Embracing Sadness and Finding Joy: A Study of Our Life in Christ During the Holidays - Part 3: Bending our Knees Like the Shepherds

Merry Christmas, everyone! If you have been following along, you know I have been doing a series on embracing the emotion of sadness during the holidays as it pertains to our life in Christ. In Part 1, we looked at why it is okay to be sad, that God is the author of emotions, and tips for maneuvering grief during the holidays. In Part 2, we looked back at God’s faithfulness and how that pertains to dealing with sadness, and mulled over why remembering His faithfulness is like a wall of defense for our minds.

Today we are going to go directly to the Christmas story and look at what we can learn from the Shepherds and how that enables us to have joy, even in the midst of heartache and grief.

Image by Eduin Escobar from Pixabay

“8 In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night.
9 And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened.
10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people;
11 for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
12 This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
13 And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,
14 “Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.”
15 When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another, “Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us.”
16 So they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger.
17 When they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child.
18 And all who heard it wondered at the things which were told them by the shepherds.
19 But Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart.
20 The shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them.”

— Luke 2:8-20 (NASB 1995)

Shepherding was a vital industry all throughout the Old Testament with numerous “big names” in Biblical history doing this difficult, outdoor, sometimes life threatening job. Abel, Abraham, Issac, Moses and David were all shepherds. Though the socioeconomic status of a shepherd had declined by the time of Jesus’ birth, the commitment of shepherds to care for their flocks still stood strong. They regularly faced predators that included wolves, lions, bears, hyenas, and leopards. They walked many miles to find feeding areas, as well as water. Shepherds were always vigilant. Even after the sheep were led into the fold for the night, a shepherd would place his body across the doorway to keep out unwanted predators. Apparently there were occasions where shepherds would mix their herds together for the evening to split the guarding shifts. In the morning they were easily able to sort the sheep by the sound of each shepherd’s voice.

It might be, on the night the angel came to these shepherds that was the case. Perhaps four or five shepherds had come together, and while a few of them slept the others kept watch over the sheep. I am pretty sure they were all wide awake when that angel showed up!

Image by Jeff Jacobs from Pixabay

There are many things we can learn from the shepherds that can help us in our season of sadness around the holidays. Let’s take a look.

1 - Shepherds were living life. These shepherds were doing their work. They were guarding their sheep: leading, guiding, feeding, watching, giving aid, tending to wounds, and certainly searching for any lambs that may have wandered away. Any one of those shepherds or shepherdesses (yes, women were shepherds too…talk about bad a**) could have been feeling sad. They could have been grieving the loss of a family member, the loss of a sheep (they were required to pay for any sheep lost or killed); they could have been struggling with illness, or blisters on their feet, or maybe they were discouraged because they really wanted to be a singer in the temple choir, but here they are tending sheep.

When we are dealing with sadness or grief, one of the best things to do, is keep living life. Go to work, meet with friends, get groceries, work on a closet, clean a bathroom; even the most mundane tasks that contribute to living life help us to process and get through. Listen to this quick snippet that reminds us why even making the bed can help.

2. Shepherds were brave and intelligent. Frankly I find it fascinating that shepherds were not seen as super heroes. I mean, beating off wolves, bears, an occasional lion or two had to be a tough job. These people were not weak, nor were they soft. They were weathered, strong, and probably wiry. They also had to have job intelligence, meaning they knew where to go to feed the sheep, where to find water, which in itself was a challenge in an arid climate. Sheep being what they are don’t like to drink from moving water, as it spooks them. They needed still water that wasn’t tainted with bacteria or other things that would make the sheep sick.

Image by Richard Haddeman from Pixabay

If you are working through a time of grief, learn what works for you to not only process that grief, but also the things that help you to continue living life. That will look different for every person. I personally like the “grief blanket” idea. I can allow myself to feel sadness for a time, and then get up and do other things. Maybe for you dealing with sadness is easier when you keep busy while also allowing your mind to remember why you are sad. Know what things will cause you to give in to the sickness of despair and depression, and find “safe water” to drink - like the water of God’s truth in His word.

3 - The shepherds were curious. After they got over the initial shock of seeing angelic beings, the shepherds high tailed it for Bethlehem to see the child of which they were told. In your sadness, be curious. Ask God what He wants you to learn about His character, yourself, or someone else. Be curious about Biblical accounts of people who dealt with grief and sadness. Read about Sarah, Hannah, Naomi, David, Nehemiah, Job (read the whole book to not only understand his grief, but know better the God who deals, reveals and restores,) and even Jesus as he is moved with compassion, and yes grief in the Gospel accounts.

