And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger." And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: "Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!" So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, "Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us." And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger. Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. Luke 2:8-17 (NKJV)
I titled today's devotional, "Happy Birthday Jesus," but below the title I proposed a question that could just as well have been the title of the message.
Q: What's It All About?
I say that sincerely because Christmas means different things to different people.
Today, more than 160 countries celebrate Christmas. Some will choose to follow the Julian calendar and celebrate on the 25th of December, while others use the Gregorian calendar and choose the 6th of January. Most countries identify it as Christmas, while a few countries refer to it as "Family day."
Millions upon millions will send out Christmas cards - a tradition that started in Britain back in 1840 - back when the first penny postal deliveries had just begun. Back then, the cards would traditionally show religious pictures of Joseph, Mary and the baby Jesus wrapped in His swaddling cloth - today they mostly are filled with jokes, pictures of Santa Claus, or some blissful scene representing a time gone past.
Some will choose to celebrate the true meaning of the birth of Jesus because they know who He is, and this day is taken as a chance to celebrate His birth - to say thank you to God for allowing the Savior to come to us.
The Prophet Micah gave prophecy of Jesus 500-years before His birth:
"But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Though you are little among the thousands of Judah, Yet out of you shall come forth to Me The One to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth are from of old, From everlasting." Micah 5:2 (NKJV)
And the Prophet Isaiah gave prophecy of Him as well over 700-years prior to His birth:
For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, To order it and establish it with judgment and justice From that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this. Isaiah 9:6-7 (NKJV)
And while many will celebrate the Birth of Christ this Christmas, there are many others who will not even consider the true meaning of Christmas. They will not attend Christmas services or give any thought to the significance of what this Holiday represents. To many of these people, it merely represents a time to race to the shopping malls to spend money on presents. If someone were visiting from a pagan culture, they would simply view us and conclude that this was our festival to the "gods" of money and shopping.
Here in America, there seems to be a controversy brewing between those who want nothing to do with God, and those that do, and this controversy has to do with how we should address this day. Those who want to rid the world of God would rather combine the greeting of Christmas with New Years Day and say, would say, "Happy Holidays." While those who believe in God take offense at this, and would stand firm on "Merry Christmas." The enemy must be having a field day at all the chaos that he is causing.
I personally like, "Merry Christmas," because it is a "Merry" or "Happy" day to me. But might I throw in another suggestion? As you prepare to entertain family, and friends - before the rustling of presents starts, or the breaking of bread - take time to stop and reflect of the best present you have ever been given - and share with those who are in company with you these words, "Happy Birthday Jesus."
Father, Thank You for sending Your Son to us as a gift and a sacrifice. Thank You for allowing Him to be a way for us to be reconciled unto You. Thank You for allowing Him to be our Savior. He is my Lord, and I love Him. In Jesus precious name, amen...
I want to say, "Merry Christmas" to you and your family today, and I would like you to join me in saying, "Happy Birthday Jesus."
I titled today's devotional, "Happy Birthday Jesus," but below the title I proposed a question that could just as well have been the title of the message.
Q: What's It All About?
I say that sincerely because Christmas means different things to different people.
Today, more than 160 countries celebrate Christmas. Some will choose to follow the Julian calendar and celebrate on the 25th of December, while others use the Gregorian calendar and choose the 6th of January. Most countries identify it as Christmas, while a few countries refer to it as "Family day."
Millions upon millions will send out Christmas cards - a tradition that started in Britain back in 1840 - back when the first penny postal deliveries had just begun. Back then, the cards would traditionally show religious pictures of Joseph, Mary and the baby Jesus wrapped in His swaddling cloth - today they mostly are filled with jokes, pictures of Santa Claus, or some blissful scene representing a time gone past.
Some will choose to celebrate the true meaning of the birth of Jesus because they know who He is, and this day is taken as a chance to celebrate His birth - to say thank you to God for allowing the Savior to come to us.
The Prophet Micah gave prophecy of Jesus 500-years before His birth:
"But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Though you are little among the thousands of Judah, Yet out of you shall come forth to Me The One to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth are from of old, From everlasting." Micah 5:2 (NKJV)
And the Prophet Isaiah gave prophecy of Him as well over 700-years prior to His birth:
For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, To order it and establish it with judgment and justice From that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this. Isaiah 9:6-7 (NKJV)
And while many will celebrate the Birth of Christ this Christmas, there are many others who will not even consider the true meaning of Christmas. They will not attend Christmas services or give any thought to the significance of what this Holiday represents. To many of these people, it merely represents a time to race to the shopping malls to spend money on presents. If someone were visiting from a pagan culture, they would simply view us and conclude that this was our festival to the "gods" of money and shopping.
Here in America, there seems to be a controversy brewing between those who want nothing to do with God, and those that do, and this controversy has to do with how we should address this day. Those who want to rid the world of God would rather combine the greeting of Christmas with New Years Day and say, would say, "Happy Holidays." While those who believe in God take offense at this, and would stand firm on "Merry Christmas." The enemy must be having a field day at all the chaos that he is causing.
I personally like, "Merry Christmas," because it is a "Merry" or "Happy" day to me. But might I throw in another suggestion? As you prepare to entertain family, and friends - before the rustling of presents starts, or the breaking of bread - take time to stop and reflect of the best present you have ever been given - and share with those who are in company with you these words, "Happy Birthday Jesus."
Father, Thank You for sending Your Son to us as a gift and a sacrifice. Thank You for allowing Him to be a way for us to be reconciled unto You. Thank You for allowing Him to be our Savior. He is my Lord, and I love Him. In Jesus precious name, amen...
I want to say, "Merry Christmas" to you and your family today, and I would like you to join me in saying, "Happy Birthday Jesus."
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