than Jesus is. Do you find yourself concerned in the same way this year? Have you been counting down the number of paychecks until Christmas? Are you disappointed that this may be a modest Christmas? When God sent his son into the world the options were unlimited, he could have been born into a wealthy family who would have provided him with lavish things. He could have been from a bigger town with more prestige, but that is not the Christmas God chose. Christ came to humble parents and humble circumstances those very circumstances made the little drummer boy in the song feel as if he could approach Jesus he took one look at him and declared “I am a poor boy too.”

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