Image by Ag Ku from Pixabay

4 - The shepherds were humble. I will acknowledge I am making an assumption about the shepherds’ humility. However, seeing the type of job they had and the lifestyle they lived I do not think they were the type of people who would put on airs and act as though they knew everything or had it all together. They really strike me as just regular, hard working people, that maybe were a bit smelly. Ha, ha. But they were real. The thing I love about this Biblical account is their unbridled enthusiasm. Why does that make them humble? Because they didn’t care about what people would think, they didn’t care that they were the best dressed, or clean, or had lots of money. They just wanted Jesus, and isn’t wanting Jesus all about humility?

Wanting the true Jesus of the Bible is about choosing to give up ourselves: our preconceived ideas, our knowledge base, our education, our upbringing, our trauma, our grief, our discouragement, our wealth, our status, our identity, and letting it all go to embrace the baby in the manger - the Wonderful Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, and the Prince of Peace.

“For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us;
And the government will rest on His shoulders;
And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.”

— Isaiah 9:6 (NASB 1995)

Embracing Sadness and Finding Joy: A Study of our Life in Jesus during the Holidays - Part 2: Remembering God's Faithfulness

If you are following along this December, I am doing a short series on the emotion of sadness during the holidays. Holidays for many are not the bright, merry celebrations we tend to hear about. Instead, they are filled with pain, hurt, anger, sadness and despair. The reasons are many, from the death of a spouse or child, to divorce, to the loss of a job or health, to the state of our country. Many people are struggling with feeling depressed and overwhelmed.

Image by Armando Orozco from Pixabay

The reason I decided to broach this topic was in part to share what I have learned about carrying sadness on a regular basis, but still being able to function and live a full and productive life. Sadness isn’t something that we necessarily need to be free of, but rather something we need to embrace and learn how to accept and manage.

Last week we looked at what embracing sadness looks like and explored a few thoughts on how we can manage our own sadness, or how we can help others who are feeling more down than usual at this time of year. Tips included: having a grieving blanket, physical activity, artistic pursuits, and allowing others to help carry the burden. Another suggestion was to remember the faithfulness of God, and that is what we are going to look at this week.

The Old and New Testaments of the Bible are full of examples of God’s faithfulness. If we are in a particular dark state of mind we might read some of the Biblical accounts and only see God’s wrath, judgment and impatience, but as with all things if we look only for the darkness, we will only encounter darkness. True freedom lies in following and embracing the light of Christ.

Image by Daniel Reche from Pixabay

“1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 He was in the beginning with God.
3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.
4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men.
5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
7 He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him.
8 He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.
9 The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.
10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him.
11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.
12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,
13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
15 (John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’”)
16 For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.
17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
18 No one has ever seen God; God the only Son, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.”

— John 1:1-18 (ESV)

God provides everything that we need to live life in this dark world, but the most important thing He provided was the Light, the life of His Son Jesus Christ. Try to imagine living in a world with no light. How would you be able to live life? There is the rather comedic aspect of running into walls, crashing into cars, and stepping on Legos in the living room, but it goes much deeper than that. Light is essential for plants to grow, which in turn produce oxygen, which gives us the ability to breath. Light is essential for our mental health. Take it from a sufferer of Seasonal Affective Disorder, sunlight is absolutely necessary for me to feel human. Light is also an important element in the deterrence of crime, otherwise, why would so many business owners leave lights on around their property?

Probably the most important aspect to light is that it lets us see. There is the physical aspect of sight which keeps us from running into things and helps us to recognize things and people. It also allows us to learn and study. Similarly, spiritual sight, given to us through the Holy Spirit, allows us to know God and His Word better. Abiding in the light enables to turn from the darkness and recognize God’s constant faithfulness.

““The Rock! His work is perfect, For all His ways are just; A God of faithfulness and without injustice, Righteous and upright is He.”

— Deuteronomy 32:4 (NASB 1995)

“Your lovingkindness, O Lord, extends to the heavens, Your faithfulness reaches to the skies.”

— Psalm 36:5 (NASB 1995)

“He will cover you with His pinions, And under His wings you may seek refuge; His faithfulness is a shield and bulwark.”

