Christ Born of Mary

¹ And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. ²This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. ³So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city.
⁴Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, ⁵to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. ⁶So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. ⁷And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

Glory in the Highest

⁸Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. ⁹ And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. ¹⁰Then 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. ¹¹For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. ¹²And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.”
¹³And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:

¹⁴“Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”

Luke 2:1-14

¹As the deer pants for the water brooks, So pants my soul for You, O God.
²My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?
³My tears have been my food day and night, While they continually say to me, “Where is your God?”

⁴When I remember these things, I pour out my soul within me. For I used to go with the multitude; I went with them to the house of God, With the voice of joy and praise,
With a multitude that kept a pilgrim feast.

⁵Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him For the help of His countenance.

⁶O my God, my soul is cast down within me; Therefore I will remember You from the land of the Jordan, And from the heights of Hermon, From the Hill Mizar.
⁷Deep calls unto deep at the noise of Your waterfalls; All Your waves and billows have gone over me.
⁸The LORD will command His lovingkindness in the daytime, And in the night His song shall be with me— A prayer to the God of my life.

⁹I will say to God my Rock, “Why have You forgotten me? Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?”
¹⁰As with a breaking of my bones, My enemies reproach me, While they say to me all day long, “Where is your God?”

¹¹Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; For I shall yet praise Him, The help of my countenance and my God.

Whenever we see God’s fingerprints in our lives, we should party hard.

We all too often forget to celebrate when God has worked in our lives. We’ll thank Him for how he’s worked in our lives, but we don’t truly rejoice.

I know I often haven’t.

⁶Abram traveled through the land as far as the site of the great tree of Moreh at Shechem. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. ⁷The LORD appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” So he built an altar there to the LORD, who had appeared to him.

⁸From there he went on toward the hills east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. There he built an altar to the LORD and called on the name of the LORD.

Genesis 12:6-8

God appeared to Abram with a promise, and he built an ALTAR in remembrance.

A what?

An altar.

Not once, but twice.

And then he worships and witnesses to those around him.

When was the last time you ran to tell all your friends when God worked in your life? When did you tell strangers?

I know I’ve never built an altar, that’s for sure.

What I do know, is that I’ve realized the importance of celebrating God’s work in my life. Both through worship to Him, and in telling others.

I have also realized that it’s important to to look back at the times when God did wonders in my life so that I remember how He changed my life.

Genesis 13 picks up again:

¹So Abram went up from Egypt to the Negev, with his wife and everything he had, and Lot went with him. ²Abram had become very wealthy in livestock and in silver and gold.

³From the Negev he went from place to place until he came to Bethel, to the place between Bethel and Ai where his tent had been earlier ⁴and where he had first built an altar. There Abram called on the name of the LORD.

Abram went to Egypt, returned to the altar he had built before and remembered.

I think few things help our Faith like looking back at his ever-changing work in us. I know it blows me away each and every time.

How do you remember God’s work in your life? Do you tell others about the God-things that happen?

Do you build altars and party hard?