FINDING THE KING - THE MAGI

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.

On coming to the house, they saw the child with His mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped Him. Then they opened their treasures and presented Him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.

Matthew 2:9-11

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

A common theme in the scriptures is the matter of journeying to find something.

Mary traveled twice, first to find her relative Elizabeth after receiving news from the angel Gabriel that she too had miraculously become pregnant despite being well past child bearing years. The second trip was to Bethlehem with Joseph while in her ninth month of pregnancy with her baby ready to be born any day. Both Joseph and Mary were going to find the place of registry in response to the order of Caesar Augustus for a census to be taken across the Roman Empire.

After Jesus was born, we found the shepherds in the fields, tending to their flocks by night and receiving the incredible angels heralding the good news of great joy that the long awaited Messiah had come and could be find lying in a manger in Bethlehem. Immediately after receiving the announcement, the shepherds decided to go into town and there they found the newborn King and His parents.

Then, around two years later, a group of Magi saw an unusual star to the west of them, a star that they believed was a sign of the important birth of the King of the Jews, a birth they were aware of through Jewish prophecies. And so they set out and went to the star which was over the holy city of Jerusalem where they learned the child they sought was about five miles south in the town of Bethlehem. With that news in hand, the Magi went onto the town of David with the hope of finding the King they sought. Here’s that account from Matthew’s Gospel:

After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.

On coming to the house, they saw the child with His mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped Him. Then they opened their treasures and presented Him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.

Matthew 2:9-11

As we look at this passage, I believe the Lord is communicating three things to us as we get ready to approach the new year, 2024.

First, when anyone seeks the Lord in faith, He leads them to Him through His light.

After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.

The Magi were obviously highly anticipating the birth of the King of the Jews and God knew their hearts as He does everyone who places their belief and trust in Him.

And so God first made the bright star shine over Jerusalem to lead the Magi to the place where they would learn of the exact location of His Son, the One who had come to not only be the King of all kings but the Savior of the world as well. He then used the star, His glorious light, to guide the Magi straight to where Jesus was. A light blazing in the night sky led the Magi to the One who was the Light of the world.

In 2024, no matter how dark things may seem in your life, seek the Lord and He will lead you to Himself through His holy light that always overcomes the darkness (John 1:5).

The second thing we can learn from the Magi is that when we seek and find Jesus, we need to rejoice, bow down, and worship Him.

On coming to the house, they saw the child with His mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped Him.

Note that the day when the Magi saw Jesus face to face wasn’t any special designated day of worship on the Jewish calendar. It was just another ordinary day but it was a day suitable to worship and adore the King Jesus.

As we get enter into 2024, I pray that we will make time, not just on Sundays, but each and every day, to just pause in the midst of our busyness and carve out time to simply be present with Jesus, pouring out our admiration in worship and praise unto His precious and holy name, the only name by which any person can be saved.

Finally, when the Magi had worshiped the King Jesus, they gave Him their finest treasures.

Then they opened their treasures and presented Him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.

In Jesus, God has given anyone who believes in Him the greatest gifts ever, the gift of salvation and eternal life. None of us can ever repay our Lord for what He has graciously provided but we can give what we can and that goes for our time, talent, and treasure.

We may not be as affluent as the Magi and be able to bring highly valuable gold, perfumes, or oils to Jesus the King but we all can financially as we can while giving up our time to serve Him and others as He has called us to do, using the talents that He has blessed us with.

As we get set to move into 2024, now would be a great time to assess how well you have given your gifts to Jesus in the past year, and if change needs to happen, commit yourself to do so starting in January. Whether you do ministry work independently, within the church, or better yet, a combination of both, do what you can to honor our King and Savior Jesus while making a kingdom difference here on earth wherever He might lead you through His amazing Light and Holy Spirit.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

SEEKING THE KING - THE MAGI

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the One who has been born King of the Jews? We saw His star when it rose and have come to worship Him.”

When King Herod heard this, he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:

“‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a Ruler who will shepherd My people Israel.’”

Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find Him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship Him.”

Matthew 2:1-8

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Have you ever stopped for a moment and considered how millions upon millions of people are in the same moment but having completely different experiences?

I think we sometimes get so caught up in our own selves that we live in a vacuum without taking into account that we are just one of scores of people on this planet who are going through life in the midst of their particular surroundings and circumstances which vary, not just from nation to nation but community to community.

