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*Parent Disclaimer: this devotional does talk about Santa Clause so it's recommended to read/listen outside of small ears :)
Merry Christmas week friends!
The season of advent has been upon us and the day we have anxiously awaited for is almost here.
As we have been living in the season of advent, I began to realize that Christmas meant something different to me this year than it had in previous years.
I remember as a child being so excited for Christmas morning that I would stay up all night; swinging on the bottom bunk bed, with my fingers and toes wrapped between metal bars; driving my sister crazy.
One year, I was so excited about Christmas and a specific gift that Santa's Elves had left for me, that for almost an entire month I slept with a small wrapped present. I was convinced it was a stuffed animal and it needed my love immediately. My mother not letting me open the present early, wasn’t going to keep me away from loving it with all of my heart, and so I slept, every night, for a month, with a wrapped package. By the time Christmas morning rolled around, that little package was worn thin, the print had started rubbing off and creases were starting to tear from one to many nights being rolled over by a small child. The moment I woke up that Christmas, I dug into that package like my life depended on it and sure enough, one perfect small stuffed monkey was inside.
What I remember most about Christmas as I was growing up though was the awe I had every Christmas morning as my wide- awake eyes peered at the bundles around the Christmas tree. I was excited, like any child would be, over the surprise of what our presents might be, but that wasn’t the part that held my awe. I was captivated by the magic of going to sleep with anticipation and waking to a world changed overnight.
As I got a little older, and slowly started understanding that Santa had the beautiful face of my mom, I grew a new appreciation for the love and sacrifice put into making the magic of Christmas morning happen.
There was a Christmas in middle school where all I wanted was Kirsten, the pioneer American Girl Doll. Of course I asked Santa for it like any little girl would but, in my heart I knew that Kirsten was tenfold more expensive then what we could ever afford. You could imagine how incredibly surprised I was when Christmas morning came and behold, wrapped up pretty as could be, was Kirsten; blond braids framing her smiling face. My heart warmed on a completely new level. Here in my lap was the most perfect present, and I knew that the sacrifice to bring her to me was not small.
Even older still, the magic of the Christmas morning surprise was starting to fade. I was in High School and we had hit the point where our mom would just tell us to look away if we didn’t want to know what Santa was shopping for. My older sister started staying up, wrapping gifts with Santa Mom and placing them under the tree. I knew if I stayed up with them, I would be granted one of the sugar cookies we had carefully made and precisely decorated with red hot candies. Despite it all though, year after year I chose to go to bed. As much as I wanted to spend time with my family, the desire for the magic of Christmas morning was greater. I couldn’t help them create the magic because in my heart, I still treasured the magic that I knew my eyes would find in the morning if I waited in anticipation.
When I first started preparing for this devotional, I carefully looked through every single book of the Bible; my eyes scanning for any title that would reference the Christmas Story. At first, my attention got caught in Isaiah 9 where the birth of our Lord and Savior was prophesied. As I continued reading and looking for the story, I found myself in the book of Luke. As I read Mary’s song (Luke 1:46-55) and Zechariah’s song (Luke 1:67-79), I just knew. The moment I read them, a voice in my mind screamed; “this is it! This is your text!” I puzzled over these words for days. Rolling them around in my mind, trusting that they were where I was being called, but having no idea why.
As I returned to the text, praying that God would reveal what I was looking at, I couldn’t help but be drawn back to the beginning of Luke. As I read, from the beginning, the greatest story to ever be told, it began to make sense. The more I read, the more my eyes caught on to a certain phrase. It had been revealed.
Friends, settle in, get cozy, open your hearts and minds to the possibility of wonder and magic. When you are ready, please give me the honor of sharing the Christmas Story to you.
Luke 1-2
Introduction
Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. Therefore, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, it seemed good also to me to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.
The Birth of John the Baptist Foretold
In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron. Both of them were upright in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commandments and regulations blamelessly. But they had no children, because Elizbeth was barren; and they were both well along in years.
Onec when Zechariah’s division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God, he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense. And when the time for the burning of the incense came, all the assembled worshipers were praying outside.
Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and gripped with fear. But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name John. He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from birth. Many of the people of Israel will he bring back to the Lord their God. And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of righteousness - to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”
Zechariah asked the angel, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.”
The angel answered, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their proper time.”
Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah and wondering why he stayed so long in the temple. When he came out, he could not speak to them. They realized he had seen a vision in the temple, for he kept making signs to them but remained unable to speak.
When his time of service was completed, he returned home. After this his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and for five months remained in seclusion. “The Lord has done this for me,” she said, “In these days he has shown his favor and taken away my disgrace among the people.”
The Birth of Jesus Foretold
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 descendent 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 upon 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.
Mary Visits Elizabeth
At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greetings, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice she exclaimed; “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed is she who has believed what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished.
Mary’s Song
And Mary said:
“My soul glorifies the Lord
and my spirit rejoices in God my
Savior,
for he has been mindful
of the humble state of his servant.
From now on all generations will call me
blessed,
for the Mighty One has done great
things for me -
holy is his name.
