A Christmas to Remember: A 10-Day DevotionalSample

New Birth, New Life

Luke 2:1-7

Have you ever received a special gift on Christmas morning that came as a complete surprise? Did the magnitude of the moment have an impact on you? Sometimes a new birth, a new life can bring a special kind of joy to families at Christmas.

Think back to the world of AD 3. Could humanity have realized the importance of the unusual birth of Jesus? What a surprise gift! God's loving plan blessed a young virgin named Mary with a miracle child. During her pregnancy, Ceasar Augustus decreed that his whole empire must be registered. This necessitated each man traveling to the city of his birth. Mary's betrothed, Joseph who was a descendant of David, traveled to Bethlehem with her to obey this decree. This first registration took place while Quirinius was governing Syria.

An Unusual Birth

How unlikely was it that the Savior of the World and God’s only Son would be born in an out-of-the-way town with only animals and a dark night surrounding Him? He had no crown, no royal robe, nor pomp and circumstance; just an anxious young pregnant woman and the man to whom she was engaged. They had no doctor, no miracle drugs, no cradle, no layette. Surely Mary was apprehensive as she knew her the time for childbirth drew near, yet she followed in obedience in order that God’s plan could be accomplished.

After the Baby came, imagine Mary's surprise when shepherds from the nearby hills appeared with their sheep to inquire of this event. These men, considered unclean by the Jewish ritual standards, came telling of an astonishing, blinding star that appeared in the sky followed by a multitude of angels who encircled them and began singing.

A Birth to Remember

Mary and Joseph must have known this was no ordinary delivery. Despite the mundane and commonplace surroundings, the angels and shepherds hinted at a bigger story. This birth was extraordinary; an event which brought new birth, new life both to Mary and Joseph in the form of the Child and to the whole world through His ministry.

Never again in the history of the world would a birth have such everlasting consequences and eternal significance. Hallelujah! What a Christmas to remember!

What Now?

Have you given thought to the significance of Jesus's birth - born in the humblest of circumstances to a poor couple; born to pay the staggering cost of your sin? This Christmas, let Him bring new birth and new life to you. Hold loosely to the things of this world and cling to the One who came to offer you eternal life.