— Psalm 91:4 (NASB 1995)

I find this last verse interesting. “His faithfulness is a shield and bulwark.” We all know what a shield is, but what is a bulwark? Websters online dictionary defines bulwark as: a solid wall-like structure raised for defense; a seawall; a strong support or protection. If God’s faithfulness is a shield and bulwark, then that means His faithfulness is supporting and protecting us. Might it also mean, that when we choose to remember His faithfulness, it helps protect our minds from spending too much time in the darkness? Perhaps recalling God’s faithfulness is the best way to protect ourselves from the unbridled pain and despair we can feel when we are grieving.

In other versions of the Bible instead of the word, bulwark, or rampart the word is buckler. A buckler is a small shield and to my understanding it was a shield that was used during hand to hand combat. It was a shield that was held close to the body, and could also be maneuvered to block the enemy’s strikes. Whether you like the idea of a strong wall of defense or a small shield used in daily battle with the enemy, the reality is both are true. God is our defense, and His faithfulness allows us to extinguish the flaming arrows of despair, bitterness and hatred that Satan sends our way.

As I said in my first post, sadness is an emotion God gave us and by embracing it we allow ourselves to process those strong feelings in a healthy way, but if we allow ourselves to only see the sadness, and not remember the joy, or the laughter, we risk becoming shrouded in a darkness that might lead to a place of no return.

So, how do we remember God’s faithfulness when we are feeling overwhelmed by the sad? Let’s look at a few ideas.

1 - Pray. Ask God to help you to remember His faithfulness. Perhaps you prayed for something specific and that prayer was answered. Maybe you needed direction regarding a decision and He gave it to you. Remember God is not just faithful in the big things, He’s also faithful in the tiny details. Ask Him to help you remember those times and write those things down.

I did this recently, and God brought to my mind His faithfulness to me as a child. Growing up in a Bible believing church, I was fortunate to be surrounded by Biblical teaching, but hearing God’s word, does not necessarily mean we will follow Him. When I was very young, perhaps in kindergarten or 1st grade I had a Sunday School teacher named Miss Draper. An older, single woman, she was all vim and vinegar, but she genuinely cared about her students. I remember she took a trip to Europe. When she came back she had gifts for each of the children in her class. When I opened mine it was a little chalet of sorts. The roof opened and from within came the most beautiful music. Her gesture of kindness set me on a road of wanting to know Jesus. Oh what the love of a person living in obedience to Christ can do to change the world.

Image by Steve Haselden from Pixabay

2 - Read Scripture. I know these suggestions are not anything new, but how much more we need to be seeking our precious Lord, when we are in the throes of sadness and heartbreak. Scripture is full of examples of God’s faithfulness. Think of His provision for Adam and Eve’s nakedness after the fall (Genesis 3:21); or what about His faithfulness to Noah and His family during a catastrophic, world wide flood (Genesis 7:23); and don’t forget the restoration He gave to Job after allowing Satan to take everything away (Job 42:10-17); and one of my favorite accounts of His lovingkindness was to Ruth, a woman not even a Jew, given a place in the lineage of Jesus our King of Kings (Ruth 4). Start to finish, the Bible is a ribbon of God’s faithfulness, provision, love and intervention on the behalf of humanity, the greatest of these being Christ’s entry into our world as a baby.

mage by Ingela Skullman from Pixabay

3 - Look for God’s faithfulness and provision in the day to day. All may seem bleak until we start exercising the eyes of our hearts. Our physical eyes might only see the darkness; the pain, the despair, the unknown, but our spiritual eyes can see things beyond this physical world.

“15 For this reason I too, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which exists among you and your love for all the saints,
16 do not cease giving thanks for you, while making mention of you in my prayers;
17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him.
18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,
19 and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might
20 which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places,
21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.
22 And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church,
23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.”

— Ephesians 1:15-23 (NASB 1995)

Paul’s prayer pertains to us when we are grieving. He prays that we would see with the eyes of our hearts so that: we would know the hope of His calling, the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. Look and see.

Image by Adrian from Pixabay

4 - Treasure thanksgiving. Having just celebrated Thanksgiving a few weeks ago here in the U.S. it is good to take this idea into the Christmas holidays, especially when we are sad. Giving thanks is not only a mood lifter, but it forces us to refocus our mind from the darkness to the light. Start small if that is all you can manage. Thank God for a warm bed, a hot shower, food, clean water, and a place to live. Even if all of these were striped away from us, we could still be thankful for Him; for His presence; for His character; for the fact that He does not change. Is it always easy to give thanks? No. But it is desired by our Creator.

