Christian Reflection and Prayer

By Rev. Wayne Palmer

Read Luke 1:26-29

TEXT: "In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent
from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin."
(Luke 1:26-27)

Frustration is sitting on the floor with six or seven
strings of Christmas lights all tangled together.
After a short struggle we usually gave up and
handed them back to dad, giving him a more tightly
tangled mess of lights than they were before. That's
when his patience and five years in the Navy came
in handy; in no time he had them untangled and
ready for the tree.

As Mary shares her memories of the first Christmas,
she leaves Zechariah for the moment and jumps
forward six months. The same angel Gabriel was
sent on another mission. She recalls the angel's
kind greeting and how he told her God had chosen
her, and was with her. But she was confused,
perplexed and greatly troubled. A debate began
raging back and forth in her mind, as she considered
what the greeting meant.

There is so much confusion in life. Just like Mary we
try to pick through the pieces and see if we can make
any sense out of them. Our minds go back and forth
from one point of view to another, from faith to doubt,
from confidence to uncertainty, from comfort to fear.

Thankfully, nothing is a mystery for God. He arranges
everything according to His loving plan. He assures us,
"I know the plans I have for you ... plans for welfare and
not for evil, to give you a future and a hope"
(see Jeremiah 29:11). The most important part of that
plan was starting to fall into place right now. God's own
Son is becoming human, so He can live a perfect life
and suffer on the cross in our place to win eternal life for
all of us.


Prayer: Heavenly Father, life can be very confusing. In
such times remind me to cast my cares into Your hands
so I may live in peace and quietness. In Jesus' name, Amen.

(Lutheran Hour Ministries)

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)

An angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said: “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” – Matthew 1:20-21

Angel: 1). A spiritual being believed to act as an attendant, agent, or messenger of God (Oxford English Dictionary).

What did Mary see when the angel Gabriel appeared to her? What kind of being came with foreknowledge of a supernatural conception and with words that would change her identity forever? “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you” (Lk. 1:28). How would the shepherds have described the angel with the glory of the Lord shining about? How could they encapsulate “a great company of the heavenly host,” whose voices poured out a sudden tidal wave of sound, a booming chorus?: “Glory to God in the highest!” (Lk. 2:14). How would Joseph his own encounter with the angel? Or what would Zechariah, John the Baptist’s father, say about their messengers? In the days leading up to the birth of Jesus, supernatural appearances and utterances were occurring like they never had before—an electric buzz of Heaven’s voices among us.

The real meaning of “angel” is simply, “messenger.” This reminds us that Christmas is about a message. It is a gospel, good news. The best news. And paving the way were powerful spiritual messengers whose very presence struck fear and awe in people (no pudgy, winged cherubs here). Their mission and their message transformed humankind—and we have never been the same.

This year, any one of us can probably think of a dozen cases in which we would like to hear a personal message from God. We have that message. It is a message individually suited to each of us, because it was sent to all of us. As the angel said to Joseph: “[Jesus] will save people from their sins.” The angels’ message from that cold night continues to ring through the atmosphere—centuries later, and it is as true as in its first utterance. In this mortal world that is at once be full of wonders, yet seized by sin and darkness: We have been saved.

Prayer for today: Lord, thank you for your message of hope and renewal, for your son. Let my heart receive this message new every day, and may my eyes be opened to your continued presence in this world.