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Day 17: A Child is Born Reading: Luke 2:6-7 While in Bethlehem, Mary gave birth to Jesus, as had been promised hundreds of years before. Luke 2:7 reads: “She gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them.” Read more

Day 16: Following God’s Lead Reading: Luke 2:1-5 While Mary was pregnant with Jesus, a census was taken throughout the entire Roman Empire. This caused Joseph and Mary to leave Nazareth to be counted. Luke 2:4 tells us: “And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, Read more

Day 15: The Way Prepared Reading: Luke 1:67-80 Instead of doubting that God would give him a son, Zechariah now uses his words to prophesy over the life of his son, John. Zechariah says in Luke 1:76-77: “And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to Read more

Day 14: A Promise Fulfilled Reading: Luke 1:57-66 Elizabeth gives birth to her promised child that Gabriel foretold would come. Her neighbors expected her to name the child after his father, Zechariah, but she tells them the child’s name is John. Zechariah confirms, and when he does, this happens: “And immediately his mouth was opened and Read more

Day 13: Mary’s Praise Reading: Luke 1:46-56 We can learn what Mary believes about God by reading the praise that she gives to God at Elizabeth’s home in Luke 1:46-56. This portion of scripture is called The Magnificat (mag·ni·fuh·kaat) which roughly translates to “praises” or “magnifies” in the English language. Instead of thinking about the challenges that Read more

Day 12: Blessed is She Who Believes Reading: Luke 1:39-45 When Mary visits her relative Elizabeth, who is also pregnant, the baby in Elizabeth’s womb leaped, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In the Spirit, Elizabeth exclaimed:  “And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from Read more

Day 11: Faith in the ImpossibleReading: Luke 1:34-38 Believing the impossible is a prerequisite to our faith in God, so it doesn’t surprise me that God would use an impossible situation to bring His Promised Son into the world. Without impossible situations like Mary’s, we wouldn’t need faith. This Christmas, God doesn’t just give us a Son; Read more

Day 10: Everlasting KingdomReading: Luke 1:30-33  The Israelites always wanted a king like other nations, although they were led by God himself. They endured cycles of good and bad kings as they waited on their promised Messiah, whose rule would never end. As Gabriel announced the birth of Jesus to Mary, he said:  “And he will reign Read more

Day 9: Highly Favored of the LordReading: Luke 1:26-29 In alignment with the prophecy of the coming Messiah in the Old Testament, we learn that Jesus will be born of the Virgin Mary. She is a young woman who is pledged to marry a man named Joseph. What may have been considered inconvenient, God calls favored. Read more

Day 8: When We Are Faithless, God is FaithfulReading: Luke 1:18-25 Zechariah’s disbelief in the message he received from the angel about the birth of his son John is met with swift consequences. He lost his ability to speak. Luke 1:19-20 says:  “The angel said to him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of Read more