“in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

— 1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NASB 1995)

I hope this week you will find many moments to remember God’s faithfulness.

A Year of Waiting - Anticipate - Part 2: Waiting for Hope

The time between the Old Testament and the New Testament is often referred to as the intertestamental period. It is a silent period of over 400 years where there was no direct revelation from God and nothing was being written as far as future prophesies. This does not mean there weren’t plenty of events taking place with regard to the people of Israel. The last we hear from Malachi closing out the Old Testament was written during the time of Ezra and Nehemiah when the rebuilding of the wall of Jerusalem was taking place. (Info gleaned from this article from Focus on the Family - Canada - What Happened Between the Old and New Testaments by Subby Szterszky.)

Image by Myriams-Fotos from Pixabay

By the time of Christ’s birth the Jewish people were ready for a Messiah. They needed a sign. They wanted to hear God’s voice speaking to them once again as a nation. They longed for hope, but for many of them that hope did not come in the form of a babe born in a stable in Bethlehem…even though it was prophesied in their very own writings from the Old Testament. However, there were a few who faithfully waited with anticipation for what God was going to do. One of these was a man named Simeon.

“25 And there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; and this man was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel; and the Holy Spirit was upon him.
26 And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.
27 And he came in the Spirit into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to carry out for Him the custom of the Law,
28 then he took Him into his arms, and blessed God, and said,
29 “Now Lord, You are releasing Your bond-servant to depart in peace,
According to Your word;
30 For my eyes have seen Your salvation,
31 Which You have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
32 A Light of revelation to the Gentiles,
And the glory of Your people Israel.”
33 And His father and mother were amazed at the things which were being said about Him.
34 And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary His mother, “Behold, this Child is appointed for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and for a sign to be opposed—
35 and a sword will pierce even your own soul—to the end that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.””

— Luke 2:25-35

I want to look more closely at this man whose story is only mentioned in the book of Luke. What was it about this Jew that made him different from many other Jewish men in his time?

1 - Like our friend Zacharias and his wife, Elizabeth in Luke 1, Simeon was righteous and devout. Some commentaries believe he was a priest in the temple, thus his ability to take Jesus from Mary and Joseph and raise him as a blessing to God. There is something to be said for being a righteous person. Zacharias and Elizabeth were described as, “walking blamelessly in all the commandments and requirements of the Lord.” (Luke 1:6) The word “devout” used to describe Simeon, would portray a similar commitment to Zacharias and Elizabeth’s walking blamelessly.

Image from Pixabay

2 - Simeon was looking. He wasn’t passively waiting, He was looking. He was looking for the consolation of Israel. The word consolation can be described as giving comfort to; being compassionate; counseling; and giving relief to. Simeon was waiting for God. He was waiting to see how God would provide His compassion to Israel, and what sort of relief it would bring to them. In my own opinion, I think Simeon believed, and what I mean by that is He trusted God.

3 - The Holy Spirit was upon Simeon. We do not know by this short character sketch in the Scripture whether Simeon had the Holy Spirit upon him for his whole life, or if the Spirit came on Him just for this particular incident. We do know the Holy Spirit revealed to Simeon that He would not die before he had seen the “Lord’s Christ.” The name Christ meant the chosen or anointed one. Simeon was meant to see Jesus, the Messiah.

4 - Simeon moved with the Spirit. The Holy Sprit led the man into the temple at the exact moment Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus came into the temple to register their first born. This was done according to the law.

5 - He took the baby Jesus into his arms.

6 - He blesses God by stating what God had done for him, which was to let him see the salvation of Israel before he died. We do not know if Simeon was a young, middle aged or old man and we do not need to know. God was faithful in allowing him to see the Messiah as He had promised him.

Simeon was familiar with the Old Testament prophesies. He knew that the baby Jesus was the One that God had promised. He also knew that this salvation was not just for the Jews, but for the Gentiles as well. This child would be a light of salvation to the Gentiles and the glory of Israel.

7 - He speaks a prophecy to Mary. This was a difficult prophecy for it told of Jesus’ controversial ministry; that it would cause many to rise and fall and that He would be opposed to the extent that Mary’s own heart would be pierced with the outcome.

