Refreshing Our Spirits With Scripture

 12.13-   Breaking the Silence                         Luke 1:11-17                                Philip Yancey     At the end of the Old Testament, God seems to be in hiding. For four centuries, the Jews wait and wonder. God seems passive, unconcerned, and deaf to their prayers. Only one hope remains: the ancient promise of a Messiah. On that promise the Jews state everything. And then something momentous happens. The birth of a baby is announced.     You can catch the excitement just by reading the reactions of people in Luke. Events surrounding Jesus’ birth resemble a joy-filled musical. Characters crowd into the scene: a white-haired great uncle (Luke 1:5-25), an astonished virgin (Luke 1:26-38), the old prophetess Anna (Luke 2:36). Mary herself lets loose with a beautiful hymn (Luke 1:46-55). Even Jesus’ unborn cousin kicks for joy inside his mother’s womb (Luke 1:41).     Luke takes care to make direct connections to Old Testament promises of a Messiah. The angle Gabriel

 12.12-   Traditions and Christmas                  Luke 2:1-10                                  Dave Branon     As you savor a candy cane this Christmas, say “danke schon” to the Germans, for that confectionary treat was first created in Cologne. As you admire your poinsettia, say “gracias” to Mexico, where the plant originated. Say “merci beaucoup” to the French for the term noel, and give a “cheers” to the English for your mistletoe.     But as we enjoy our traditions and festivities of the Christmas season – customs that have been collected from around the world – let’s save our most sincere and heartfelt “thank you” for our good, merciful, and loving God. From Him came the reason for our Christmas celebration: the baby born in that Judean manger more than 2,000 years ago. An angel announced the arrival of this gift to mankind by saying “I bring you good news that will cause great joy . . . a Savior has been born to you” (Luke 2:10-11).     This Christmas, even in the ligh

 12.11- Once in our world, a stable had something in it that was bigger than our whole world!   Extreme Measures                            Luke 19:1-10                                Joe Stowell     A few years ago, a friend of mine lost track of her young son while walking through a swarm of people at Union Station in Chicago. Needless to say, it was a terrifying experience. Frantically, she yelled his name and ran back up the escalator, retracing her steps in an effort to find her little boy. The minutes of separation seemed like hours, until suddenly –thankfully – her son emerged from the crowd and ran to the safety of her arms.     Thinking of my friend who would have done anything to find her child fills me with a renewed sense of gratitude for the amazing work God did to save us. From the time God’s first image-bearers – Adam and Eve – wandered off in sin, He lamented the loss of fellowship with His people. He went to great lengths to restore the relationship by sendi