My children, with whom I am again in labor until Christ is formed in you (Galatians 4:19).What an awesome privilege to be the handpicked city to cradle the Son of God.  Why Bethlehem?  Why not Jerusalem, the seat of religious power?  Or Rome, the center of political power?  Or Athens, the center of intellectual power?  God was sending a message.  The hope of our world is not in religion, politics,...  Read More

But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting (Micah 5:2).Long centuries before His birth, the prophets foretold that Christ would be born in Bethlehem.  But how?  Joseph and Mary resided seventy miles north, in Nazareth.  God put...  Read More

But thou, Bethlehem … though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth … whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting (Micah 5:2). Think of it.  Of all the places for the Messiah to be born, God chose Bethlehem.  One would have thought it might be in a much more prominent place, like Jerusalem.  Bethlehem reminds us that in God’s economy the sma...  Read More

Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us (Luke 2:15). It was a dark night ... yet there was light!  The Light of the world had come.  Bethlehem almost missed it.  No room.  So the young, pregnant Jewish girl found herself without the decency of even a clean sheet or a simple cot.  In her hour of labor, her bed was straw in ...  Read More

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord (Luke 2:11). I love Rembrandt's portrayal of the nativity.  One great beam of light falls upon the baby Jesus so that all the other participants are somewhat shrouded in shadow.  He wanted nothing to take away from the significance of Christ. Christmas is really about Christ.  And, primarily, Christ alone.  Not o...  Read More

While they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth (Luke 2:6). Look in the middle of the nativity and you find a little family.  Christmas is about family.  God entrusted His own Son to a human family, just like yours.  He could have circumvented the family, but He did not.  God put His own stamp of approval on the family.   Family is important to God.  Think about it.  He instit...  Read More

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men (Luke 2:14). Look at the nativity, and you see a worship service.  Angels hover over it like drones.  Common, smelly, shepherds and sophisticated wise men bow down.  Worship flows form everyone toward the Child.   It is difficult to imagine any greater contrast than what we see at the nativity.  They were different socially.  She...  Read More

And she gave birth to her firstborn son … and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn (Luke 2:7). If you are like me, you type hundreds of words each day. Let me ask you a question.  Are the keys you type black, gray or white?  The truth is, most people cannot give a definitive answer without looking at the keys, even though they look at them several times every single ...  Read More

Jacob was the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, by whom Jesus was born, who is called the Messiah (Matthew 1:16). Note carefully what today’s verse says and does not say.  It does not say Joseph begot Jesus.  Here the repetition of the "begots" ends.  The "whom" in Greek is feminine singular, referring only to Mary and not to Joseph.  Can you see God the Father right there in the family tree o...  Read More

Salmon was the father of Boaz by Rahab, Boaz was the father of Obed by Ruth … (Matthew 1:5). If time permitted, we could stop at each of the dozens of names in Christ's genealogy and speak of the grace behind their lives. But there are four obvious testimonies of grace that should catch our eyes. They are all women, and in that ancient world it was unheard of to see women listed in genealogy table...  Read More

Abraham was the father of Isaac … David was the father of Solomon by Bathsheba who had been the wife of Uriah (Matthew 1:2, 6). Talk about heartbreak, sorrow, misery, and grief – all those things are woven through the fabric of our Lord’s family tree.  Can you feel the grief behind these words?  The grief of Abraham leaving all he had known to go to a land where he had never been.  The grief of le...  Read More

The record of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah … Jacob was the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, by whom Jesus was born, who is called the Messiah (Matthew 1, 16).There is no one like you.  You are unique.  No one has a fingerprint like yours, a DNA that exactly matches yours.  Roots are important, and not just to plants.  Your DNA shows what tendencies you may have regarding disease, intell...  Read More