We learn these things about Simeon by reading the passage. There are many things we do not know about this man, but we can learn a lot from studying his example in these eleven verses by asking ourselves the following questions:

Am I an upright person? Am I, like Simeon, righteous and devout? With so many ideas and terms being redefined these days I think it is important to remember being righteous looks much different to God that it does to fallen humans. However, if I am seeking Him, reading His word, and listening to His Holy Spirit’s voice in my life I have a much better chance of being righteous in God’s eyes.

Image by andreas N from Pixabay

The term devout is rarely heard in our current society, but it simply means devoted. Am I devoted to God’s truth? Am I devoted to obeying His truth to the best of my ability? Amy I devoted to my spouse? Am I devoted to keeping my heart and mind pure, whether married or not? Am I devoted to shining the light of Christ in this dark world?

Am I looking? Am I like Simeon in that I am looking for Jesus? Am I looking to see where He is at work? This one has been hard for me. I get so caught up in life and in the overwhelm that I neglect to see all He is doing, and all the ways He is still actively involved in my life and in the world. I believe this is where the act of thanksgiving is important.

Image by CJ from Pixabay

In addition, am I passively looking or am I anticipating? Am I anticipating where God is going to intervene, or where He is going to perform a miracle, or where He is going to bring about something I never thought possible. He is God, and He is trustworthy.

Am I familiar with the Holy Spirit, His work and His leading? For some reason it seems many in the Christian community have forgotten how to wait on the Holy Spirit, and have moved away from the truth of His revelation in our lives. He is just as much an active part of the triune God head as the Father and the Son. Indeed, in our lives He is our closest companion. He knows our hearts, our desires and our unspoken prayers. He is the One who works out Christ’s salvation, and sanctification in our lives. Perhaps it is time to reacquaint ourselves with this ever present part of God’s person.

Image by Iuliia Bondarenko from Pixabay

Have I taken the baby Jesus into my arms? Have I honestly made a choice to believe that Jesus, the Son of God, came as a vulnerable baby, born to a virgin, in a tiny town called Bethlehem? Do I believe that He grew into a man, lived among and taught a rag tag band of disciples, that He is the Way, the Truth and the Life? Have I embraced the fact that we are all sinners, and because of that sin Jesus, in obedience to His father, died on a cross as the perfect, once for all sacrifice? Do I cradle the reality to my breast that He rose from the dead and walked out of the grave, and that whoever calls on His name and believes will be saved?

Image from Pixabay.

Do I bless God? If you have ever thought about this idea of blessing God, then you have probably asked the question, how do I do that? It is simple, offer praise and thanksgiving to Him for all that He is and all He has done. Even if you are struggling in a dark place right now, you can bless God. You can identify His character by looking at scripture: He is good, just, faithful, compassionate, righteous, all knowing, forgiving, merciful, full of grace, creative, glorious….the list is endless. Even when things are chaotic we can bless God by taking time to thank Him, even for the smallest pleasures like a hot shower, food, blankets, clean air to breath….

Do I speak truth into other people’s lives? Simeon prophesied, but not all of us have the gift of prophecy. but we all have the choice to speak into other people’s lives the truth of God’s word in the form of encouragement, admonition, and even rebuke when it is called for. I think we can speak encouragement much more regularly than we do. Admonition and rebuke need to be done with love and it is best to think it through and really pray about the situation before proceeding. However, this is an important part of being in the body of Christ and probably isn’t done as often as it should be.

As I finish this post, we are winding down to Christmas. Tomorrow is the day. All the waiting and preparing and anticipating will be past tense in a matter of hours and some of us will be feeling a bit blue that it is over. As we age, we also begin to think about the what ifs. What if we don’t make it to next Christmas? Will everyone still be here? What will the world look like by the end of next year? But God…

To anticipate is to look forward to, and that means I have hope. I am choosing to look forward with trust in the Holy God for all that He will do!

Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year. See you in 2025!

A Year of Waiting - Anticipate - Part 1: Waiting for the Wrong Things

The year is quickly drawing to a close and it is time for me to finish up my monthly series on my word for the year - Wait. This month I am going to focus these last few Faith posts on the word Anticipate. As we look forward to Christmas, the word anticipate seems apropos for the season. We are anticipating the holidays, the family gatherings, the cookie baking and the gift giving, but we wouldn’t celebrate if over two thousand years ago the birth of Christ was not anticipated.

