JESUS:OUR JOY, PART ONE

JESUS: OUR JOY, PART ONE

God intends for His children to discover throughout our lifetime on earth more and more of His Glory, and so, more and more  of our JOY. In the Bible, from the Beginning until the New Beginning, He invites us into His Holy Presence, essentially through JESUS, promised throughout the  Old Testament, and appearing—living, teaching, healing, dying, rising, ascending, and returning in the New Testament. So, as we look to the Old Testament first for the Promise of Jesus, we find JOY as we consider the assurance, the hope, the seeking, the finding, and dwelling in the Promised Land where the line of David is established, and from which Jesus will be born.

From the very beginning, and throughout history, in the Bible, God’s Story of Redemption, Jesus has been our JOY. Throughout the Old Testament God spoke through first, a particular people; and then to a particular nation, to share His Promise of blessing the whole world with His Presence in the Person of One who would prove to be Jesus. Again and again, God was pointing His People to His gift of the Promised Land. He was also pointing them to the Promise of the Messiah, who would establish God’s Rule over over His people and throughout the world. So, in the Promised Land of peace and plenty, and in the Promised One, God was forever working toward the coming of Jesus as His gift of JOY for all the earth.  He has always been at the center of God’s Plan for ultimate reconciliation with human kind. In the Promise of the the blessing of all human kind through the seed of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, God was preparing His nation. 

Genesis 12:1-3

Now the Lord said to Abram,
“Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house
to the land that I will show you.
 And I will make of you a great nation,
and I will bless you and make your name great,
so that you will be a blessing.
 I will bless those who bless you,
and him who dishonors you I will curse,
and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

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Jesus At The Center

Always and forever Jesus is at the very center
or God’s eternal plan to redeem His children
and so to give us the JOY of knowing
the fullness of His Love and Grace
even as we struggle every day with trials and
tribulations following our failure to obey
Him in the garden—and so to lose our
honored place in His Creation—
Jesus comes Incarnate to participate with us
in life’s opportunities and its struggles
blessing us with His smiles, His laughter, His Love,
His care, His Wisdom, His Power and His Life,
for God held nothing back as He daily proved His
eternal and His perfect, His sacrificial plan as
He demonstrated every moment how we
could perfectly trust in and follow Him.

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God Made Himself A Nation

God made Himself a nation out of Israel as a testimony
to the glory of His Presence among His people who
choose to follow and and obey Him as He blesses
and He leads them while He delivers
on every Promise He makes them passing through the Sea
and the desert discovering for them water when
they’re thirsty and manna when they’re hungry
and His Law when they wander—
and at the heart of every promise He was looking forward
to His Incarnation being born among His People
as the baby Jesus born almost unseen in a
manger in the quiet town of Bethlehem.

Genesis 28:11-14

Jacob left Beersheba and went toward Haran.
And he came to a certain place and stayed there that night,
because the sun had set.
Taking one of the stones of the place,
he put it under his head and lay down in that place to sleep.
And he dreamed, and behold,
there was a ladder set up on the earth,
 and the top of it reached to heaven.
And behold, the angels of God were ascending
and descending on it! And behold,
the Lord stood above it and said, “I am the Lord,
the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac.
The land on which you lie I will give to you
 and to your offspring.
Your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth,
and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east
and to the north and to the south, and in you and your offspring
shall all the families of the earth be blessed.

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As Jacob’s family  and descendants grew in number, God intervened on their behalf, multiplying and blessing them during their time in Egypt until  their numbers and their strength became  a threat to Pharaoh. So, he effectively enslaved them. Then God sent Moses as a deliverer, and through the plagues convinced the king to release the Hebrews, but only after the ultimate and tenth plague, from which the Hebrews were spared, due to their obedience in sacrificing a perfect Lamb—of course—pre-figuring Jesus. 

Exodus 12:11-13

Jesus: The Passover Lamb

Then Moses called all the elders of Israel and said to them,
“Go and select lambs for yourselves according to your clans, and kill the Passover lamb.
 Take a bunch of hyssop and dip it in the blood
 that is in the basin, and touch the lintel
and the two doorposts with the blood that is in the basin.
None of you shall go out
of the door of his house until the morning.
For the Lord will pass through to strike the Egyptians,
and when he sees the blood on the lintel
and on the two doorposts, the Lord will pass over the door
and will not allow the destroyer
 to enter your houses to strike you.”

Deuteronomy 18:15-19

Jesus: A Prophet

“The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet
like me from among you, from your brothers—
it is to him you shall listen—  just as you desired of the Lord your God
at Horeb on the day of the assembly, when you said
 ‘Let me not hear again the voice of the Lord my God
or see this great fire any more, lest I die.’
And the Lord said to me, ‘They are right
in what they have spoken.
 I will raise up for them a prophet like you
from among their brothers.
And I will put my words in his mouth,
and he shall speak to them all that I command him.
And whoever will not listen to my words that he shall speak in my name,
I myself will require it of him.’”

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God speaks through Moses, pointing to Jesus as a prophet. God promises to put His Words in Jesus’ mouth. Jesus will speak all that God commands. All will be held accountable for their response to Jesus and everything He says for God. The pattern throughout the Old Testament is clear: Listen to God. Hear Him carefully. Obey Him. Find blessing and JOY in heeding God’s Word.

Interestingly God chooses a wandering family, builds them into a mighty nation, and then gives them the Promised Land. Over and over again He blesses them in the midst of mighty trials. When there is no water, He provides. When there is no bread, He provides. When there is no meat, He provides. When their disobedience leads to sickness, He provides the means to express their faith in Him, and He heals those who follow His direction. They are blessed over and over again with His Presence, and so His JOY for them—just as Jesus will be His Presence to bring JOY among His people when He lives physically among them. This is true even though Jesus is like a stone the builders have rejected.

Psalms 118:21-22

Jesus: The Stone The Builders Rejected

I thank you that you have answered me
and have become my salvation.
The stone that the builders rejected
   has become the cornerstone.

As the stone, the priceless cornerstone, Jesus is crushed for us. To bring us blessing or JOY, Jesus is put to grief. His soul offers Himself for our guilt. God’s Will prospers in His hand. The righteous one, Jesus, will make many rejoice in righteousness purchased by Him and His Holy Sacrifice. Jesus has died to purchase our JOY. Jesus has born our iniquities—even as the prophet has written.

Isaiah 53:10-11

Jesus: Crushed For Us

Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him;
he has put him to grief;
when his soul makes an offering for guilt,
he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days;
the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.
Out of the anguish of his soul
he shall see and be satisfied;
by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant,
make many to be accounted righteous,
and he shall bear their iniquities.

Jesus comes as the Son of Man who receives dominion over all peoples. He comes before God, the Ancient of Days. He is given dominion and glory and the Kingdom, so that all peoples, nations and languages serve Him. This dominion is eternal and cannot be destroyed. It will never pass away. In God’s Presence Jesus becomes our absolute and eternal JOY. 

Daniel 7:13-14

Jesus: His Dominion Over All Peoples

I saw in the night visions,
and behold, with the clouds of heaven
    there came one like a son of man,
and he came to the Ancient of Days
    and was presented before him.
And to him was given dominion
    and glory and a kingdom,
that all peoples, nations, and languages
    should serve him;
his dominion is an everlasting dominion,
    which shall not pass away,
and his kingdom one
   that shall not be destroyed.

Jesus will bring salvation to all who call on His Name.  Our JOY in Jesus arises from the complete salvation He brings as we proclaim His Name. We are then delivered from separation between us and God, our judgment. He sets us free from the penalty of our sinful rejection of His call to love and honor and worship Him. This is our JOY in Jesus.

Joel 2:32

Jesus: Salvation For Those Who Call On His Name

And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls
on the name of the Lord shall be saved.
For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those
who escape, as the Lord has said,
and among the survivors shall be those whom the Lord calls.

Although Bethlehem is a very small town, and for most people an almost completely forgotten one, this town which has been the birthplace of David, Israel’s greatest king; and so, of Jesus, His promised descendant, as set forth and prophesied according to God’s Perfect Will. There shall be great JOY among God’s people when His appointed King is born in little, almost forgotten, Bethlehem.

