Luke 2   Here Luke gives an account of the birth of Jesus.  Then he skips to the trip to Jerusalem for Jesus to be presented to the Lord in the temple and then he skips again to the time when Jesus is 12 and stays behind in the temple.   It makes me curious then, why Luke, who has stated his intention to give a careful account "in consecutive order" of all the events.. chooses to skip the visit by the wise men and the time in Egypt.

However, the things that he does include are given to us in great detail.
The trip to Bethlehem.
The revelation to the shepherds.
The testimony of Simeon.
The witness of Anna.
The return to Nazareth.
The visit to Jerusalem at the age of 12.

We are told twice in this chapter that Mary "treasured all these things in her heart." 

She pondered the testimony of the shepherds who told her that the angels appeared to them with this message, " .. I bring you good news of a great joy which shall be for all the people; for today there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord."

She pondered the testimony of Simeon who said " .. for my eyes have seen Thy salvation, which Thou hast prepared in the presence of all peoples, A LIGHT OF REVELATION TO THE GENTILES, and the glory of Thy people Israel."  And she pondered Simeon's private words to her, "Behold, this Child is appointed for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and for a sign to be opposed- and a sword will pierce even your own soul - to the end that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed."

Mary pondered the words of Anna, as this godly woman began to give "thanks to God and continued to speak of Him to all those who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem." 

Mary also pondered the words of her Son, who spent 3 days in the temple talking and listening to the teachers, amazing them with His " understanding and His answers,"  He said to her, " Why is it that you were looking for Me?  Did you not know that I had to be in My Father's house?"

Wouldn't we love to know more about the life of Jesus during those years as He "kept increasing in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and men," ?

Mary did come to know for herself the sword that pierced her soul as she watched Jesus hang on a cross.. as she came to know the great joy of salvation when He rose from the dead and fulfilled all His Father's will for the redemption of Israel and for the whole world.

One of my favorite Christmas songs is "Mary, Did you Know?" Did she know that night when she gave birth to a Son, that He would do the things that He did?  No... but she did know that the world would be forever changed by this Child, who was and is the Savior of the world, the King of all nations, the Son of God.  What a journey she went on through her life!

Father in Heaven,  how great is Your Name in all the earth!  Thank You for the Savior, Jesus Christ, Who came in perfect humility and obedience, to do Your complete will.. for ALL people.. and for me, personally.  He is my Lord and King and I submit to His rule and reign in my life today and every day.  Your will be done and Your Kingdom come!  Lord, let us go deeper into Your love and into the steadfastness of Jesus Christ as we journey through this day.  I ask this in Your Name, Jesus. Amen.

Luke 1 ( continued) As Luke begins his chronological account, he tells about the birth of John the baptist and the foretelling of the birth of Jesus.  Gabriel, " who stands in the presence of God", was sent to speak to Zacharias in the temple and to Mary in the town of Nazareth.

This well known event starts out with Gabriel "coming in" and greeting Mary with these words, "Hail, favored one! the Lord is with you." Mary has "found favor with God", Gabriel tells her.
Favor - "charis" - grace.  It is a title of honor. It speaks of graciousness, being acceptable, being spiritually or divinely influenced. Mary was a remarkable young woman.

Think how she must have felt as she heard God's plan for her!
She would conceive a son..
She would name Him Jesus.
She would be carrying the Son of the Most High; the King of Israel; the "holy offspring"
She would be made pregnant by the Holy Spirit, Who would "come upon" her.

This had to be mind-blowing and beyond comprehension !
Yet, this young woman, engaged to Joseph and preparing for a wedding.. agrees to give her whole self to the Lord, "Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; be it done to me according to your word." 

Could I do that? Would you?  It is what our Lord calls us to do! " I urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship." ( Romans 12:1)  Mary was a living, holy, and acceptable sacrifice and she was highly favored to be called to bear the Son of God.  We, also, are His bondslaves.
May it be done in us also, according to His Word.

Mary goes to visit Elizabeth and the two are filled by the Holy Spirit, as is John, still in his mother's womb .  Mary rejoices with a beautiful song of exaltation to the Lord. God is at work, not only in her life, but in Israel and in all the world.  His mercy has come.  His mighty arm is moving. The world would never be the same again.. for Jesus, the Son of God was coming!

Father in heaven, we raise our voices to sing with Mary, "For the Mighty One has done great things for me." You have shown us mercy. You have scattered the enemy.  You have brought down the rulers from their thrones.  You have exalted the humble.  You have fed the hungry and helped the needy.
Thank You for the salvation purchased through the Life and Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. May we, like Mary, be willing servants.. giving our whole selves to You.  Fill us with Your Spirit so that we may continue to follow Jesus every day. For it is in His name we pray. Amen

Luke 1  The book of Luke, written by the gentile doctor who walked with Paul, is a historical, researched account of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Luke "investigated everything carefully".  He wanted to write it in "consecutive order",  so that " you might know the exact truth about the things you have been taught." 