The coming of the Messiah was prophesied in the Old Testament hundreds of years before Jesus Christ was born to a virgin in a pauper’s stable in Bethlehem. See this article on the Jews for Jesus website showing 40 Old Testament prophesies and their New Testament fulfillment. These are a few of the most famous surrounding Christ’s birth:

Image by PBernfeld from Pixabay

Born to a virgin.

Prophecy:

“14 Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel.”

— Isaiah 7:14 (NASB 1995)

Fulfillment:

“31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus.
32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David;
33 and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.”
34 Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?”
35 The angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God.”

— Luke 1:31-35 (NASB 1995)

“23 “Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which translated means, “God with us.”
24 And Joseph awoke from his sleep and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took Mary as his wife,
25 but kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son; and he called His name Jesus.”

— Matthew 1:23-27 (NASB 1995)

Image by G.C. from Pixabay

Born in Bethlehem.

Prophecy:

“2 “But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
Too little to be among the clans of Judah,
From you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel.
His goings forth are from long ago,
From the days of eternity.””

— Micah 5:2 (NASB 1995)

Fulfillment:

“1 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying,
2 “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.”
3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.
4 Gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. 5 They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for this is what has been written by the prophet:

6 ‘And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah,
Are by no means least among the leaders of Judah;
For out of you shall come forth a Ruler
Who will shepherd My people Israel.’”— Matthew 2:1-6 (NASB 1995)

Image by GERVASIO RUIZ from Pixabay

Descendant of David

Prophecy:

“12 When your days are complete and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your descendant after you, who will come forth from you, and I will establish his kingdom.
13 He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.
14 I will be a father to him and he will be a son to Me; when he commits iniquity, I will correct him with the rod of men and the strokes of the sons of men,
15 but My lovingkindness shall not depart from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you.
16 Your house and your kingdom shall endure before Me forever; your throne shall be established forever.”’””

— 2 Samuel 7:12-16 (NASB 1995)

Fulfillment:

“32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David;
33 and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.””

— Luke 1:32-33 (NASB 1995)

“1 The record of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham:”

— Matthew 1:1 (NASB 1995)

Image by Pexels from Pixabay

Called out of Egypt.

Prophecy:

“When Israel was a youth I loved him,
And out of Egypt I called My son.”

— Hosea 11:1 (NASB 1995)

Fulfillment:

“13 Now when they had gone, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up! Take the Child and His mother and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is going to search for the Child to destroy Him.”
14 So Joseph got up and took the Child and His mother while it was still night, and left for Egypt.
15 He remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called My Son.””

— Matthew 2:13-15 (NASB 1995)

I wanted to share these with you, not only as a reminder of what Christmas is truly about, but a reminder of who and what we are anticipating. The people of Israel were knowledgeable of the Old Testament scriptures. They memorized multiple portions and read and reread the commandments, the laws and the prophecies. However, knowing all this did not make them any more in tune when the true Messiah actually was born and dwelt among them. I believe that was because they were waiting for the wrong thing.

Many of the Jews at Jesus’ time were looking for a Messiah who would overthrow the oppressive Roman empire and lead them into a new kingdom with their Messiah as king. We have been studying the book of John in my Saturday morning Bible study and I have the distinct impression that the religious leaders would have preferred a puppet king that they could control. Jesus was far from the Messiah they were looking for.

“37 But though He had performed so many signs before them, yet they were not believing in Him.
38 This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet which he spoke: “Lord, who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?”
39 For this reason they could not believe, for Isaiah said again,
40 “He has blinded their eyes and He hardened their heart, so that they would not see with their eyes and perceive with their heart, and be converted and I heal them.”
41 These things Isaiah said because he saw His glory, and he spoke of Him.
42 Nevertheless many even of the rulers believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they were not confessing Him, for fear that they would be put out of the synagogue;
43 for they loved the approval of men rather than the approval of God.”

— John 12:37-43 (NASB 1995)

We see in the above passage that unbelief was prophesied about Jesus’ ministry, and it was not just the unbelief of choice, but in many instances a situation where God “blinded their eyes” and “hardened their heart”. This is not an easy thing. We don’t like to hear that our loving God would purposefully keep people from getting into heaven, but many commentaries reveal that this hardening and blinding was already in process by the individuals’ unrelenting disbelief. Disbelief almost always turns a soft heart into unmovable stone. This truth makes me more grateful that our Lord has always kept a remnant of the Jewish people who believe He is the true Messiah, and that those of us who are Gentile were brought into the family of God just as much His sons and daughters as those who were from the lineage of Abraham.

