For Theirs Is The Kingdom Of Heaven

I Am the Light of the World

Experiencing Holidays With Jesus: Happy New Year!

Whosoever Shall Confess

Whom Having Not Seen Ye Love

A Great Multitude

Heroes of the Faith, Part 6

Embracing Wonder: A 5-Week Advent Devotional From Matthew West

Advent Devotional

Get Free From Stress

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 <div class="p">18This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about#1:18 Or The origin of Jesus the Messiah was like this: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. 19Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet#1:19 Or was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.</div><div class="p"> 20But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, &#8220;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. 21She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus,#1:21 Jesus is the Greek form of Joshua, which means the Lord saves. because he will save his people from their sins.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 22All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23&#8220;The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel&#8221;#1:23 Isaiah 7:14 (which means &#8220;God with us&#8221;).</div><div class="p"> 24When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. 25But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.</div>
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 <div class="p">1After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi#2:1 Traditionally wise men from the east came to Jerusalem 2and asked, &#8220;Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 3When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4When he had called together all the people&#8217;s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. 5&#8220;In Bethlehem in Judea,&#8221; they replied, &#8220;for this is what the prophet has written:</div><div class="q1"> 6&#8220;&#8198;&#8216;But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,</div><div class="q2">are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;</div><div class="q1">for out of you will come a ruler</div><div class="q2">who will shepherd my people Israel.&#8217;#2:6 Micah 5:2,4&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 7Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. 8He sent them to Bethlehem and said, &#8220;Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 9After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. 12And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.</div><div class="s1">The Escape to Egypt</div><div class="p"> 13When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. &#8220;Get up,&#8221; he said, &#8220;take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 14So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, 15where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: &#8220;Out of Egypt I called my son.&#8221;#2:15 Hosea 11:1</div><div class="p"> 16When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. 17Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled:</div><div class="q1"> 18&#8220;A voice is heard in Ramah,</div><div class="q2">weeping and great mourning,</div><div class="q1">Rachel weeping for her children</div><div class="q2">and refusing to be comforted,</div><div class="q2">because they are no more.&#8221;#2:18 Jer. 31:15</div><div class="s1">The Return to Nazareth</div><div class="p"> 19After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt 20and said, &#8220;Get up, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who were trying to take the child&#8217;s life are dead.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 21So he got up, took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. 22But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning in Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Having been warned in a dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee, 23and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets, that he would be called a Nazarene.</div>
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 <div class="p">26In the sixth month of Elizabeth&#8217;s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin&#8217;s name was Mary. 28The angel went to her and said, &#8220;Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 29Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30But the angel said to her, &#8220;Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. 31You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. 32He 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, 33and he will reign over Jacob&#8217;s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 34&#8220;How will this be,&#8221; Mary asked the angel, &#8220;since I am a virgin?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 35The angel answered, &#8220;The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called#1:35 Or So the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God. 36Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. 37For no word from God will ever fail.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 38&#8220;I am the Lord&#8217;s servant,&#8221; Mary answered. &#8220;May your word to me be fulfilled.&#8221; Then the angel left her.</div><div class="s1">Mary Visits Elizabeth</div><div class="p"> 39At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, 40where she entered Zechariah&#8217;s home and greeted Elizabeth. 41When Elizabeth heard Mary&#8217;s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42In a loud voice she exclaimed: &#8220;Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! 43But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. 45Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!&#8221;</div><div class="s1">Mary&#8217;s Song</div><div class="p"> 46And Mary said:</div><div class="q1">&#8220;My soul glorifies the Lord</div><div class="q2"> 47and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,</div><div class="q1"> 48for he has been mindful</div><div class="q2">of the humble state of his servant.</div><div class="q1">From now on all generations will call me blessed,</div><div class="q2"> 49for the Mighty One has done great things for me&#8212;</div><div class="q2">holy is his name.</div><div class="q1"> 50His mercy extends to those who fear him,</div><div class="q2">from generation to generation.</div><div class="q1"> 51He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;</div><div class="q2">he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.</div><div class="q1"> 52He has brought down rulers from their thrones</div><div class="q2">but has lifted up the humble.