We’re reminded of this as we continue looking at the Christmas story and the events that unfolded well after Jesus was born. While we don’t know Jesus’ exact age at the time the Magi sought Him, we can estimate he was two years old or under as the murderous King Herod commanded that every boy two or younger be massacred in Bethlehem after the Magi failed to return and report to him of Jesus’ exact location. Such a treacherous, evil act was nothing short of psychotic genocide to try and eliminate the boy Herod saw as a threat to his power.

Rewinding, we are looking at the run up to this and the Magi seeking to honor the One who was to be born the King of the Jews.

These Magi, touted as being a trio even though the scriptures don’t affirm this, traveled from the east to Jerusalem. We don’t know much about them except that they were from a people group known as the Magians. It’s widely believed that they lived somewhere in the vicinity of Persia because of the knowledge they had of the Jewish prophecies that had foretold the coming of a great King who would rule over Israel. This knowledge is thought to have come from the dispersed Israelites who were taken into a seventy year exile in Babylon which was later conquered by the Persians.

It’s obvious that the Magi were God believers and it’s felt worshiped light as a symbol of God’s presence and work. And so when an unusually bright start appeared to the west of them, one that had never been in the night sky before, the Magi felt impelled to seek it out, feeling it would lead them to the newborn King of Israel.

Now, unlike most men these days who stubbornly refuse to ask directions when they travel, the Magi decided to stop in Jerusalem and ask about the whereabouts of the “One who has been born the King of the Jews”. The scriptures tell is that the word of their inquiries made it to the Roman King over Judea who was named Herod at that time.

Disturbed by what he and the entire city had heard, Herod summoned “all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law”, those who would have been experts in the Jewish scriptures and prophecies. He asked them “where the Messiah was to be born” and they responded with words spoken by God through the prophet Micah saying:

“In Bethlehem in Judea for this is what the prophet has written:”

“‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a Ruler who will shepherd My people Israel.’” Micah 5:2

Armed with the information, we read where “Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared” before dispatching them “to Bethlehem” with the following order:

“Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find Him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship Him.”

Now, as we covered earlier, Herod had no intent to worship Jesus. Rather, he wanted him dead but as the events unfold, that plot is foiled by a God who wouldn’t let it happen. While it was Jesus’ destiny to die for the people He came to save, that time was not now.

As all this was happening, keep in mind that Joseph, Mary, and their little boy Jesus were going about their life in Bethlehem, completely unaware of what was transpiring in Jerusalem. God was moving and working in both places but in different ways but soon the lives of the Magi along with Jesus and his parents would intersect in a special engagement, one we will look at in tomorrow’s final message of 2023.

In the meantime, let’s be wary of all our brothers and sisters in the world each and every day, praying over them and whatever circumstances they may be dealing with, circumstances that will most often be very different from our own.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

NAMING THE KING

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise the child, He was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he was conceived.

Luke 2:21

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

There was a time when a pregnant woman didn’t know whether their child would be born a boy or girl.

I know, it’s hard to believe these days, right?

Back in the day, the moment of truth would come at delivery and as the child emerged, the doctor or nurse would make the statement, “It’s a (insert the gender). Typically, the parents had already selected two names, one for a boy and one for a girl, and would select the appropriate one depending on the gender of their newborn baby.

Nowadays, technological advances have allowed ultrasound scans to be performed, scans that are able to show the gender of the child developing in the womb. These scans also allow pictures to be taken which are usually posted on social media with a publicized gender reveal which usually is accompanied by the name the baby will be given at birth. Everyone knows whether the baby is a boy or girl and his or her name before the child is ever born.

Going back to biblical times, we find that things were even more different then. Pregnant Jewish women wouldn’t know the sex of their child until it was born but if the baby was a boy, the naming wouldn’t happen until eight days after birth when all newborn boys were to be circumcised in accordance with the Jewish law, honoring the covenant God had made with Abraham (Genesis 17:12).  

Typically, there wasn’t much drama regarding this naming. The boy would be expected to be named after his father but as we saw earlier in the case of Zechariah and Elizabeth, their son was named John, the name God had commanded them to use through the angel Gabriel. In their case, the couple knew the baby would be a boy before he was born.

Similarly, we know that Joseph and Mary both knew that she would give birth to a boy, a Son who the angel Gabriel stated was the long awaited Messiah and Lord of all lords, the very Son of God, the King they were to name Jesus.