Micah 5:2

Jesus: Bethlehem Born

But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah,
who are too little to be among the clans of Judah,
from you shall come forth for me
one who is to be ruler in Israel,
whose coming forth is from of old,
from ancient days.

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And so, we see how from the very beginning, and throughout the Old Testament, Scripture after Scripture points us to JESUS as God’s fulfillment of His eternal gospel plan to bring us JOY as as He reveals His glory. We can absolutely trust in JESUS with our whole lives and find in Him JOY for each day we live. Praise the Lord! Amen!

(“Jesus in all of the books of the Bible” jesusplusnothing.com  {December 23, 2025} provided suggestions for passages used in this post.)

JOY Every Day This Year

JOY .  .  . EVERY DAY THIS YEAR, 2026

I thought I only wanted a bit of happiness,
just as I imagined I deserved,
and so I competed hard with my neighbors
as I assumed I had to fill my own bag
of trinkets I had somehow
taken from them—
happiness made all my life
one competition after another
winning and thrilling for the moment
but suddenly losing again—
and although I never failed to try,
and although I gave my heart and soul,
as soon as I put a bit of happiness
inside my bag, it fell
out the hole in the bottom—
happiness became my life-long trap,
promising so much more
than it could ever deliver.

Then Jesus came calling,
loving and teaching,
explaining how
happiness, even when it
seemed bright and shining
provided only shadows
quickly passing,
failing to satisfy—
He taught me how
the Father in Heaven
calls us to a life of worship,
obedience toward Him
and then service
for others around us
as we discover
His glory and our
joy grow together—
we give our God true worship
and discover joy eternal..

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What comes to mind when you think of JOY? I remember the old saying: JOY means Jesus first, others second, yourself third. Even though that sounds counterintuitive in this me-first world; I believe it makes a lot of sense. Who comes to mind when you think of JOY? Well, lots of wonderful people I have been blessed to know, but especially my PaPa (my Dad’s Dad). Jesus lived powerfully in his sparkling eyes, his love for people, and in his deep humility.  Now, when I put these three together, I begin to understand what JOY means to me. First, JOY really does overflow in people who prioritize Jesus as the true be-all and end-all of life. And when JOY overflows from those people, others find they are repeatedly blessed. Finally, those who keep Jesus first and others second, discover a day-after-day, sense of goodness and wholeness and rightness, characterizing their lives.

JOY always grows out of our relationship with Jesus, as we look to Him for redemption and deliverance. As JOY grows it transforms our hearts and minds so that loving concern for others rearranges the direction of our lives—from taking selfishly into giving unselfishly. The emptiness of striving becomes the fullness of sharing. Life becomes all about giving to Jesus the worship and praise and service He deserves. Life becomes all about loving and serving others before ourselves. Life becomes JOY  that never goes away. Joy begins an eternity of deeper and deeper fulfillment as we discover the light-and-dark-difference between living unto God and His glory and living for ourselves and the world. God’s glory shines in our lives and blesses us with JOY.

Too many of us in this world waste large portions of our days uselessly seeking happiness, which is a pale reflection of JOY. Happiness lasts mere moments. JOY deepens from day-to day all the way into eternity. Happiness grabs all it can get for itself. JOY gives all it can for others. Happiness focuses its desires on pleasing itself. JOY seeks to glorify God by serving others. JOY was what we were eternally made for. Happiness is a tiny piece of the whole array of gifts God has given to us to share with others. When we find happiness, it is already fleeing. When we find Joy, it is already taking root and growing deep in our heart. Happiness was created by God to lead us into true JOY. Happiness is like the caterpillar while JOY is revealed as the butterfly. Happiness must be transformed by God’s Spirit living in us, focusing more and more on God and less and less on ourselves as it becomes so God-focused it becomes JOY. 

Nehemiah 8:10

Then he said to them, “Go your way.
Eat the fat and drink sweet wine
and send portions to anyone who has nothing ready,
for this day is holy to our Lord.
And do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”

Here we read how the people of israel have returned from their exile in Babylon, just as God had promised them. Now they are enduring the tough days of rebuilding the city walls. They have faced fierce and dangerous opposition. They have been forced to constantly mount armed guards even as they build. Now they pause to read God’s Law. They are reminded that they must obey His Law as they find His deliverance and protection. They are reminded they must rejoice in the perfection of God’s Law. JOY comes through faithful obedience to God’s Law. When we worship and serve Him with our hearts, souls, minds, and with all our strength, He empowers our relationships with others in service, and we find JOY. 

So, JOY is a gift for all people who respond to His Call to redemption through faith in Jesus—responding to Jesus’ Call into a relationship based on Jesus’ life, death and resurrection, and our trust and obedience to Him. He becomes our Lord, our Master, and so, our redeemer. We become His transformed servants seeking above all to glorify God, serve others, and in return, experience JOY now and forever. I am reminded of the children’s song:

Nativity Psalms

Nativity Psalms

I have thoroughly enjoyed these weeks leading up to the Celebration of Christmas, 2025, even as I have completed a cycle of seven stories told about God’s intervention in the lives of Isaiah, Mary, Joseph, Zechariah and Elizabeth, the Shepherds, Simeon and Anna, and the Wise Men, on behalf of all the people of the world for all time.  Now, I am left with the question, what do these divine encounters have to say to me? In my heart I have to believe God is not finished with me yet. He still has His redemptive Work He wants to accomplish through me. So,  I intend to revisit each story in the form of a modern-day psalm as I  ask the Holy Spirit to speak God’s challenge for me arising from His encounter with each of these unique people.  I pray He will use these humble words to also speak His truth for you.

God’s Call Upon A Life

The choice of God to put His call upon a life
at once reveals the power of His almighty Love
as His touch at once begins redeeming those
who heed, consider and respond to Him
who owns us all;  for it is He who makes us each
a bit of glory hidden cold behind the stone
until His deep commanding call comes clear
so we who hear must rise up, walk out into the
 the blazing, resurrecting Love who weeps for us
until we rise and answer Him with obedience
we cannot give until we are awakened,
renewed, inspired, and reborn into eternity.

Isaiah

Imagine the juxtaposition
of my looking upon God’s Holiness
in the midst of seraphim
declaring the Almighty’s
righteousness and glory lifted up
uncovering my own uncleanliness
 by my own unwholesome
words staining my filthy lips.

Imagine the Almighty placing
side-by-side upon His Holy Altar
my torn and sin-stained life
beside His Suffering Servant,
the hopeless sinner miraculously
cleansed by Him who had no blemish,
myself deserving justice
yet set free by His own mercy.

Imagine such magnificent grace
providing me such a voice standing
before great priests and kings
declaring the Almighty’s
Truth and His Judgment upon
the mighty who soiled themselves in
the filth of this sinful earth
until bowing down, they worshipped Him.

Mary

I do not recall a day when my heart
did not sing my praise to our Heavenly
Father . . . His Love brought joy to me
as I joined the morning birds raising
their songs, as I went about my chores
visiting the well or the market stalls
or feeding our animals or helping by
watching my sisters and my brothers—
but my heart learned a deeper,
a whole new kind of song when
the angel gave me God’s News, that
Our Savior should be born, of me.
That such a privilege should come
to me, a mere maiden in this small town—
I am learning this miraculous truth:
God’s Love works mysteriously.

Joseph

My heart always stood firm on righteousness—
I mean it always seemed so clear to me as I
looked upon the  lives of our fathers, Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob; our great King David—
and so I truly thought I had found in this young
girl and her angelic, and it seemed, her holy
singing, a joy in our people’s love for our God
of righteousness, for she so rejoiced in this
life He gives for those He chooses, who in turn
choose to follow Him — and so I sought her
and was granted by her father the great honor
of our being betrothed to each other pure and holy
until we should be joined in marriage—
and so I felt blessed and happy—until I heard
the truth which seemed so unrighteous and yet
as it  turned out was so miraculous—Mary was
with child before we married—it seemed she had
been defiled and yet I thought I knew her heart—
in despair I was determined to quietly put her
away, to spare her life— but then God’s angel came
in a vision; I know our God was speaking—
this was His miraculous child, Mary retained
her innocence —I should marry and protect her
purity as she carried in her womb our Savior.