</div><div class="q1"> 53He has filled the hungry with good things</div><div class="q2">but has sent the rich away empty.</div><div class="q1"> 54He has helped his servant Israel,</div><div class="q2">remembering to be merciful</div><div class="q1"> 55to Abraham and his descendants forever,</div><div class="q2">just as he promised our ancestors.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 56Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned home.</div><div class="s1">The Birth of John the Baptist</div><div class="p"> 57When it was time for Elizabeth to have her baby, she gave birth to a son. 58Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy, and they shared her joy.</div><div class="p"> 59On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to name him after his father Zechariah, 60but his mother spoke up and said, &#8220;No! He is to be called John.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 61They said to her, &#8220;There is no one among your relatives who has that name.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 62Then they made signs to his father, to find out what he would like to name the child. 63He asked for a writing tablet, and to everyone&#8217;s astonishment he wrote, &#8220;His name is John.&#8221; 64Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue set free, and he began to speak, praising God. 65All the neighbors were filled with awe, and throughout the hill country of Judea people were talking about all these things. 66Everyone who heard this wondered about it, asking, &#8220;What then is this child going to be?&#8221; For the Lord&#8217;s hand was with him.</div><div class="s1">Zechariah&#8217;s Song</div><div class="p"> 67His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied:</div><div class="q1"> 68&#8220;Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel,</div><div class="q2">because he has come to his people and redeemed them.</div><div class="q1"> 69He has raised up a horn#1:69 Horn here symbolizes a strong king. of salvation for us</div><div class="q2">in the house of his servant David</div><div class="q1"> 70(as he said through his holy prophets of long ago),</div><div class="q1"> 71salvation from our enemies</div><div class="q2">and from the hand of all who hate us&#8212;</div><div class="q1"> 72to show mercy to our ancestors</div><div class="q2">and to remember his holy covenant,</div><div class="q2"> 73the oath he swore to our father Abraham:</div><div class="q1"> 74to rescue us from the hand of our enemies,</div><div class="q2">and to enable us to serve him without fear</div><div class="q2"> 75in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 76And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High;</div><div class="q2">for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him,</div><div class="q1"> 77to give his people the knowledge of salvation</div><div class="q2">through the forgiveness of their sins,</div><div class="q1"> 78because of the tender mercy of our God,</div><div class="q2">by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven</div><div class="q1"> 79to shine on those living in darkness</div><div class="q2">and in the shadow of death,</div><div class="q1">to guide our feet into the path of peace.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 80And the child grew and became strong in spirit#1:80 Or in the Spirit; and he lived in the wilderness until he appeared publicly to Israel.</div>
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 <div class="p">1In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2(This was the first census that took place while#2:2 Or This census took place before Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3And everyone went to their own town to register.</div><div class="p"> 4So 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. 5He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.</div><div class="p"> 8And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10But the angel said to them, &#8220;Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 13Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,</div><div class="q1"> 14&#8220;Glory to God in the highest heaven,</div><div class="q2">and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 15When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, &#8220;Let&#8217;s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 16So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.</div><div class="p"> 21On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise the child, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he was conceived.</div><div class="s1">Jesus Presented in the Temple</div><div class="p"> 22When the time came for the purification rites required by the Law of Moses, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 23(as it is written in the Law of the Lord, &#8220;Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord&#8221;#2:23 Exodus 13:2,12), 24and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: &#8220;a pair of doves or two young pigeons.&#8221;#2:24 Lev. 12:8</div><div class="p"> 25Now 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 on him. 26It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord&#8217;s Messiah. 27Moved 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, 28Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:</div><div class="q1"> 29&#8220;Sovereign Lord, as you have promised,</div><div class="q2">you may now dismiss#2:29 Or promised, / now dismiss your servant in peace.</div><div class="q1"> 30For my eyes have seen your salvation,</div><div class="q2"> 31which you have prepared in the sight of all nations:</div><div class="q1"> 32a light for revelation to the Gentiles,</div><div class="q2">and the glory of your people Israel.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 33The child&#8217;s father and mother marveled at what was said about him. 34Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: &#8220;This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, 35so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 36There was also a prophet, Anna, the daughter of Penuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, 37and then was a widow until she was eighty-four.#2:37 Or then had been a widow for eighty-four years. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. 38Coming 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.</div><div class="p"> 39When Joseph and Mary had done everything required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee to their own town of Nazareth. </div>
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