And so it was on the eighth day after Mary gave birth to her Son. The scriptures tell us that they took their baby to be circumcised and it was then that they named Him Jesus, “the name the angel had given Him before he was conceived”.

Since then, Christians have worshiped and adored the One who was born to “save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21), the man given the name that is over every other name, the man named Jesus. As we enter into a new year, let us life up His name to everyone with the hope they might find their salvation through Him, the only One who can bring a person to God the Father (John 14:6).

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

A TREASURE FILLED HEART

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.

Luke 2:19

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

It had been quite a past nine months for Mary. In that time, she:

1. Received a completely unexpected visit from the angel Gabriel, learning she would conceive and have a Son who she was to name Jesus, not by way of a man but the Holy Spirit.

2. Upon learning that her relative Elizabeth was also pregnant, a miracle given that she and her husband, Zechariah, were well beyond child bearing years, she traveled from Nazareth to the hill country of Judea to pay a visit. She ended up staying with Elizabeth for three months.

3. Upon her return home, now visibly with child, she faced the scorn and judgment of the community who assumed she had committed adultery outside of her betrothment to a Nazarene man named Joseph. Even Joseph wrangled with what had happened, considering to divorce Mary quietly before receiving his own personal visit from Gabriel who explained what had taken place before encouraging Joseph to carry on with taking Mary as his wife.

4. In her ninth month of pregnancy, she had to travel with Joseph to Bethlehem in order to register after the Roman emperor, Caesar Augustus, ordered a census be taken across the entire empire. The arduous trip, which took about a week’s time at the beginning of winter, would have been extremely difficult and exhausting.

5. Upon arriving in Bethlehem to register, she and Joseph ran into an immediate problem. She was near the place where the baby would be ready for birth and there were no rooms available anywhere. Needing shelter, they found it in a stable and it was there that Mary delivered her Son, wrapping Him in cloths and laying him in a manger.

6. No doubt physically and emotionally spent, she didn’t have much time to relax because suddenly a group of shepherds arrived and shared how an angel and company of the Heavenly host had appeared to them while they were tending their flocks by night. They had come to proclaim the birth of the long prophesied Messiah, the Lord of all lords, the very Messiah and Lord they were laying eyes on in the stable.

Did I mention it had been quite a nine month experience for Mary?

No doubt, she sat in the stable and recalled everything that had happened from the beginning to her present moment after the shepherds ran off to tell others what they had witnessed. As she did, the scriptures tell us that she “treasured up all these things”...”in her heart, feeling blessed that she had done as the Lord required while bringing Him, the Savior of all mankind, into the world.  

Later, Jesus would grow into adulthood to fulfill His Father’s plan for His life. During His first formal teaching, He would say this:

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:19-21

As we look at Mary, we know her heart’s affection and mind’s direction was on the amazing gift God had provided, not just her but anyone who would place their belief in Him. Jesus was her treasure because that’s where her heart was.

Friends, my prayer for all Christian believers as we approach a new year is that we, like Mary, would have treasure-filled hearts, hearts that are totally focused on Jesus. For if we all do this, we can ensure that 2024 is the best year ever for the church and the Gospel work our Savior has called us to.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

SEEKING AND FINDING - THE SHEPHERDS

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

When the angels had left them and gone into Heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen Him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.

The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told. 

Luke 2:15-18, 20

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

The shepherds had spent many, many a night in the fields outside of Bethlehem, tending to their flocks, but none of those nights came close to what happened on the night after Jesus was born.

For out of nowhere, a divine angel of the Lord appeared and proclaimed “good news” that would “cause great joy for all the people”, good news that came from the birth of “the Messiah, the Lord” in Bethlehem. The angel then told the shepherds, the very first to be informed of Jesus’ coming, where they could find the long promised newborn King, telling them he would be “wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger”.

Then, as if they hadn’t already been amazed enough, a “great company of the Heavenly host burst onto the scene, lighting up the night sky while “praising God” and proclaiming:

“Glory to God in the highest Heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom His favor rests.”

And then, it was over just as quickly as it had happened, the shepherds left in the wake of everything that had just occurred. It had to be an amazing moment, one that had them looking at each other with wonder in their eyes and maybe one simple question:

“Now what?”

