THE SET UP: So far we've spent the month of December trying to see Christmas through the eyes of the Old Testament prophets and the people who actually lived it, and we've learned a lot about God in the process. We see:   It is always better to obey God, even when it doesn’t make sense. We can trust God. Even when we’re skeptical, when we can’t see how God can do what He says He will do, we can and should trust in Him. Just ask Gabriel, Zechariah, Elizabeth, Mary, or Joseph!   He works through ordinary people, not rulers or kings or rich people. He even works through government offi ..read more

THE SET UP: The story of Jesus saturates the Bible narrative and prophecies of His first Advent are found throughout the Old Testament. One scholar, J. Barton Payne, found as many as 574 verses in the Old Testament that somehow point to or describe or reference the coming Messiah. Alfred Edersheim found 456 Old Testament verses referring to the Messiah. Conservatively, Jesus fulfilled at least 300 prophecies in His earthly ministry.   As one of the major prophets, the book of Isaiah has many of those prophecies, perhaps more than any other book of the Old Testament. In fact, Isaiah 53 is ..read more

THE SET UP: Prophecy is an indispensable part of the Nativity story – with good reason. God has always spoken and acted in real history, through actual events and real human lives. He has made promises and kept them and called people to record and remember them. He’s not an obscure deity of myth and legend, but the true God who has done wondrous things – none more so than the birth, life, death and resurrection of His Son.   The facts of Jesus’ life matter. The Christmas story isn’t just about having all the holiday feelings. It’s about a God who promised men and women long ago that he w ..read more

THE SET UP: The Old Testament ends with this verse from the book of Malachi:   See, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before that great and dreadful day of the LORD comes. He will turn the hearts of the parents to their children, and the hearts of the children to their parents. (Malachi 4:5-6)   Why is that important? Because after that, God goes silent…for 400 years! No prophets, no angels, no word at all. If you know the Christmas story well, it’s easy to shrug and just move on when you hear about an angel appearing – they’re synonymous with Christmas after all. However, angel ..read more

THE SET UP: The prophets of the Old Testament often saw things that would not take place for centuries, that is “foretelling” prophecy, prophesying about things that are to come. The prophets also gave “forthtelling” prophecies, which were words to the people (mostly Israel) that were inspired by God. Those were also the prophesies in which the prophet would speak to the current condition of Israel and how God wanted those things to change. The prophecies about the birth of Jesus (the Messiah) were foretelling prophecies – messages of hope for the future.   One of those prophets was Isai ..read more

THE SET UP: Advent is a season of anticipation. The word Advent comes from the Latin word Adventus, which means, “coming or arrival.” As we prepare to celebrate Christmas, the birth of Jesus, we reflect on what that birth means for the world and our own lives. Advent culminates in Christmas – the birth of Christ. It is a season of great joy as we celebrate the gift of salvation that God has given to us through his son, Jesus.   This third Sunday of Advent we are filled with joy as we anticipate the arrival of the Savior. In a world that can bring pain, difficulty, and trials, the gift of ..read more

THE SET UP: Yesterday we read a passage from Psalm 72 in the Old Testament which prophesied that nomads (shepherds) would come and bow down before the Messiah in worship, which is fulfilled in Luke 2 when shepherds became the first witnesses to the birth of Jesus. As the passage in Psalm 72 continues we read that kings will come from afar and bring gifts for the king, which we see in Matthew’s gospel. In Matthew chapter two, royal wise men (Magi) travel from the east to find the newborn king.   The Magi were not present at the birth of Jesus, or immediately afterward like the shepherds ..read more

THE SET UP: One of my favorite things about the account of Jesus’ birth is the unique cast of characters in the story. Yesterday we talked about the Magi, wise men from the east who came to worship Jesus. They were wise and wealthy. Today, we would place them among the “elites.” But what Jesus came to do wasn’t just for the haves in society, it was also for the have-nots. That included some of the most blue-collar people in that day, shepherds.   Shepherds were essentially nomads who wandered with their flocks, spending more time with sheep than people. They were seen as lowly and untrus ..read more

THE SET UP: In 2021 NASA launched the James Webb Space Telescope, the most powerful telescope in history. The images the Webb Telescope has provided and the discoveries it has made are mind-boggling. Philosopher Emanuel Kant said, “the moral law within and the starry hosts above,” were two compelling proofs for the existence of God. Indeed, while only 9,096 stars are visible with the naked eye, research has determined that our universe contains three septillion stars. For context, there are a trillion trillions in a septillion. So, there are three trillion trillions of stars. Wow.   In t ..read more

THE SET UP: In the Old Testament book of Exodus, we read the account of Israel’s exodus from Egypt. Led by Moses and with God’s miraculous signs, they were leaving behind 430 of slavery in Egypt. They were headed toward a land that God had promised them, but the journey would take them through some barren lands. One of the first obstacles they faced in the wilderness was the Red Sea before them and the Egyptian armies closing in behind them. God miraculously parted the sea, allowing them to walk across on dry land with the sea closing after them, drowning their pursuers.   You would thin ..read more