CHRISTmas Is Immanuel - December 22 Readings: Matthew 1:18-25

 

 

25 Days of Christmas

On the twenty-second day of Christmas, my Bible said to me...Jesus was the virgin-born Son of God, God Incarnate, the miracle of miracles. 

Today's Reading:  Matthew 1:18-25           

The birth of Jesus Christ came about this way: After his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, it was discovered before they came together that she was pregnant from the Holy Spirit. 19 So her husband, Joseph, being a righteous man, and not wanting to disgrace her publicly, decided to divorce her secretly.

20 But after he had considered these things, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, don’t be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because what has been conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

22 Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet:

23 See, the virgin will become pregnant

and give birth to a son,

and they will name him Immanuel,

which is translated “God is with us.”

24 When Joseph woke up, he did as the Lord’s angel had commanded him. He married her 25 but did not have sexual relations with her until she gave birth to a son. And he named him Jesus.

Through the Bible Readings: Haggai 1-2, Revelation 12, Psalm 145:10–16, Proverbs 31:7–9 

If you wish to read through the Bible in a year, follow these readings. 

Devotional:        

"Does it really matter whether Mary was really a virgin?"
"C'mon, everyone knows you can't have a baby without the involvement of a man. That's impossible."
"It's the spiritual message that matters after all, isn't it? Who cares if the historical facts are true as long as the message blesses our hearts." 

I've heard things like that all my life, mostly from people who did not believe that the story of the birth of Christ was factually and historically accurate. They didn't actually believe the virgin birth story any more than Joseph did at first, any more than Mary's parents probably did, or anyone else who heard it. 

Would you believe it if your daughter came to you with the same story? 

Besides, some have argued, the word virgin here doesn't necessarily always refer to a woman who has never been with a man. It can simply mean a young woman. We should abandon the idea that the ancient doctrine of the virgin birth was meant to be taken literally. 

I would say several things about that today. 

First of all, while there is some question what the word meant in Hebrew in Isaiah, there is no question what it meant in Matthew's Gospel. He makes it clear in verse 18. She was pregnant "from the Holy Spirit" before they had "come together." There is no question what Matthew was saying here. He was teaching that Jesus was born as a human child to a woman who had never had sexual relations with a man. Clear as can be. 

Jesus' birth is miraculous. We have said that Mary and Joseph were ordinary folks as were the shepherds. Even the magi were ordinary people, though they wore fancy clothes. But there was nothing normal about the baby. His birth was not dependent on any human father, but was the work of the Holy Spirit. He was a miracle from the start. 

Do we trust the Bible? Do we believe in God? Since I believe the Bible and accept it as true, I have no trouble believing in miracles, in a God who created the universe and the natural principles by which it runs, but who also can suspend and supersede them at his will. If God said the fish swallowed Jonah, I believe it. If it says the Red Sea parted, it parted. If it says Jesus walked on water, I affirm he walked on water. Don't ask me how - that's above my pay grade. 

But the virgin birth tells us a couple of important things. First, Jesus is no ordinary human being. He is the virgin-born Son of God, supernatural in birth, in nature - God in a human body. 

Most importantly, because of the virgin birth of Christ, he did not inherit the sin and the sin-nature that plagues us all. He had no guilt, no sin, no stain on him. If he'd been born of a human father he'd have sins of his own to die for and he'd never be able to die for mine. 

Does the virgin birth of Christ matter? Only if you care whether your sins are forgiven or not. Only if it matters whether you spend eternity in heaven with Christ or under eternal judgment. The nature of Christ and his ability to live the life that allowed him to pay for our sins - all of that hinges on the fact that he was born of the virgin. 

Immanuel. God with us. 

Thank you, Father, for revealing yourself through your virgin-born Son who was God in human flesh. He is a miracle whose love and grace gives hope to sinners like me. 

 

Think and Pray :

Do you struggle with believing biblical stories? 
Unless everything the Bible says is true, how can we believe any of it? 

What does the miraculous nature of Jesus' birth say about who he was? 

Carol of the Day: 

Silent night, Holy night,

All is calm, All is bright

Round yon virgin mother and child.

Holy infant so tender and mild,

Sleep in heavenly peace.

Sleep in heavenly peace.

Silent night, Holy night,

Shepherds quake at the sight,

Glories stream from heaven afar,

Heavenly hosts sing alleluia;

Christ the Savior, is born!

Christ the Savior, is born!

Silent night, Holy night,

Son of God, Love's pure light

Radiant beams from thy holy face,

With the dawn of redeeming grace,

Jesus, Lord, at thy birth.

Jesus, Lord, at thy birth.