Well, the answer to that question is satisfied in the next verses as we continue to look at the story surrounding the birth of Jesus. Look again at these words from the second chapter of Luke’s gospel:

When the angels had left them and gone into Heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen Him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.  Vv. 15-18

Here we find the shepherds wanting to see first-hand what the angel had told them about. And so they “hurried off” to Bethlehem so to “see this thing” that had happened. They were set on seeking to find the baby Messiah, the One who had come to same all mankind from their sins.

Now, we don’t know how long the shepherds searched but we do know that they were successful in finding Joseph, Mary, and Jesus who was “lying in the manger” just as the angel had said. It had to be just one more amazing experience in a day they would never forget for the rest of their lives.

In fact, after seeking and finding Jesus, the shepherds couldn’t keep the good news to themselves. We read where they “spread the word concerning” what they had been told about the child and when they shared this with others, “all who heard it were amazed” over what they heard. And although we don’t know for sure, I am certain many of those hearing the good news felt impelled to seek and find Jesus themselves.

Today, as we move past the celebration of Jesus’ birth, we, like the shepherds, have the opportunity to share the good news of His coming with others with the hope that they too will want to seek and find Him for themselves. This sharing of the Gospel is at the heart of every Christian’s Great Commission responsibility as they seek to carry out Jesus’ call to make disciples of all nations.

With this, who will you share the good news with today?

For Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world, was born in Bethlehem as was the hope that is only found in Him. As the old Christmas carol exhorts, go tell this on the mountain, over the hills, and everywhere.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

A FIRST REPORT

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.

But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

“Glory to God in the highest Heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom His favor rests.”

Luke 2:8-14

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Every aspect of the Christmas story is built upon the foundation of humility that ushers in majesty.

Out of all the women in the world, God chose a young virgin who was living in relative obscurity in the Galilean town of Nazareth to first conceive by the Holy Spirit and then give birth to His one and only Son.

That Son, who was to be named Jesus eight days after birth, was the long prophesied Messiah and King and yet He was delivered into the world inside a Bethlehem stable, not receiving an ounce of fanfare or honor in the town.

And then there were the shepherds, a subset of the Jewish culture often looked down upon and shunned by others. These shepherds lived in the fields near Bethlehem as this was where they kept “watch over their flocks at night”. It wasn’t a necessarily exciting job but a valuable one as there was great commerce involved with sheep, many of which would be used for atonement sacrifices in Jerusalem.

On the night of Jesus’ birth, an event unbeknownst to the shepherds at first, it had to seem like any other chilly December evening. But then the scriptures tell is that “an angel of the Lord appeared to them” as well as “the glory of the Lord” that “shone around them”. Having never witnessed such a thing, the shepherds were naturally “terrified”.

Sensing their great fear, the angel quickly sought to put them at ease saying:

“Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

Up to the day of Jesus’ birth, the prophets Jeremiah, Isaiah, and Micah all foretold of a coming Messiah and Lord who would come to rule and reign, a divine Deliverer who would be from the stump of Jesse, King David’s father, and be born of a virgin in Bethlehem.

Now that day had come and God chose to proclaim the first report of “good news” that would “cause great joy” to the shepherds, certainly not something anyone would have predicted as shepherds would probably be one of the last people anyone would deem worthy of the honor.

Note that the angel didn’t just tell the shepherds that the Savior had been born in the “town of David” but he shared the location as well. They could find the newborn child “wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger. The latter part would have helped narrow things down as a manger would only be found in a stable and there would have been fewer stables in Bethlehem than residences. Soon the shepherds would commit to go and find this Savior baby that had been long promised by God.

All this had to be an incredible experience for the shepherds but it was just the appetizer for what happened next.

For we read where the skies suddenly illuminated brightly with “a great company of the heavenly host” who “appeared with the angel” while “praising God” and proclaiming:

“Glory to God in the highest Heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom His favor rests.”

The angels were simply instruments used by God to pronounce the birth of His Son in Bethlehem, a happening that was His doing from the very beginning. And so we find them giving God all the praise and glory for what had happened while declaring peace on earth to all who His favor rested. We know this would be all people who would later place their belief in His Son Jesus as Savior as only Jesus could bring peace between God and the Christian believer.

The first report of the birth of Jesus was delivered by a holy angel and his magnificent heavenly host to a group of humble shepherds. Later, Jesus in His ministry would say:

“For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” Matthew 23:12

As we go through life every day, let us remember that humility isn’t a weakness like the world would have us believe. Rather, it’s a great strength and one that God expects from every single believer, a strength that was perfectly practiced and modeled by Jesus in His adult years, a strength that God honors.