His mercy extends to those who fear him,
from generation to generation.
He has performed mighty deeds with his
arm;
he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.
He has brought down rulers from their
thrones
but has lifted up the humble.
He has filled the hungry with good things
but has sent the rich away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel,
remembering to be merciful
to Abraham and his descendants forever,
even as he said to our fathers.”
Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned home.
The Birth of John the Baptist
When it was time for Elizabeth to have her baby, she gave birth to a son. Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy, and they shared her joy.
On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to name him after his father Zechariah, but his mother spoke up and said, “No! He is to be called John.”
They said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who has that name.”
Then they made signs to his father, to find out what he would like to name the child. He asked for a writing tablet, and to everyone’s astonishment he wrote, “His name is John.”
Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue was loosed, and he began to speak, praising God. The neighbors were all filled with awe, and throughout the hill country of Judea people were talking about all these things. Everyone who heard this wondered about it, asking, “What then is this child going to be?” For the Lord’s hand was with him.
Zechariah’s Song
His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied:
“Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel,
because he has come and has redeemed
his people.
He has raised up a horn of salvation for
us
in the house of his servant David
(as he said through his holy prophets of long ago),
salvation from our enemies
and from the hand of all who hate us-
to show mercy to our fathers
and to remember his holy covenant,
the oath he swore to out father
Abraham:
to rescue us from the hand of our
enemies,
and to enable us to serve him without
fear
in holiness and righteousness before
him all our days.
And you, my child, will be called a
prophet of the Most High;
for you will go on before the Lord to
prepare the way for him,
to give his people the knowledge of
salvation
through the forgiveness of their sins,
because of the tender mercy of our God,
by which the rising sun will come to us
from heaven
to shine on those living in darkness
and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the path of peace.”
And the child grew and became strong in spirit; and he lived in the desert until he appeared publicly to Israel.
The Birth of Jesus
In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to his own town to register.
So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
The Shepherds and the Angels
And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
Suddenly a great company of heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
“Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace to men on whom his
favor rests.”
When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”
So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.
Jesus Presented in the Temple
On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise him, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he had been conceived.
When the time of their purification according to the Law of Moses had been completed, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord”), and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: “a pair of doves or two young pigeons.”
Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:
“Sovereign Lord, as you have promised,
you now dismiss your servant in peace.
For my eyes have seen your salvation,
which you have prepared in the sight
of all people,
a light for revelation to the Gentiles
and for glory to your people Israel.”
The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about him. Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.”
There was also a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after marriage, and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshipped night and day, fasting and praying. Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.
When Joseph and Mary had done everything required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee to their own town of Nazareth. And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon him.
The Boy Jesus at the Temple
Every year his parents went to Jerisalem for the Feast of the Passover. When he was twelve years old, they went up to the Feast, according to the custom. After the Feast was over, while his parents were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it.
Thinking he was in their company, they traveled on for a day. Then they began looking for him among their relatives and friends. When they did not find him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for him. After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions.
Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers. When his parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.”
“Why were you searching for me?” he asked, “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” But they did not understand what he was saying to them.
Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart. And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.
What we see happening in the Christmas Story is God fulfilling his promises and redeeming his people time and time again. During each step of the story, a promise is fulfilled and another person has renewed faith in their God’s goodness.
When Zechariah sees Gabriel in the temple, he is told that his prayer is being answered; not on Zechariah’s timing, we know that from his plea of their old ages, but on God’s perfect timing.
When Elizabeth learns that she is pregnant she exclaims:
Luke 1:25
“The Lord has done this for me,” she said. “In these days he has shown his favor and taken away my disgrace among the people.”
Elizabeth, while remaining devoted to her Lord, even when her prayers seemed to have fallen unanswered, saw a new side of her God. The side of her God, that saw her in the pain of not having a child. A God who she finally knew, without a shadow of a doubt, was and had always been providing for her. A God who was taking away her shame.
When Mary goes to visit Elizabeth, right after being conceived with the Holy Spirit, she is greeted by Elizabeth in a “loud voice”. See Elizabeth was free of her shame and disgrace. The moment that she saw Mary, she felt the presence of her Lord, her unborn son felt the presence of His Lord, and they boldly exclaimed as such.
Elizabeth didn’t have to hide Mary inside the home to greet her. No, Elizabeth made a show of greeting Mary, in knowing that regardless of the rules of society and the gossip that was bound to occur, there was no shame in Christ. It is in this moment where Elizabeth, free of her own shame, proclaims the blessing that has fallen upon Mary, and Mary breaks into song.
She sings of God’s goodness. Of the promises He had fulfilled and the great acts he had done. She sings of how God has always stood by His people’s side. And friends, in that moment, through Elizabeth’s joy and her response in song, Mary had all the affirmation she could have ever needed, that she was exactly where God was calling her to be.
When John the Baptist is born, we see another miracle. After months of being silenced to prevent the doubt of God’s plan from being shared, Zechariah’s mouth is opened and he shares who Jesus and who John will be. The Holy Spirit fills him and his song is filled with the wonder of two babes who would bring people back to their God.