Elizabeth 

Together always, Zechariah
and myself side-by-side,
we felt so blessed; my dear husband
and his calling were always also mine.
It seems, our Mighty God
had set us aside to minister His Word
among His Chosen People,
 and though we did regret it that
 I bore no children,
we over the years moved on from that
with great joy in sharing the priestly task
my own Zechariah had been given;
we saw this as God’s supreme gift—
we rejoiced before Him together.
Imagine my surprise when
Zechariah  returned from the Temple
unable to speak a single word,
when he with grunts and signs
and a simple tablet
told me this shocking news:
An angel had appeared while
he was ministering
in the Holy of Holies:
I was to give birth.
At my age and his,
I was to give birth.
But here it was:
It was true.
Soon I was pregnant.
In my old age.
I rejoiced
in this gift from the Lord.
And when our son was born,
Zechariah named him John
even as the angel had said.
And my blessed husband
was given the gift of speech again.
And of course, He praised the Lord.

Daniel

I was not even a shepherd.
I was a shepherd-in-training.
I served under my grandfather, Abel,
our chief shepherd in Bethlehem,
and my father, Daniel, one of nine
shepherds who were training me.

In fact, I got really bored
and extremely sleepy
most nights, so I got
lots of scolding
from both my
father and my grandfather.

I was actually dozing
when the first angel
appeared that night.
But he shone so bright
I jumped up so quickly
I fell back down.

Then the angel spoke;
“Fear not!”
With that we all sat up.
The angel continued;
“I bring good news
of great joy.”

“Today in Bethlehem,
the City of David,
a Savior is born.
Here is a sign.
You will find
Him in a manger.”

Then He was surrounded
by thousands of angels,
and they thundered,
“Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace
be upon His people.”

As fast as as we could
we ran into Bethlehem
and found the stable—
but the husband guarding
the door asked us
to come back in the morning.

Then we heard her voice,
the mother, almost like
an angel, scolding him,
sweetly inviting us in—
and as we saw Him,
our Messiah, we kneeled.

Joy burst out among us.
We broke out in praise.
We sang and we danced.
We shouted the news.
“Our Messiah has come.
Our Savior is born.”

Simeon

Bless His Holy Name.
Praise Him forever.
He backs up His Word.
His Promise is true.
Now, after all of these years
our Messiah has come,
and here in His Temple,
finally I have seen Him.

His blessed Spirit who
spoke deep in my heart
confirmed in His face
more beautiful than any
I ever saw—those eyes
so large, even then,
even as an infant,
looking so wise.

Oh, how happy I felt.
Such joy filled my heart.
How hope filled my mind.
What peace filled my soul.
With these hands I raise
my praise to His Name,
who deserves my worship
and all of my heart.

And what I know, I know.
Here in my arms is the One.
I hold so close to my heart
my Savior, our Lord.
I bless His Name
over and over again.
I praise Him, for His
Promise is true.

And yet I see a shadow,
somehow history
will show, many will rise
and reject this Holy One.
All will be troubled,
especially this dear mother,
for all God has offered
in Him, many will reject.

A Magi

All our lives
we searched the heavens
for answers
to the questions
in our hearts and minds.

And then we
saw the Star, now we
know as His Star,
and we knew we
must search and find Him.

So, we crossed
deserts and mountains,
always as
His Star led us
towards Israel.

Once we knew
the place we assumed
we would find
the mighty One
in Jerusalem.

But we were
troubled by Herod’s
darkened heart
and his shadowy
declarations.

But then we
knew His Star would lead
us to our
Great King in
Bethlehem.

There we found
Him, worshiped Him and
presented Him
gifts—the King of
Kings for the Earth.

The Wise Men . . . Illustrious Seekers

Week Seven
The Wise Men
Illustrious Seekers
Matthew 2:1-12
The Visit of the Wise Men

Shalom, my friends,
I greet you
in the name of
our great God, Adonai.
My name is Mishael.
In the Holy Scripture,
in the Book of Daniel,
it means,
“Who is what God is?”
I love my name,
for no one is what God is,
for God is One,
and no one is like Him.

(You may know
the mighty young man,
Mishael,
when he was taken
captive along with
his faithful friends
after the fall of
Jerusalem,
was given a vile
Babylonian name,
Meshach.
referring to one
of their false gods.)

I, myself, am one of the Jews
who somehow
never made it home
to Jerusalem
after the exile
in Babylon.

I have a mighty,
an inspiring story
to tell you today.
My story is not about me.
It is about my masters,
for I am a steward
who has served
these years three
of the Magi,
Melchior, Caspar, and Balthazar,
all men who sought
after God in their
study of the stars.

These men were so caught up
in their studies of the stars
in the heavens above,
and even of our own
Holy Scriptures,
they lived together
in a grand house
with an observatory
on the roof
and an extensive
library of scrolls
in a large room
on the second story.

Some nights they asked
me to come up on the roof
and to tell the stories
of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob,
Joseph, Moses, David,
and Daniel, along with
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

They were fascinated by the stories
of our people and our God
who cared for individuals
and called them to faith
and obedience in Him
even as He used them
to mold and shape
history around them.

One night while I was with them
they saw the star which
inspired us to begin
our long journey to Jerusalem
and then to Bethlehem.

My masters,
Melchior, Caspar and Balthazar
exclaimed one after the other.
as the star appeared.

”God is at work.”

”This is a mighty sign.”

”A King of Kings is born.”

That very night they decided
to put together
a caravan
so they could travel
safely and comfortably—
and, praise be to God,
they included me.

I had never traveled
so far before.
I was the household steward,
not one to accompany
them on their travels,
but one to keep
their household and their
servants in order.

It was not only a long journey,
but it was a hard journey.
Some nights were cold.
Many days were hot.
Sandstorms were too
common for my comfort.
And riding a camel
has never been
my choice—
all that rocking
back and forth.

But eventually
we did make it through
the gates of Jerusalem.
My masters assumed
any king born
in Israel would
be born in the
famous home
of our Holy Temple.

When they saw King Herod,
he seem surprised
by their question:

Matthew 2:1-6

“Where is he who has been born king of the Jews?
For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”
When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled,
and all Jerusalem with him;
and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people,
he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.
They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet:

“‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
    are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
    who will shepherd my people Israel.’”
(Micah 5:2)

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We quickly learned how my people
in Jerusalem feared Herod.
He had a murderous reputation.
When he was worried about news,
everyone in Jerusalem
grew nervous.

He was obviously ignorant
of our scriptures,
so he had to summon
the chief priests and scribes
to ask them where
such a child-to-be-king
would be born.

(I was a bit embarrassed.
myself, because
I did not know
of this particular
prophet, Micah,
and this prophecy.
To be honest
I had not even
heard of Bethlehem,
even though
it was the birthplace
of King David,
our greatest king.)

Luke 2:7-8

Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly
and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared.
And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying,
“Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him,
bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.”

************

Anyway, Herod got his answer.
Then he called my masters
to him for a private meeting.

He told them about the birthplace,
Bethlehem, and asked them
to go and find this child
so that he might
go and worship him also.

Well, my masters
knew people, and especially kings,
better than that—
they did not take Herod at his word.
And besides, we had all heard
around Jerusalem
about how feared he was.
But they wisely said nothing
about their doubts
to the king.

Matthew 2:9-11

After listening to the king, they went on their way.
And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them
until it came to rest over the place where the child was.
When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.
And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother,
and they fell down and worshiped him.
Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts,
gold and frankincense and myrrh.

************

As soon as we left Jerusalem
for the short journey to Bethlehem,
no one could miss the star
which not only shone
over the town of Bethlehem,
but obviously
pointed to the exact
place in Bethlehem
where the child-born-to-be-king
was lying.

Melchior, Caspar and Balthazar
hurried into that humble place
and found the Baby and His mother
and her husband.
My masters did not hesitate.
They fell to their knees
and worshipped him.
As scholars
they were able to speak
to them in Aramaic
to express their praise
for this Mighty One
now so small,
but destined by our God
to do mighty things
in for God’s people,
and indeed,
for the people of the world.

