Christian Reflection and Prayer

By Rev. Wayne Palmer

Read Luke 1:1-4
TEXTIt seemed good to me...to write an orderly account for you...that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught." (Mark 11:1-2)

Are you dreaming of a white Christmas this year? I always did. I'd hope and pray, but most years I'd look out the window and only see the same old, brown grass and bare trees. Sometimes we feel that same disappointment in our Christmases. We get our hopes up; we make all our preparations, but then we feel disappointed when the day rolls around.

Maybe our problem is building our Christmas excitement on uncertain things-a white Christmas, the perfect presents, everyone getting along at Christmas time. Luke had something different in mind when he wrote about the first Christmas.

Luke wasn't your typical writer in the Bible though. Unlike Matthew he wasn't one of Jesus' 12 disciples; he never met Jesus face to face. He wasn't even Jewish; he was a Gentile physician from Antioch in Syria. He got his information by interviewing people who saw and heard Jesus, people who lived with Him, ate and drank with Him. Being an educated man, Luke didn't get swept away by the ramblings of dreamy-eyed followers of Jesus. He made sure to ask for historical details and evidence from his witnesses.

When it came to researching Jesus' birth, what better source could he have than to interview Mary His mother? Sitting at her feet Luke gathers so much important information it ends up taking two of the 24 chapters of his book.

Pull up a seat with Luke as Mary shares her memories of the first Christmas.

Prayer: Almighty God, I want to learn more about the first Christmas. Thank You for leaving us a record in the words of Jesus' own mother Mary. Help me learn why Jesus was born and why that matters for my life now. I pray in Jesus' name, Amen

(Lutheran Hour Ministries)