After Jesus is born and he is taken to the temple to be circumcised, the family is encountered by Simeon and the prophetess, Anna. It is in this moment, as an old man, hanging onto life by God’s promise, that Simeon takes the Baby Messiah into his arms, and the promise of the Lord was fulfilled.
You see, through two entire chapters, every single section speaks of a new miracle. A new ounce of “magic” in the lives of ordinary people who were patiently waiting for the promises of their God. They waited, some through their entire lives, to see God’s promises and He didn’t fail any of them.
When we started this devotional together, I mentioned that this Christmas has been a different one for me.
The part of the story I didn’t tell you is that a few years back, the magic of Christmas started to fade away. Don’t get me wrong, I still loved Christmas. I loved watching movies and binge eating cookies in my pajamas with my family. I loved the lights that lit up the darkness of night. I loved going to Christmas Eve church and standing in the presence of God.
Regardless of all the parts I loved, Christmas no longer seemed to hold the magic that my heart had previously treasured so deeply. After my little sister was born, my desire to preserve the magic changed. It turned into staying up late at night, eating cookies, pretending to be a reindeer in our front yard, and making the magic live for her.
This year though, after everything the past two years have been, I found my heart longing for something more. I found it longing for the power of Christmas magic. I found my heart searching left and right for the Christmas magic that had once captivated me in awe. I needed a miracle. And perhaps even more so, I needed the anticipation of a miracle.
And I knew I wasn’t the only one. So many broken hearts, that I‘ve had the honor of connecting with that were just waiting for a Christmas miracle.
That’s where I was at when I first opened my Bible and started reading Luke. And friends, that Christmas magic I was looking for, the magic I needed to warm my tired heart and remind me that I was loved, and had a purpose; it was found.
I didn’t know it when my heart first sang that we had the text for this devotional, but the more I read, the more I started to re-find that warmth of magic in my soul that I had been looking for.
See, as I read, one phrase just kept jumping out at me.
Luke 2:19
But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart
Luke 2:33
The child’s father and mother marveled over what was said about him.
Luke 2:51
Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart.
Let those words sink in. She treasured them in her heart.
Friend, our Lord’s precious mother Mary found magic and awe in our Lord as a child. She was surrounded by God’s promises being fulfilled, hope being restored; by the living presence of a miracle and it was magic. She took what she saw, she took what she heard and, what she was told ,and even if it didn’t fully make sense at the time, she treasured it in her heart.
The story itself tells us in Luke 2:41-51 that when Mary and Joseph found Jesus at the Temple, they didn’t understand his words when he shared that he was in his Father's home. But even though Mary didn’t understand, she treasured what was happening in her heart. She knew that the Holy Spirit was actively with her son and even in her confusion and fear, she treasured every way her God was working through her son. In her heart, she saw the magic of a God who fulfills his promises and she treasured it.
The magic of Christmas isn’t the colorful lights dancing outside our homes. It’s not the presents wrapped under our trees. It’s not the gift you’ve sacrificed to be able to provide to another. No friends. The magic of Christmas is in the anticipation and arrival of our King.
The magic of Christmas is letting our hearts feel again. To feel hope. Peace. Love. Awe.
It’s the glisten of the stars in the night sky that takes our breath away; leaving us to wonder if that’s how the shepherds felt when they saw His star.
It’s the tingle we feel as worship music floods our soul.
It’s that little thought at the back of your mind, reminding you that something greater is coming.
Something more beautiful, holy and impactful than any present wrapped up under our trees.
We allow a spirit of anticipation in, counting down to Christmas, much like a mother counting down to when her child will be born.
We see the magic that He brings to a season and in our hearts we treasure it. We treasure it with everything we have because He is what we anticipate with great awe and wonder.
Thoughts For The Week
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I encourage you to take time this week re-read the Christmas story. Read it out loud to your dog or cat. Read it silently in your mind over a nice warm cup of tea or coffee.
Take the words in, ponder them, and treasure them in your heart.
Be in awe of this season and embrace the magic of a long anticipated child, who was born to save our souls.
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Prayer
Lord,
How great and wonderful you are.
You come to us in the silent places. Where the wind whispers and time stands still. You wait for us in the quiet of our soul. A gentle, kind and loving God.
You came, humbled into a babe, with an intent to save us, to bring us closer to you.
Lord, may our hearts be humbled in your presence, as we remember the reality of the lengths you went to, the depths of trial your son endured, just so we could come home.
You are a good, good, God.
Your words are treasured in our hearts. Your actions are treasured in our hearts. Your spirit is treasured in our hearts.
You, and only you, bring us the magic of hope, love and peace. You are our treasure; every breath, every twinkle in the stars reminding us of your presence.
Thank you for being a God who saw our need and gave everything to exceed it.
Thank you for being a God who keeps his promises.
Thank you for being a God who, even as a babe, was greater than anything we could ever face.
We praise you Lord.
May our hearts sing songs of your praise and wonder.
In your holy and wonderful name we pray.
Amen.
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