Just look to Mary or the shepherds in the Christmas story to see this truth.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

THE BIRTH OF HOPE

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a Son. She wrapped Him in cloths and placed Him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.

Luke 2:6-7

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

I remember a time probably about twenty years ago or so when my wife and I were visiting family in Long Island, New York. This was the first or two stops on our trip, the second being in western Illinois, about 25 miles from St. Louis.

After finishing in New York, we set out for Illinois with the intent of stopping for the night in Indianapolis, Indiana and resting before finishing the trip the next day. It was a long drive to Indianapolis and we were ready to stop when we got there but we quickly discovered an issue in our plans. We couldn’t find a room to stay in.

Back then, online reservations weren’t as prevalent as they are today and so we had set out assuming there wasn’t going to be a problem. Unbeknownst to us, there was a major motorsports event taking place which drew people into Indianapolis from all over the country who had booked up all the rooms.

Exhausted but with no better options, we decided to just tough it out and drive the rest of the way into our relative’s home. I can tell you that I was never happier to lie down in a bed than I was that night.

This experience rushed to my mind as I considered Joseph and Mary’s journey to Bethlehem from Nazareth as the couple traveled to satisfy the requirements of a census that was declared by the Roman emperor, Caesar Augustus. On foot and moving across nearly 90 miles of difficult terrain filled with potential hazards, the couple’s fatigue level, both physically and mentally, had to be unbelievable, especially Mary who was in her ninth month of pregnancy.

As they arrived in Bethlehem to register, I’m sure finding a warm room to rest in was a top priority but unfortunately, they couldn’t find a single accommodation. No guest rooms were available for the woman who was carrying the King of all kings and Lord of all lords.

Needing shelter, they did find space in a stable and it was there that Mary delivered her firstborn child, a Son, just as the angel Gabriel had proclaimed would happen. He was born without an audience of admirers. No fanfare or public proclamation of His birth. No other family members of Joseph and Mary were present as they were back in Nazareth. 

No, the Messiah, prophesied to be born in Bethlehem, had arrived with only his parents and some stable animals present as he brought hope for every single person into the world.

For this baby sent by His Father God, a baby who would be named Jesus eight days later, was the Savior of the world, the very Lamb of God who would take away the sin of the world. On this day we celebrate His birth, we find Him resting in a manger, comfortably wrapped in swaddling cloth and in heavenly peace. But in a mere thirty-three years, He would be nailed to a cross outside of Jerusalem, about five miles from His place of birth, and shed His blood to bring atonement and forgiveness of sin for all who would believe in Him so that they wouldn’t perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16).   

It’s Christmas Day, the day that hope was born for us all. O come let us adore Him, for Christ the Lord has come.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

THE AMAZING JOURNEY

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In Christ, Mark

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** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child.

Luke 2:4-5

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

How far do you think God would move you to fulfill His purposes?

Maybe the better question is...

How far would you be willing to go to fulfill His purposes?

I think all Christian believers know that the Lord can and will call them to go anywhere to do anything in His name but I think a person’s compliance with such a request is another matter.

Could we, like Abraham and the first four disciples (James, John, Peter, and Andrew), leave everything behind to follow where Jesus leads us, trusting everything to Him?

These are questions we need to seriously consider as we look at the scriptures and the amazing journeys that so many champions of the faith went on to carry out what the Lord wanted them to do.

Embedded in the Christmas story is one such journey, one indirectly caused by God as He set in motion the events that would ensure Jesus was born in Bethlehem, just as He had promised through the prophet Micah (Micah 5:2).

Right around the time when Mary was due to deliver her baby boy, the divine Son of God conceived by the Holy Spirit, the first Roman emperor, Caesar Augustus, issued a decree that a census would be taken of the entire Roman world. Such a census was performed mainly for two reasons.

First, the Roman army needed to be strong in order to maintain and sustain the empire. A census was a good way to have an accurate count of how many fighting men were available for duty.

The second reason for the census was taxation. Just as today, taxes collected by the government were needed in order to ensure the empire had the funds needed to conduct business and provide services to the people, even though in biblical times, there was far more corruption and unethical behavior by governmental leadership than what we see today.