My masters had carefully
selected gifts which
spoke of the worship
they offered the King.
The gifts had cost them
each much gold,
but they were
filled with joy
to offer Him
such treasures
as a fitting
tribute to the One
they knew
would be the King of Kings.

Also as Magi,
in their wisdom,
they wanted to express
their own
expectations for the roles
He would play.
So, Melchior
presented Him with gold,
as He would
certainly be King.
Caspar presented
Him with frankincense,
for he would
also be God’s Priest
to bring many
to worship
God in Heaven.
And Balthazar
presented Him
with myrrh,
for he would live
as a man
who would suffer
death for many.

And my masters not only
gave Mary and Joseph
these gifts,
but they shared with them
their doubts
about Herod—
that he was certainly
one to be feared.
They explained how he
had asked them to
come and tell him
where the Holy Baby
could be found.
Then they assured them
they would do no such thing.
They would go another
way, avoiding Herod
and Jerusalem
altogether.

Matthew 2:12

And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod,
they departed to their own country by another way.

************

And God confirmed their wisdom
in a dream, and with great joy
and excitement
we began the journey home
taking the long way
around Jerusalem,
and every night we sat
under the stars
as we found ourselves
worshipping
the God of Heaven
who had sent to live
among His people
a mighty King
to bless the world.

Adonai, receive the glory.
Adonai, receive the Honor.
Adonai, receive the Praise.

Simeon and Anna . . . Godly Witnesses

\Week Six
December 12
Simeon and Anna
Godly Witnesses
Luke 2:22-38

Shalom!
Welcome to God’s Holy Temple.
So, whom am I?
How do I fit
into these holy,
these miraculous stories?
My name is Malachi.
I am blessed
by Adonai
to be chosen to serve
as a Levite.

Luke 2:22-25

And when the time came for their purification
according to the Law of Moses,
they brought him up to Jerusalem
to present him to the Lord
(as it is written in the Law of the Lord,
“Every male who first opens the womb
shall be called holy to the Lord”)
and to offer a sacrifice
according to what is said in the Law of the Lord,
“a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.

Now there was a man in Jerusalem,
whose name was Simeon,
and this man was righteous and devout,
waiting for the consolation of Israel,
and the Holy Spirit was upon him.

************

I am doubly blessed
to serve the greatly revered Simeon,
widely admired,
for he was both righteous and devout—
the Holy Spirit obviously
had His hand upon him.
And he made it clear
to all of us around Him—
He was looking toward
the Comforter of Israel,
our blessed Messiah.
You could see Simeon’s holiness
on his face and in his eyes—
I would call it a holy illumination,
the light of conviction.

So, as I said,
“I praise Adonai”
for the blessing
of standing by his side that day
he suddenly
looked up to Heaven
and hurried
toward a humble couple.

Luke 2:26-35

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.
And he came in the Spirit into the temple,
and when the parents brought in the child Jesus,
to do for him according to the custom of the Law,
he took him up in his arms
and blessed God and said,
“Lord, now you are letting your servant
depart in peace,
according to your word;
for my eyes have seen your salvation
that you have prepared
in the presence of all peoples,
a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
 and for glory to your people Israel.”
And his father and his mother marveled
at what was said about him. 

And Simeon blessed them and said
to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child
is appointed for the fall and rising
of many in Israel, and for a sign
that is opposed
(and a sword will pierce
through your own soul also),
so that thoughts from many hearts
may be revealed.”

************

The couple had a baby boy.
They had the look
of humble Galileans,
but Simeon exclaimed
praise as soon as
he looked upon the baby boy.

Simeon had often
explained to me
a special calling
our God had placed
upon his life.
Adonai, praise be to His Holy Name,
had promised Simeon
that he would see the Messiah
during his lifetime.
Simeon actually took the baby boy
into his aged hands,
lifted the little one
to heaven and proclaimed;

“Lord, now Your Promise
has been fulfilled.
I can pass from this life
in happiness.
Here, with my very own eyes
I see Your Messiah,
Blessed be Your Name.
He comes from You
as a great light
even for the Gentiles.
He, this little one,
brings Your glory
among us as
Your People, Israel.”

Obviously this poor couple
seemed surprised,
but as I watched them closely,
I noticed a subtle
smile they shared
which reflected a deep joy
in their eyes.
Then I understood.

They knew who this baby was—
so much more than a Son.
He was born to bless
His people,
and even beyond them,
the people of the world.
Simeon gently handed
the baby boy
back to his mother
as he spoke again,
more seriously,
this time.

“He will lift up many in Israel,
but He will cause many others to fall.
His life will determine destinies.
Many will oppose Him.”

And dear lady,
your very soul will be pierced with sorrow.
The true hearts of all
will be revealed by Him.”

And Simeon turned and walked away.
I hesitated for some moments
before I followed.
I could not help but notice
how deeply Simeon’s prophecy
had affected the couple.
The man looked concerned,
and his wife had to
wipe away a tear.

Luke 2:36-38

And there was a prophetess, Anna,
the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher.
She was advanced in years,
having lived with her husband seven years
from when she was a virgin,
and then as a widow until she was eighty-four.
She did not depart from the temple,
worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day.  
And coming up at that very hour
she began to give thanks to God
and to speak of him to all
who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.

And then Anna arrived.
She actually lived at the Temple.
She had lived there
and had praised our God
for  most all of her life
since her husband had died
after just seven years of marriage.
Now she was eighty-four.
She immediately hurried over
to the couple and
their remarkable baby.

“Oh, God of our Fathers.
I praise You and Your Mighty Name.
I thank You for the gift
to the world
of this marvelous child.
Listen to me, oh people of Israel.
Gather around me,
Hear my cry!
Here is our Messiah,
God’s anointed One.

Go from the Temple.
Declare this Good News.
We have seen the Promised One,
born to redeem us all.
Praise be to our Mighty God.”

Then I, Malachi, hurried away
to find, my master, Simeon,
no doubt spreading
this extraordinary good news.
Our Messiah is born.
He has come
to deliver us.
Hear Simeon’s testimony.
Hear Anna’s praise.
Our Redeemer has come.
Praise to the Holy One.
Praise be to our Messiah.
Praise be to His Holy Name!
Our Savior has come!

Shepherds . . . Blessed Visitors

Week Five
The Shepherds
Blessed Visitors

Luke 2:8-20

“Shalom, my friends.

It’s me, Abel.”

“Shalom!”

And me, Samuel,
Abel’s son.”

”Shalom!”

“And me, Daniel,
Samuel’s son
and Abel’s grandson.”

Shalom!”

“Not much to be proud of,
after all,
we’re just shepherds—
right son?”

“Yes, Dad.”

“And grandson?”

“Yep!”

“What did you say, grandson?

“Oh, sorry, Grandpa. Yes, sir!”

“But none of that really matters tonight . . . .
What a story we have to tell!
Angels! Our race into Bethlehem!
Seeing the Savior! A baby!
Daniel, tell them about the angels!”

“Wow! Me? Yes, sir!”

Luke 2: 8-12

And in the same region
there were shepherds out in the field,
keeping watch over their flock by night.
And an angel of the Lord appeared to them,
and the glory of the Lord shone around them,
and they were filled with great fear. 

And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold,
 I bring you good news of great joy that
will be for all the people. 
For unto you is born this day in the city of David
a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
This will be a sign to you:
You will find a baby
wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

It seemed like any other
night spent in the fields.
But we did notice the sheep
seemed skittish.
But they did settle down.
I was actually dozing
when the terrified shepherds’ screaming
woke me up.
Then I saw the angel—
the brightest light I ever saw.
And that voice!
Like thunder!

“Fear not!”
“Good News!”
“Great joy!”
“For all people!”
“In David’S City!”
“Our Messiah!”
“Our Savior!”
“Our Lord!
“Praise His Name!”
“Amen!”

Thank you Grandson!
I can’t forget that angel’s face.
I can’t forget that’s angel’s voice!
I can’t forget His great good News!
“Hallelujah!”