All of this causes me to pause and ask the question, this Christmas what am I anticipating? What am I waiting for? Am I looking for a God who will get me out of a jam; who will get rid of the oppressive people in my life; make life comfortable for me? Or am I awaiting and anticipating a God who will bring me from the edge of the abyss to the deepest most profound peace a person could ever know?

Next week we will take a closer look at this idea of anticipation and how it leads us to hope. Until then have a great week.

Christmas in a Verse: A Look at Isaiah 9:6 - Part 2

This verse from Isaiah 9 rests in the midst of a description of the reign of a coming prince. We believe this passage is a Messianic passage and prophetic of the coming of Jesus and his future reign. He is the child referred to in this verse and the descriptors that follow are describing him.

Since the days are flying by, this week I am going to cover Mighty God, and Eternal Father. Once again let me reiterate these words translated from Hebrew and are as close to the correct meanings as the translators could be. I decided to lump these together since there are some characteristics in common between these names.

Mighty God

While Thor is a mighty god, he is both a small “g” and a fictional character. He cannot help us at all other than to be eye candy for those of us who like to see a muscular man with long blonde hair and a beard, swinging a hammer. Ha, ha. Even Thor had his limitations. He was bound by his flesh, at least when he was on earth, and while he could bring lightning from heaven, and fight without tiring, he wasn’t everywhere present and could not save people from the greatest enemy of all, sin. Move over Thanos, sin is responsible for wiping out entire populations due to its end result, death.

BUT JESUS! Jesus is the great warrior prince. He has a legion of warriors at his right hand and he merely needs to think and it will be done. He is the King of Kings, and the Lord of Lords. He met the enemy head on when He died on the cross, walked into hell and took the keys of death away from Satan, then He came out of the grave. He didn’t need a hammer, or a staff, or a spear. He worked in tandem with His Father and the Holy Spirit to give every single soul on this planet the ability to live…eternally. Not only is He God with a big “G”, but He is the Mighty God.

“The Mighty One, God, the Lord, has spoken, And summoned the earth from the rising of the sun to its setting.”

— Psalm 50:1 (NASB 1995)

“Who is this who comes from Edom,
With garments of glowing colors from Bozrah,
This One who is majestic in His apparel,
Marching in the greatness of His strength?
“It is I who speak in righteousness, mighty to save.””

— Isaiah 63:1 (NASB 1995)

Eternal Father

Image by Sandra Hak from Pixabay (AI Generated)

Most of you are probably familiar with the term Father Christmas as a reference to Santa Claus. Father Christmas started in the English tradition in the 15th century and was a personification of the Christmas spirit. This eventually became what we now know today as Santa Claus. Once again we have a fictional being who embodies the ideal of a father who cares for and tends to his children. While Father Christmas has been around for a long time, he is not eternal. Even if we push the boundaries and say he is spirit, his formation has a place in history. In addition, Father Christmas, or Santa Claus might have a pure heart wanting to promote the ideas of love and generosity all throughout the year, he is still limited. He cannot change a person’s heart. He cannot take the addict and make them clean. He can give money, toys, clothes, food and more, but still the darkness of poverty, despair and loss continues.

Our Eternal Father is just that. He had no beginning and will have no end. In the book of Revelation, the final book, and the final word on what God’s judgement will look like for this world, we see God proclaim of Himself:

“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”

— Revelation 1:8 (NASB 1995)

“Then He said to me, “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost.”

— Revelation 21:6 (NASB 1995)

“ I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”

— Revelation 22:13 (NASB 1995)

Remember our series in Romans 8, where we discussed verses 15 - 17?

“15 For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!”
16 The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God,
17 and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.”

— Romans 8:15 -17 (NASB 1995)

Our adoption into the family of God made us His children. We are no longer slaves to sin, and death. Remember, Jesus walked into hell and took the keys? Our Eternal Father gives us access to everything in His kingdom. He’s not only the best dad ever, He’s there forever.

I hope you are enjoying this look at the names of Jesus as seen in Isaiah 9. Next week, even though it is after Christmas I will discuss the Prince of Peace, and why it is even better to meditate on this name after the holidays are over.

Merry Christmas!