In regard to the state of affairs in the days of Joseph and Mary, the Jews wouldn’t have been conscripted to serve in the Roman army but they certainly were taxed by Rome and expected to pay said taxes or risk severe consequences. We know they enlisted Jewish men to serve as tax collectors and these men were despised by the Jewish people because they had a tendency to levy more charges on their fellow Jews than what the Romans demanded. The tax collectors would then keep the difference for themselves. You may remember that Matthew, one of the Twelve, was a tax collector when called by Jesus to follow Him.

The census carried with it a call to register and each person was to go to the hometown of their ancestry. In the case of Joseph and Mary, this was the town of Bethlehem, as they were in the line of David. Bethlehem was in the province of Judea, located some 90 miles from where they lived in the Galilean town of Nazareth.

It wasn’t an easy trip by any means. The most distance people could travel by foot anywhere was around 20 miles a day and we need to remember Mary was well on in her pregnancy so the distance was probably less per day for them. It’s believed the journey took anywhere from five to seven days and it wasn’t all on flat terrain. The couple would travel through the Jordan Valley but then need to ascend through the Judean mountains to reach Bethlehem which was more than 2,500 feet above sea level.

And then there was the beginning of the winter season.

Temperatures would often be in the thirties and rain was prevalent. Joseph and Mary would have had to wear thick coats over their clothing to stay warm during the trip, adding more weight to bear as they traveled.

Additionally, there was the threat of crime and wild animals along the way.

Robbers would frequently lie in wait along the trails traveled by people, waiting to attack and steal belongings, sometimes assaulting or killing their victims. And there were any number of predatory animals running free and looking for food, attacking people if need be to eat.

Indeed, God had Joseph and Mary on an amazing journey, one potentially fraught with danger and adversity. But we also know that He was with them every step of the way. He would ensure they made it, no matter the circumstances, providing protection from the elements and anyone or anything that would do them harm because His incredible salvation plan would happen just as He said it would.

A virgin would give birth to a Son and that Son would be born in Bethlehem.

Tomorrow, we’ll arrive at the day long awaited, the day the Messiah who is Christ the Lord is born.

As for today, as we have reached the day before we celebrate our Savior’s birth, let us all remember that God has us all on our own amazing journeys, each of us specially purposed to play a role in His salvation plan. As we approach a new year, my prayer is that we will be willing to do what we need to do in order to ensure God’s will be done, trusting Him fully when the way ahead might seem risky and potentially difficult.

Like Joseph and Mary, the Lord is ever with us and will bring us through anything He calls us to.

Trust and believe in that.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

A CALL TO REGISTER

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In Christ, Mark

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** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

In those days, Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.)

And everyone went to their own town to register.

Luke 2:1-3

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

As we read the scriptures and the story of Jesus’ conception and birth, we quickly discover that it’s an incredible script that only God could write. For no mere human would ever dream that the predicted Messiah, the King of kings and Lord of lords, would be conceived by the Holy Spirit inside a Nazarene girl who couldn’t have been further away from royalty, although her husband was in the line of David.

Further, this divine, regal baby Jesus would need to be born in Bethlehem as the prophet Micah prophesied which meant that Joseph and Mary would need to somehow get there from Nazareth, a daunting journey of approximately 90 miles and not something a woman in her final days of pregnancy would choose to do unless absolutely necessary.

Enter a call to register from Caesar Augustus, the ruler of the Roman Empire.

The scriptures tell us the Emperor “issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world” and this included Galilee, the region where Nazareth was located, and Judea, the province containing the town of Bethlehem. We further learn that “this was the first census” called by Caesar Augustus while “Quirinius was governor of Syria”. In regard to the latter, it’s believed that Quirinius served two terms as governor of Syria, his first being during the time of Jesus’ birth and then again later in AD 6 and 7.

In regard to the census, “everyone went to their own town to register”. This means that every person who lived in the Roman world was required to go to the place of their ancestral origin in order to be counted. Since Joseph was in the line of David, he had to travel south to Bethlehem, which was also known as the city of David.