“Now, Son!”

“Yes, Dad!”

“Tell these folks about our race into town.”

“Yes, sir!
But what about those other angels, Dad.”

“Oh, I forgot.
How could I forget?
Too much excitement!
Tell them, my son.”

Luke 2:13-14

And suddenly there was with the angel
a multitude of the heavenly host
praising God and saying,
“Glory to God in the highest,
 and on earth peace among those
with whom he is pleased!”

“Yes sir!

Most of us were already on the ground,
overcome by the splendor
of the one angel.
Then suddenly there were thousands
of angels just as glorious.
And they were all declaring God’s praises.
They were declaring glory to God.
They were declaring peace
to God’s people.
I can’t describe how we felt.
We were overcome with joy.

Luke 2:14

When the angels
went away from them into heaven,
the shepherds said to one another,
“Let us go over to Bethlehem
and see this thing that has happened,
which the Lord has made known to us.”

The angel had told us how to find Him,
this Baby, our Savior born
in Bethlehem.

We all just started running.
I was running faster
than I even knew I could run.
We were racing to find
the Baby born in Bethlehem,
the Baby born to be our Messiah
and our Lord. 

No one was on the road into Bethlehem.
No one was in the streets that late at night.
We were twelve—
nine shepherds
and three shepherds-in-training
like my own  grandson, Daniel.

As you might have guessed,
those three young ‘uns
got there first.
Even they were out of breath.

But they were too overcome
with excitement.
They waited for us at the stable
set up behind an inn
in a cave in one of our hills.

When we were all there,
once we recovered a bit,
once we could catch our breath,
we noticed the husband.
Joseph is his name.”

“Good job, son.
And I have to admit
that as the oldest of us shepherds,
I was the last to arrive,
and the last to finally catch my breath.
But that crazy race was worth it all,
wasn’t it?”

“Amen, Dad.”

“Yep, Grandad, oops, I mean amen!”

“And now, here’s the heart of our story.
I should say, His story.
It’s all about the story of the Baby Jesus.
I tried to explain the angel
and his good news.
I tried to explain the angels
and their glorious
praise for God.

But Joseph asked us to return
in the morning
so Mary, his wife,
and the Holy Baby, Jesus
could rest.

But Mary called out
from inside the stable
and invited us
to come in and see
the Baby.

Joseph gave in
and all twelve us crowded in,
on our knees and silent—
none of us could speak.
Awe-struck,
that’s what we were.
The angels had amazed us.

But the Baby changed us forever.
Even as a baby
He overwhelmed us
with love, joy, and peace.

I finally found my voice
and praised our God
for the Baby, the angels
and all we had seen and heard.

Praise be to God!”

“Hallelujah, Abba, Father!,” declared Abel.

“Amen, Abba, Father, “ echoed Samuel.

“Amen, Abba, Father,” agreed Daniel.

We slipped outside into the night.
Joseph bid us Shalom, Shalom!
And we did the same.

But as soon as we got to the street again,
our joy burst forth,
and we began singing,
and shouting and dancing,
as only shepherds can.

Surprised?
Come join us one night
when we are alone
out with our sheep
in the field
around the fire—
and you will see what shepherds
do to praise our great God.

Our lives have certainly been different,
better, somehow richer
since that night
when angels came
and our Savior,
a baby was born
in our own town, Bethlehem.
Every night with our sheep
we realize how blessed we are,
we, twelve humble shepherds,
blessed to receive the Good News
of the Savior Born
first, before the Priests,
before our own Rabbi,
first in all the world
blessed by His coming.
Hallelujah! Praise the Lord!

“Right, son?”

“Yes, Father.”

”And grandson?”

”Yep!

”What grandson?”

”Sorry! Hallelujah! Praise the Lord!”

Zechariah and Elizabeth . . . Miraculous Parents

Week Four
November 29
Zechariah and Elizabeth
Miraculous Parents

Luke 1:5-25

Blessed be the name of the LORD!
Blessed be His Holy Name!
He has accomplished His
Mighty Salvation
through the humblest
and the least
among His beloved
chosen people.

I was a but a barren older woman,
the wife of a humble priest.
But I was oh, so happy, even so,
for Zechariah was
truly a man called by God.
He deeply loved God’s Holy Word
and he deeply loved God’s
chosen people.
And he loved me.

Our marriage brought us both
much joy as God blessed us
with much happiness
together, even without children;
though our family and our friends
pitied us, they were almost
always kind—Zechariah and I
found sweet comfort together.

You might say we had a fun,
give-and-take, back-and-forth,
non-stop, enjoyable, yet honest
conversation between us—
we both loved to talk, you see,
he as much as I, and myself
as much as he—but it was
all good fun—heart-to-heart.

Zechariah was never one to
hide God’s revelations from me.
In fact, he would often rush
into the house while I was
weaving, and excitedly explain
what Holy Scripture had to say
about God and His unending
Love for His chosen people.

When he went away to serve
in the Temple, I missed him,
but I eagerly looked foward
to the vivid reports he would
bring when he returned home
to me—his eyes would shine
and His words would flow
as He praised the Temple.

Well, you can imagine how shocked
I was when he came rushing
through the door one day,
his face gloriously alive with
holy excitement, but his mouth
mysteriously tongue-tied,
somehow unable to share with
me what had happened.

His good friend, Isaiah, another faithful
priest, had come along with him;
so Isaiah tried to tell me the
incredible story of the angel
who had appeared to my own
Zechariah in the Holy of Holies
with an astounding message—
Zechariah had written it down . . .

He had laboriously labored over
the shocking news he had to tell,
because God’s people needed
to know how God was moving,
and as you shall see; I, myself,
definitely need to know, for
my life was about to change
forever, and all for God’s glory.

Here is the story, even as my
dear Zechariah wrote it out:
“And there appeared to him
an angel  of the Lord standing
on the right side
of the altar of incense.
And Zechariah was troubled
when he saw him,
and fear fell upon him.
But the angel said to him,
‘Do not be afraid, Zechariah,
for your prayer has been heard,
and your wife Elizabeth
will bear you a son,
and you shall call his name John.
And you will have joy and gladness,
and many will rejoice at his birth,
for he will be great before the Lord.
And he must not drink
wine or strong drink,
and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit,
even from his mother’s womb.
And he will turn many
of the children of Israel
to the Lord their God,
and he will go before him
in the spirit and power of Elijah,
to turn the hearts
of the fathers to the children,
and the disobedient
to the wisdom of the just,
to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.’”
(Luke 1:11-17)

Oh my, needless to say I was shocked.
An angel appearing to my Zechariah?
The angel assuring him that I,
Elizabeth, his elderly barren
wife would bear a child?
Well, I must say, if anyone
other than angel of the LORD
had said such a preposterous thing, . . .

 . . . , well like Abraham and Sarah,
I would have laughed—
but what could I do?
The way Zechariah looked
at me—I honestly did not know
how to feel—just what does
a woman do, when God chooses
at this late date, to bless your womb?

Oh, there was deep joy in my heart,
in our hearts together, my husband
and I,  after a lifetime of barrenness;
but there were also two fears—
a natural fear; how could my
worn-out body handle pregnancy?
and a spritual fear; how could
the two of us raise such a child?

Finally, it dawned on me,
why couldn’t Zechariah
talk and tell me about
this mighty miracle, himself?
As Isaiah explained, my poor
Zechariah shook his head
in sorrow and embarrassment—
here it what he had written:

And Zechariah said to the angel,
“How shall I know this?
For I am an old man,
and my wife is advanced in years.”
And the angel answered him,
“I am Gabriel.
I stand in the presence of God,
and I was sent to speak to you
and to bring you this good news.
And behold, you will be
silent and unable to speak
until the day
that these things take place,
because you did not
believe my words,
which will be fulfilled in their time.”
(Luke 1:18-20)

May God forgive me, with these words
I lost control; “My dear Zechariah,
The Angel Gabriel appeared to you
and you didn’t believe him?
How could that be?”
But as soon as I said it
and saw the guilt in my dear
husband’s eyes, my heart
softened, and I embraced him.

