Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows. When His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit.@ Matthew 1:18
(Having just fought off Satan's attempt to keep him from reaching Mary, Gabriel breaks out in praise.)
Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty! AKing of kings and Lord of Lords! As the Father received our praise, He whispered to me. I heard Him as if at my side. Go, Gabriel: go tell Mary. On a wave of worship I flew, this time alone. I circled through the clouds and over the ground. Below me was the city where Mary was born. The Father was right; I knew her in an instant. Her heart had no shadow. Her soul was as pure as any I've seen. I made the final descent. Mary. I kept my voice low as not to startle her. She turned but saw nothing. Then I realized I was invisible to her. I waved my wings before my body and incarnated. She covered her face at the Light and shrank into the protection of the doorway. Don't be afraid, I urged. The minute I spoke, she looked up toward the sky. Again I was amazed. I praised my Father for His wisdom. Her heart is so flawless, so willing. Greetings. God be with you. Her eyes widened, and she turned as if to run. Mary, you have nothing to fear. You have found favor with God. You will become pregnant and give birth to a son and call His name Jesus. He will be great. He will be called the Son of the Highest. The Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; He will rule Jacob's house forever - no end, ever, to His kingdom.@ Though she was listening, she was puzzled. But how? I've never slept with a man. Before I spoke I looked up into the heavens. The Father was standing, giving me His blessing. I continued, The Holy Spirit will come upon you, the power of the highest hover over you; therefore, the child you bring to birth will be called Holy, Son of God. Nothing, you see, is impossible with God. Mary looked at me then up into the sky. For a long time she gazed into the blueness, So long that I, too looked up. Did she see angels? Did the heavens open? I do not know. But I do know when I looked back at her, she was smiling. Yes, I see it all now: I'm the Lord's maid, ready to serve. Let it be with me just as you say. As she spoke, a Light appeared in her womb. I glanced at the vile. It was empty.
(Taken from ACosmic Christmas@ By Max Lucado, p62-66 Word Publishing)
Thought for the week: Scandal is gossip made tedious by morality.
-- Oscar Wilde, Lady Windermere's Fan, 1892, Act
Funny for the week: How we celebrate Christmas:
As a teacher, Ms. Jones, was very curious about how each of her
students celebrated Christmas. She called on young Patrick Murphy. "Tell me Patrick what do you do at Christmas time?" she asked.
Patrick addressed the class, "Well Ms. Jones, me and my twelve brothers and sisters go to the
"Very nice Patrick," she said. "Now Jimmy Brown what do you do at Christmas?"
"Well, Ms. Jones, me and my sister also go to Church with Mum and Dad and we sing carols and we get home ever so late. We put cookies and milk by the chimney and we hang up our stockings. We hardly sleep, waiting for Santa Claus to bring our presents."
Realizing there was a Jewish boy in the class and not wanting to leave him out of the discussion, she asked, "Now, Isaac Cohen, what do you do at Christmas?"
Isaac said, "Well, it's the same thing every year. Dad comes home from the office. We all pile into the Rolls Royce, then we drive to his toy factory. When we get inside, we look at all the empty shelves and begin to sing "What a friend we have in Jesus". Then we all go to the
What is your reason for the Season?.........Chaplain Barnes
Last week’s answer: Which book in the Bible contains the following quotation: “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the Heaven”? Ecclesiastes 3:1
This week’s question: Whose life was spared twice by David?
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