Through this event, the impetus initiated by God to ensure Jesus was born in Bethlehem just as He promised through Micah, we learn that the plans of our Lord can be unpredictable and yet always perfectly purposed to fulfill His will and way. We might not always understand how our lives are scripted, and they certainly don’t play out as we imagine most of the time, but we have to trust and have faith in the great Author of all, the One who reigns over mankind and dictates all matters in creation, the One who provided a way to salvation for anyone who places their belief in His Son Jesus, no matter what happens during this time we have on earth.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

PRAISING THE REDEEMER AND SAVIOR OF MANKIND

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied:

“Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because He has come to His people and redeemed them. He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of His servant David (as He said through His holy prophets of long ago), salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us—to show mercy to our ancestors and to remember His holy covenant, the oath He swore to our father Abraham: to rescue us from the hand of our enemies, and to enable us to serve Him without fear in holiness and righteousness before Him all our days.”

“And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for Him, to give His people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising Sun will come to us from heaven to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.”

And the child grew and became strong in spirit; and he lived in the wilderness until he appeared publicly to Israel.

Luke 1:67-80

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Zechariah’s heart was full of gratitude and praise.

Having gone through the inability to speak for more than nine months, a punishment from God for his display of unbelief after receiving a revelation from the angel Gabriel, the priest suddenly was able to speak again after simply writing these words on a tablet as his miraculously born son was circumcised:

“His name is John.”

As his tongue was set free and he was “filled with the Holy Spirit”, Zechariah proceeded to give thanks to God, a song of thanksgiving captured in the final verses of Luke, chapter 1. Here’s what Zechariah said about what was to come and how his son John would play an important part in God’s plan of salvation for His people:

“Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because He has come to His people and redeemed them. He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of His servant David (as he said through his holy prophets of long ago), salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us—to show mercy to our ancestors and to remember His holy covenant, the oath He swore to our father Abraham: to rescue us from the hand of our enemies, and to enable us to serve Him without fear in holiness and righteousness before Him all our days.”

“And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for Him, to give His people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising Sun will come to us from heaven to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.” Luke 1:68-79

Let’s look at three specific ways that Zechariah lifted up adoration to God.

1. He adored Him as the great Redeemer.

“Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because He has come to His people and redeemed them.

From as far back as their rescue from the clutches of Egypt and their Pharaoh, God had continuously delivered His people, the Israelites, from harm, preserving them as He had promised through His covenants with Abraham, Noah, and David (more on that in a minute).

Unfortunately, those deliverances were only temporary as the Israelites were still trapped in sin that they themselves could not permanently atone for. And so God, their great Redeemer, established a new covenant, one that would bring final atonement to anyone who would believe in His Son Jesus who He sent from Heaven and earth to be the Savior of the world.

And this takes us to the second thing Zechariah praised God for.

2. He adored Him as the great Savior.

He (God) has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of His servant David (as He said through His holy prophets of long ago), salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us—to show mercy to our ancestors and to remember His holy covenant, the oath He swore to our father Abraham: to rescue us from the hand of our enemies, and to enable us to serve Him without fear in holiness and righteousness before Him all our days.”

In Jesus, God raised up the “horn of salvation” who was in the line of David as foretold by Zechariah and the other holy prophets before. This salvation would fulfill the covenants of old like the promise made to Abraham while saving God’s people from the hatred of their enemies, chief of which was Satan himself.

Through the salvation established through Jesus, all people, Jew or Gentile, could serve the Lord “without fear” and “in holiness and righteousness” for all their days for God had made the way for them to have an everlasting hope and promise of eternal life, a victory that no adversary could ever take from them.

3. He adored Him for the special purpose his son John was born for.

“And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for Him, to give His people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising Sun will come to us from heaven to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.”

Finally, we find Zechariah praising God for the amazing promised future his son John would have, a future that included:

- Becoming a “prophet of the Most High”.

- Preparing the way for Jesus.

- Providing God’s people “knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins”.

- Ensuring people understood the “tender mercy” of their God.

- Sharing the good news of Jesus, the Sun who would be the Light of the world, the promised One who came to be the Prince that would guide the people’s “feet into the path of peace”

As the chapter ends, the scriptures tell us that as John grew up, he “became strong in spirit”, living “in the wilderness” until he would make his public appearance to fulfill the plan God had for him, the proclaiming of His Son Jesus’ coming and His subsequent baptizing.

With Christmas only a few days away now, I pray that we will join with Zechariah by praising God for being our great Redeemer, great Savior, and the One who has specially purposed us all to do wonderful works to advance His holy Kingdom here on earth by sharing the Gospel and striving to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:18-20).

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.