And our mighty God declared it.
And so it happened.
And so, on most days,
Zechariah and I rejoiced.
There were days, to be honest,
when the baby in my womb
seemed like a punishment
more than a blessing.

But that was the exception;
God’s Grace proved, as always,
more than sufficient,
and in the midst of my
heaviness, God brought
dear, sweet, Mary, my very
young cousin, also with child,
though she was a virgin—
Her visit changed everything.

As soon as she arrived,
little John in my womb seemed
to dance with joy! Listen
to what I said:
“Blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the child you will bear!
But why am I so favored,
that the mother of my Lord
should come to me?
As soon as the sound of your greeting
reached my ears,
the baby in my womb leaped for joy.
Blessed is she who has believed
that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”
(Luke 1:42-45)

Believe me, Mary and I
truly rejoiced together
as we shared
the good news
of God’s miraculous
working in our wombs
to bring about the birth
of our John and
Mary’s Jesus.

Eventually Mary returned
to Bethlehem, to her Joseph
while the time drew near
for me and Zechariah—
and praise be to God,
our great big baby boy
was born, and God continued
to surprise His people.

When all of our dear,
our lifelong and faithful friends
gathered for the naming,
they expected a cherished
name from the heritage
of Zechariah’s family,
but God had His own plan,
and His plans are good.

Zechariah remained silent,
even as the Angel Gabriel
had declared; so when
asked for the name
I replied for my dear husband,
”John!” Some gasped,
some objected, some asked,
”Where did that come from?”

But Zechariah motioned
for a slate and proudly
wrote the name, John,
even as I had said;
and at that moment
even as the Angel had said,
he spoke, and how
beautifully he spoke:

Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,
for he has visited and redeemed his people
and has raised up a horn for us
in the house of his servant David,
as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old,
that we should be saved from our enemies
and from the hand of all who hate us;
to show the mercy promised to our fathers
and to remember his holy covenant,
the oath that he swore to our father Abraham, to grant us
that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies,
might serve him without fear,
in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.
And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High;
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,
to give knowledge of salvation to his people
in the forgiveness of their sins,
(Luke 1:68-79)

What a story!
What a God!
How He blesses!
How He rules!

Those He calls
He strengthens
and inspires
His Work to do!

My Zechariah
and I, Elizabeth
His blessed servants
delivered John . . .

who grew strong
and in the Spirit,
prepared the Way
for our Lord.

Nativity Stories . . . Joseph

Week Three
Joseph
A Faithful Man

Matthew 1:15-16

. . . and Eleazar the father of Matthan, and Matthan the father of Jacob,
and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary,
of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ.

No need to talk much about me—
There’s not that much to know.
Oh, I guess you need to know my name.
That would be Joseph ben Jacob.
I am from the tribe of Judah
and the House of David.
And yet I am a very simple man
as was my father
and his father Matthan
and his father Eleazar.

This story is certainly not about me.
It’s not about my remarkable wife Mary.
It’s all about Jesus, her son.
Her son you ask?
That’s a big part of the story.

How did I first meet Mary?
Well, we both lived in Nazareth.
You could say I watched her grow up.
Of course, both of our families
attended the synagogue.

At first Mary was just another
one of the children
in the women’s gallery
while I was already
considered a man,
a young man.

As she grew and became
a young maiden
in a craftsman’s family,
I was drawn to her
as a happy and joyful,
obedient daughter
to her parents.

I must say I was drawn to her
for her godliness
among our people.
And it may seem odd
to hear this from me,
but her singing
became for me something
I loved to hear.
I could tell
her singing came from
a pure heart of love for God.

Her parents had made the arrangements
and we had been betrothed.
We were to be married
and become man and wife
at the appropriate time.

When I heard that somehow
she was with child,
I was angry.
How could this be?
Who had done this?
To Mary?

My pure sweet Mary?
What could I do?
The Law told me what I could do,
but how could I do that to Mary?
My soul was troubled.
I couldn’t understand
why God had allowed this to happen.

I couldn’t sleep at night.
But then I had a vision.
How do I describe that?
I can’t.
I knew I was in the presence
of someone very holy.

I felt so unworthy, so unclean.
I still remember the angel’s words:
“Joseph, son of David, do not fear
to take Mary as your wife,
for that which is conceived in her
is from the Holy Spirit.
She will bear a son,
and you shall call his name Jesus,
for he will save his people from their sins.”
(Matthew 1:20-22)

After that, I wasn’t angry.
I was scared out of my wits.
Who was I?

How could I help Mary raise
so holy a child,
the Savior of our people?
How could I face the gossips
and their cruel accusations
against Mary.

All I could do was obey.
The angel told me to
take Mary as my wife.
So I did.

Of course we did not
live as man and wife
until after the baby was born.
Mary never changed.
She lived out her joy before me,
She lived out her trust and obedience.

Oh, it hurt her—
the ugly, the ridiculous gossip.
It made me mad
but there was nothing we could do.

Our trip to Bethlehem was a mercy.
It got us away from all of that gossip.
It was all so unfair.
Our people knew Mary.
They knew me.
But they just couldn’t trust us.
They couldn’t trust God.

The days were hard,
but the nights were harder, still.
The ground where we slept
made us both sore,
but especially Mary,
as she was now so large with child.
We had only the simplest of foods
and as the trip wore on,
I could see Mary growing
wearier by the day.

But we did have God’s promise
to us both,
and that gave us strength
each morning to face another day,
and especially as we drew
nearer to Bethlehem.

When we entered my familiy’s
ancient hometown,
it seemed Mary’s baby
in the womb noticed.
She could tell her time was near.
I could tell how the pains
grew stronger even
as we searched the
overcrowded little town
for a place to stay—
and to give her some privacy.

No one had a room for us, it seemed.
Every inn was full.
Every house with any extra room was full.
I grew more and more desperate
until one innkeeper,
after taking a good long look at Mary,
and recognizing her condition,
took mercy and offered us
an almost forgotten
stable behind his inn.
He even made sure the straw
was fresh and clean.
He did the best he could do.

And as soon as we managed
to get Mary settled
He came, Mary’s baby Jesus.
Mary had wisely prepared me.
We both knew what to do.
So, as God would have it,
of course, there were
no complications—
though it was very painful
and intense for her, of course,
but her strength from our God
shone through.

Then, when she and her son
were clean and resting
on the straw,
I gave God praise,
and took up my place
to guard the entrance,
though I don’t think
anyone would have
noticed us there.

I heard them at a distance,
they were laughing
and talking and
joking with each other
as I guess, shepherds
at night often do.

When they saw me in the entrance,
they suddenly stopped
as the elder among them
stepped forward and asked,
”Is this the place
where the angels told us
we would find Him born—
a baby, the Savior,
our Messiah,
lying in a manger?”

Immediately,
all of these shepherds,
some merely boys,
some still young men,
some of them older—
I think there
might have been twelve,
started talking at once,
mentioning angels
and their glorious appearance,
brighter than stars.

I tried to talk some sense
in the midst of their babel,
”My Mary and her baby are resting,
she’s exhausted,
he’s a newborn—
could you return in the morning?”

But then from inside
Mary spoke up with joy;
”Oh, faithful husband,
do not send them away—
did you hear them?
Angels have sent them.
We cannot turn them away.
Let them share in our joy.
Let them join us in praise.
Almighty God has blessed them
with the birth of His Son.”

What could I say?
They fell to their knees
as they entered the stable.
Some wept and some laughed,
some shouted, some whispered
but with us they all worshipped—
not one of them stood
in His Presence
the One
who lay in the manger.

And then they were gone,
and I heard their singing,
praising our God,
declaring the Truth
over and over again.
“The Savior is born.
Our Messiah us come
right here in Bethlehem,
our Savior is born.”

You know, even though
the shepherds spread the word,
very few came to see Him,
very few took the time
from their business
to see Mary’s son.

When her time for cleansing
had come we journeyed
the short distance
to Jerusalem
and the Temple
as we should.

There we were heartened
by Simeon and Anna
and their assurance
Mary’s baby was the One.

