Daily Verse | 1 John 4:10
This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

Friday’s Reading: 2 John and 3 John
Saturday’s Reading: Jude

It’s Friday and Christmas Eve 2021, the day before we celebrate what is surely the most astounding event in the entire known history of mankind: that God Himself entered our world as a baby on a mission to rescue humanity from itself, culminating in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”

Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.”

“How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”

The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God.”

“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it be to me as you have said.” Then the angel left her.

Luke 1:26-38 (NIV)

Our culture is so overcome with the commercialization of our holidays—every Tom, Dick and Harry is taking advantage of the occasion, trying to sell you something that you don’t need and can’t afford—that it takes great and intentional effort to put and keep Christ at the center of Christmas.

There is no secret to doing it. It’s simply refusing to get swept up in the madness and instead set aside time for bible reading, reflection and prayer.

That’s my prayer for you this Christmas. May the truth of the written record pierce your heart and flood you with wonder, joy and peace at the gift of God in the person of Jesus Christ.

If it would be helpful for you, I’m including below a harmony of the birth narratives that I put together from the gospels of Matthew and Luke. You can download it and have a copy to read on Christmas Day.

Have a great weekend, and Merry Christmas.