Not long thereafter,
Wise Men came
led by the star
shining in the heavens,
as they said,
guiding them all the way
to this humble
place where Mary’s son was born.

They gave us rich gifts,
gold, frankincense, and myrrh—
as in their worship
they proclaimed Him,
prophet, priest and king.

They warned us of Herod
and his dangerous
plot to find
us and Jesus
since Mary’s Son
was born to be king.

After they left
the angel appeared
to me again,
and we fled from our town
to Egypt where
our peoples’ journeys
had begun.

Only when Herod had died
did we dare to return.
At home in Nazareth
Mary’s boy grew more
wonderful and stronger
and more obviously
dedicated to our Great God.

What a blessed man I am.
What a blessed husband I am.
What a blessed labor
I am given.
Assisting my Mary,
helping her
raise her son,
somehow to become
the Messiah for our people—
the Savior of the world.

• Praise be to the Almighty.
  Praise be to our God.
  Praise be to Him for His Mercies.
  Praise be to Him for His Grace.
  Praise be to Him for His Love.
  All praise be to His holy Name.

Nativity Stories . . . Mary

Nativity Stories
Week Two

Mary
A Joyful Singer

Hey y’all!
I’m Hanna and
you might as well know
right off the bat—
I’m proud to be from Nazareth.
Some folks think
we’re too simple,
but I always say
it’s best to keep
life simple.
Love God.
Love your neighbor.
Focus  your heart and mind
on that and a whole
lot of complications,
why, they just go away.

Besides, living in Nazareth
under Roman rule—
well, it just makes life hard.
Men and women
and boys and girls
work so hard
they just don’t have time
to make life complicated.

But  that’s enough of that.
I want to tell you a lovely story
about one of our very own
who was called
to become a part
of the greatest
story of all.

Her name is Mary.
Well, I declare,
I never in all my life
knew a happier girl
than Mary.
In fact, I would call
her plumb joyful.

Why, that girl
was singing
every time
I saw her.
In the market
buying vegetables
and fruit for her mother,
she was singing—
and she sang like a bird.

Now, bless her heart,
she was not really
beautiful, but she was cute—
and if you looked into her eyes
when she was singing,
well, they had a shine to them
that would remind you
of the stars.

Anyway, she was always
singing, in the market,
at the well, hurrying
with a message from her mother,
and in the women’s section
of the synagogue.
In fact, I always
tried to sit near Mary’s mother
and her daughters,
just so I could hear her sing.

Now, we are a small town,
and there will always be gossip,
but when things got tough
for Mary, for Joseph and her son;
I never did believe that gossip.
You just don’t sing like Mary.
You just don’t live in joy like Mary.
and do such things.

Yes, it’s true,
her son was a mystery,
But I choose to believe,
not in all that nasty gossip,
but in the tried and true
character of Mary and her Joseph.

So, even when it became
obvious Mary was
expecting a child
before she and Joseph
were married,
and the gossip
became nastier
and nastier,
I held on to
my belief in dear Mary.

Not even when Joseph
and Mary’s own father
looked so worried,
and the gossip
grew nastier
and nastier,
I still heard Mary’s
beautiful singing
and saw her eyes
still shining—
now somehow deep in my heart
I new our little Mary
had done nothing wrong.

Then came the census.
They, I mean Mary and Jospeh—
even with her so great
with child, were forced
to travel all the way
to Bethlehem
to register for their taxes.

Well, the gossips had a field day,
I even heard them saying,
“Good riddance!
They will bring a curse upon our town.
Such a shame for us to bear!”

Poor Mary’s father and Mother,
bless their hearts,
they had to face all that nastiness
constantly—
but to their credit
I never heard them
shaming their daughter
nor their son-in-law.

Well, after the census
all kinds of stories
returned with other travelers
for the census—
and I didn’t know what to believe.
Some claimed Joseph
was so embarrassed
they just took off to Egypt
to raise the boy—
all the stories said it was a boy—
among relatives living there.

Yet there were other stories
told by pilgrims
returning from Jerusalem
who whispered tales
about shepherds, angels,
a star and Wise Men,
and the murderous
attack on infants
by our so-called king.

No one knew anything for sure,
and Mary’s father and mother weren’t talking—
I don’t know if they actually knew
what was true, . . .
until after Herod, “Praise God!” died.

Finally, Joseph, Mary, and her child returned.
From the very beginning
her boy’s joy and his eyes—
and his beautiful voice—
he sang like Mary
won the hearts of man,
including me, of course.
Bless his heart.
He had her same joy
and her same
sense of peace;
well, if a boy
in such a place
as Nazareth
near Galilee
can be called peaceful;
well her sweet boy won people over,
you know what I mean?
Even some of those gossipers,
bless their hearts,
finally shut their mouths.

He laughed and ran and played
with all of the other children.
He attended the Hebrew school
at the synagogue
just like the other boys.
In many ways he seemed typical,
but to those of us
who watched him closely,
he remained, well mysterious.

Oh, some gossipers held to their disdain.
But most of us forgot this delightful
boy’s questionable past.
Joseph and Mary lived clearly devoted lives,
honoring God, her parents, each other;
carrying for their son, Jesus,
and his younger brothers and sisters.
The goodness of their lives
overcame the accusations
of the bitter gossip
still whispered here and there,
but less and less
as years passed by.

Anyway, I continued to admire Mary and her songs.
As it happens, she started coming to my vegetable stand,
and we enjoyed catching up on family news.
She had been friends with my younger daughter,
Abigail, who had married and moved
away to Caesarea while Mary had been away.

Gradually, over the years, even as Jesus grew
from his boyhood toward his maturity,
Mary occasionally told me bits-and-pieces
of their story, until one time when Joseph
had traveled, she seemed eager
to tell me the whole glorious story—
and of course, you will not be
surprised to know—
I believed every word of it.
By then I knew I had been right about
Mary, Joseph and her baby—
now her soon-to-be young man, Jesus.
So, here it is,
the most beautiful story I ever heard:

How beautifully
Mary’s eyes lit up
as she told the story.
First, she explained
she was outside Nazareth on a hill
when the angel
appeared to her.
Of course she was terrified.
I never saw an angel,
but if I did
I bet I would faint
right there, right then.
Anyway, he told her
not to fear.
He explained she had found
favor with God.
Then, he really blew her mind.
He told her
she was going to have a baby.
A baby boy!
The angel even gave him a name—
Jesus!
The angel kept on shocking her.
He told her the baby would be called
Son of the Most High,
The Most High!
For goodness sake!
Then the angel just kept on going.
He told her
the Lord God
would give him
the throne of David, his father.
And if that weren’t
enough the angel added
this child would grow up to reign over
the house of Jacob,
our peoples’ father, Israel,
forever.
Forever with no end!

Bless her heart.
Imagine!
Mary knew herself.
She had never been with a man.
Sure, she was betrothed to Joseph.
But she had never been with a man.
For goodness sake,
they weren’t married.

So, she just out and asked the angel,
”How can that happen?
I know I have not been with a man?”
Then the angel explained
God would work a miracle
so her son would be holy—
the Son of God.

The angel went on to tell her
about her elderly cousin,
Elizabeth who had no children,
bless her heart,
that she was now expecting a son.
Then he challenged Mary to believe.
”For God nothing is impossible.”

What could gentle, joyful, Mary say?
She replied,
”I am the Lord’s servant.
I surrender to His Will.”
Bless her sweet, sweet heart.

Then she told Joseph.
Of course he was troubled.
But, bless his honorable heart.
He knew Mary.
He was worrying over what to do.
Then an angel visited him in a dream.
And the angel explained,
Mary remained faithful to Joseph.
God was working a miracle.
“She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus,
for he will save his people from their sins.”
(Matthew 1:21)
So Joseph and Mary were married.
Then as her time drew near
they had to travel all the way to Bethlehem
to pay Caesar’s tax.

That trip was hard.
They only had a donkey.
They only had blankets
to lie down on a night.
They only had each other
to share the way.
But God led them.
They made it to Bethlehem.
But Bethlehem was crowded.
It was almost her time.
Joseph desperately searched
everywhere in the town,
but there was no place for them.
But God provided.
One inn keeper reluctantly
agreed they could
use a small stable
behind his inn.

It was there that Jesus was born.
It was Mary, alone with Joseph,
who delivered her son.
In a stable.
It seemed they were all alone.
But sweet Mary knew God was there.

And to prove it,
after they were settled for the night,
Mary and her baby Jesus;
shepherds came to worship.
Shepherds!
They were the first
to worship Jesus.
And they had come
because God had sent a crowd of angels
to tell them the Savior was born.
Those angels had told
the shepherds where they would find the baby.
And, lo and behold,
they came, and here he was.

Mary laughed as she told me
how those shepherds
had knelt before the baby,
the first to worship him.

And later, even as she and her son
were getting strong enough
to travel, they had had another
group of visitors.
They were so different from the shepherds.
They were foreigners.
They were known as Wise Men.
They had come on camels.
They were richly dressed.
They brought rich gifts,
gold, myrrh, and frankincense.
But just like the shepherds
they knelt and worshiped Baby Jesus.

Then the angel appeared again
to Jesus in another dream.
The angel warned Joseph
to flee with Mary and her son.
Herod, (I will never say, “Bless his heart.”)
was sending soldiers
to kill not only Jesus,
but as it turns out,
all of the young boys
in that place.

So, with the gifts from the Wise Men,
Joseph and Mary and her son
were able to escape
Herod’s murderous threat.
They fled to Egypt and remained
there among some of our people
until Herod had died.
Then they returned here to Nazareth.
Oh, some still gossiped.
But others like her parents
and others who really
knew Mary and Joseph
and who they actually were,
we rejoiced to have them home.
And we wondered at their stories.
And we grew to wonder more and more
over Mary’s miraculous son.

What a beautiful story!
How wonderfully
God had blessed Mary and Joseph!
Imagine the shepherds
coming to worship!
Imagine the wise men
with their rich gifts
also coming to worship!

What a glorious story!
How blessed I am
by this story!
And how blessed
we all will be
by Jesus,
bless his heart!

Praise be to God!
Hallelujah!
How He has blessed my heart!

Nativity Stories . . . Isaiah

Nativity Stories

God’s Glorious, Miraculous, His Joyful Visitation Among Us: It had always been God’s plan for redemption. This had been His plan from eternity, not just for humanity as a whole, but even more so for individuals like you and me. God has loved you from eternity. He has loved me. Every word in Scripture rings true along with that plan. My heart resounds with joy to this Great Good News. So,every year I write a Christmas story. I have been doing this since 1971 when I was a sophomore at the University of Montevallo. Over they years I have written all manner of stories featuring Biblical characters, family members, missionary families, imaginary families, and assorted animals. It has always been a delightful adventure for me, seeking to reveal the wonder and glory and the beauty of Jesus, God Incarnate coming to live among us.

This year will be unique. I believe God has given me the task of writing seven nativity stories, each written with one or two Bible personalities in view. I hope to post one a week leading up to Christmas. I will begin with the Prophet, Isaiah, called the Gospel Prophet—but, then again, actually all Old Testament prophets are Gospel prophets. They each play their role in God’s plan to make eternal redemption available to every person.

Week One
A Visionary Prophet

November 8

Isaiah

A Visionary Prophet

Well, who am I, you ask?
My name is of no matter to you.
I am here to tell a story of
God’s prophet, Isaiah.

I tell one of many stories
which could be told of this great and godly
man who stood before
kings, both righteous and unrighteous, 
to proclaim the Word of God.
I received the blessing
of serving as a chosen one
among his scribes.

Here, then, is my story.
May God bless you
so you clearly receive His message.
Isaiah chose to spend extensive time alone.
Some days I never saw him at all.

One evening, late enough
that I had eaten my meal,
I was not so surprised to
see him coming through the door.

As was befitting, I asked Him,
”Shalom, Master Isaiah,
can I get you something to eat?”
“No, no, no, my brother.
We must get to work.
I have an amazing Word from the Lord.”
Indeed, yes He did.

Every Word God communicated to Isaiah
declared absolute truth
no man would ever undermine,
though kings and generals
might attempt such foolishness.

Here is what he carefully,
deliberately declared to me,
making sure I wrote each blessed
word God had declared.

“But there will be no gloom for her who was in anguish.
In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun
and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he has made glorious
the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations.

The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light;
those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness,
on them has light shone.

You have multiplied the nation;
you have increased its joy;
they rejoice before you
as with joy at the harvest,
as they are glad when they divide the spoil.

For the yoke of his burden,
 and the staff for his shoulder,
 the rod of his oppressor,
 you have broken as on the day of Midian.

For every boot of the tramping warrior
 in battle tumult
 and every garment rolled in blood
  will be burned as fuel for the fire.
(Isaiah 9:1-5)

Now, I must tell you how
Isaiah behaved
while he expressed to me
this Word from the Lord.
He never sat down.
He paced back and forth.
His face shone with glory.
His eyes were bright.
And as I listened,
my heart overflowed with joy.
Here was God’s Holy Word
entrusted to my  own
humble fingers to record.

Sometimes Isaiah spoke loudly,
forcefully, demanding attention.
At other times he seemed
overcome with the majesty
of God’s Message,
and he almost whispered.
Sometimes his voice became exultant,
but at other times
he wept with a brokenness
which moved me to tears.
This night Isaiah sounded triumphant.
Obviously he had Good News to share.

He delivered a message about glory
coming to Galilee of the nations.
He declared a great light was coming
to people bound by darkness.
For His people there would be great joy.
The oppression of hopelessness
would cease.
Battle gear would be burned.

(At this point, I must tell you,
Isaiah became more excited
than I had ever seen him.
He started laughing and crying
at the same time.
He rushed outside and looked up
at the stars, as he declared,
“Praise be to God,
Ruler of the Universe.”
I rushed out into the night also.
I joined him in praising God.
This was one of the most holy
moments we  had ever shared together.)
Then I followed him back inside.
I took up my stylus,
and with mesmerizing
Joy he spoke these words:

“For to us a child is born,
    to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
    and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of his government and of peace
there will be no end,
on the throne of David and over his kingdom,
    to establish it and to uphold it
with justice and with righteousness
    from this time forth and forevermore.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.”
(Isaiah 9:6-7)

(And then my Master, Isaiah, stopped his proclamation,
and told me to put down my stylus.
He often did this, when overcome
with the power of the message,
so he could explore the depth and meaning
in God’s Holy Word.)
“Imagine this, my brother.
God will send a child, a son among us.
He will establish a holy kingdom,
ruled by our Holy God.
Just think of His Names:
Wonderful Counselor!
Mighty God!
Everlasting Father!
Prince of Peace!

In some mysterious,
miraculous manner,
God is coming
to live among us,
Praise be to His Holy Name!”

Then, Isaiah, my master started dancing,
well, not exactly dancing,
more like stepping in rhythm
as he almost sang.
Actually, first he declared
from memory
an earlier prophecy.

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign.
Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and shall call his name Immanuel.
(Isaiah 7:14)

Then with more excitement
and joy than I had
ever seen in my Master
he begin to chant and dance-step
around the room.

“Our Lord God will do it,
He will do it as He has planned
even from all eternity.
Hosanna to His Holy Name.

He will show us His sign.
A virgin shall conceive a son,
His Name, Immanuel.
Hosanna to His Holy Name.

He has said it, brother.
And so, it will surely be done.
His Word will never, never fail.
Hosanna to His Holy Name.

All His people are blessed.
All the world will finally know.
God offers redemption to all.
Hosanna to His Holy Name.

Hosanna to His Holy Name.
His Love and Word are glorious.
This Son will be our redemption.
Hosanna to His Holy Name.”

Then he grabbed me
by both hands
and led me
as we chanted
his song,
as we stamped
our feet
in less than perfect rhythm

And in my heart I knew
how this message
my Master Isaiah
had received from God
would bring joy
to all the people
of the world.

Hosanna to His Holy Name.
Hosanna to His Holy Name.
Hosanna to His Holy Name.
Amen! Amen! Amen!