So, Luke starts out with the first big thing that the Lord does in this new era.. the birth of John the Baptist.  John is to be the "forerunner .. in the spirit and power of Elijah".  His mission was to "make ready a people prepared for the Lord".  Zacharias, filled with the Holy Spirit, said this about his newborn son, " And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare His ways; To give His people the knowledge of salvation by the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercies of our God, with which the Sunrise from on high shall visit us, to shine upon those who sit in darkness, and the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace." ( v76-79)

Later on, Luke will write about the ministry of John. About how he preached "a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins;" ( v:3) John announced the coming of the Lamb of God.
"but One is coming who is mightier than I, and I am not fit to untie the thong of His sandals;"  Verse 18 of chapter 3 says, ".. he preached the gospel to the people." 

John was only a few months older than Jesus, so he was 30 years old, living in the desert, alone until the day of "his public appearance to Israel."  His birth was miraculous. The announcement of His birth was wondrous.  His message was vital.  His life was completely surrendered to the Lord.  As the son of a priest,  John should have been serving in the temple, but his ministry was ordained by the Lord, outside of the corrupted religious leadership .   He had been filled with the Holy Spirit while still in his mother's womb.. and he never seemed to turn from his calling, even though he struggled as we all do.

Our hearts must be made ready for the gospel, for the message of Jesus Christ.   The way is prepared by the truth of our need for repentance.. for the forgiveness of sins.  We all sit in darkness.  We are surrounded by the shadow of death.  But, God in His mercy, has sent a Light!  Before we can repent, we must recognize and acknowledge our sinfulness.. what we need to repent from... When we truly repent, there will be "fruit" that will be evident - goodness, kindness, justice, and peace.  The good news is that God has sent His Son to purchase our salvation.   John preached that it begins with repentance.  Luke wanted to make sure that we get first things first.

Father in heaven, thank You for the great salvation that You have provided in Christ our Lord.  Thank You for the gift of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.  Help us to comprehend the greatness of this truth!  Help us to live in the Spirit and to bear the fruit of repentance and salvation for the glory of Your Name.  Help us to always exalt You and honor You, to put You first in our lives, even as John did. May we also preach the good news to the people who You bring into our lives.  In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen.

Isaiah 65-66   God has declared what He will do for those who seek Him,  those who answer when He calls, those who seek to do what delights Him, instead of doing what He despises...

65:15b-16  "But My servants will be called by another name. Because he who is blessed in the earth shall be blessed by the God of truth;.... because the former troubles are forgotten, and because they are hidden from My sight!"

He will create " new heavens and a new earth; and the former things shall not be remembered or come to mind. But be glad in what I create; for behold, I create Jerusalem for rejoicing, and her people for gladness. And there will no longer be heard in her the voice of weeping and the sound of crying." 

Isaiah goes on to speak of the joy of this new life:
Infant mortality rate - 0
Old age- way past 100!
Building homes and living in them
Planting vineyards and enjoying the fruit.
None to plunder and steal.
Labor not in vain.
Children to enjoy.
".. no evil or harm in all My holy mountain." 

The Lord says, " It will come to pass that before they call, I will answer; and while they are speaking I will hear."   What a wonderful truth!  Our God hears us before we even begin to pray...

Chapter 66  The Lord says, " Heaven is My throne, and the earth is My footstool." 
There is coming a day when He will make a final judgement.  He will separate forever those who obey and follow Him and those who rebel and ignore Him.
He is looking for "this one"... "To him who is humble and contrite of spirit and who trembles at My word."  These are the only ones who can come to the holy mountain where He will:
".. extend peace to her like a river" ( v12)
".. I will comfort you;" (v13)  like a child is comforted by his mother.
"And the hand of the Lord shall be made known to His servants." (v14)

On the other hand.. those who make themselves enemies of God will be judged by fire and the sword.
Their corpses will burn with unquenchable fire and their "worm" shall not die.

Father in Heaven, even as we look to You to come again and take us to Your holy mountain.. we pray for those who have turned away from You.. those who are lost, imprisoned by their sin, and rebellious in their unbelief.  For some of those are ones we love.  How can we forget them?  Oh, God of mercy, bring them back to the truth! Hear this prayer, O God, and answer!  Bring salvation to my family members who are not yet saved.  Open their eyes, Lord!  Please call them to Jesus and open their ears to hear and their hearts to receive You.. I ask this in the Name of Jesus, according to Your Mighty Word. amen.

Isaiah 63-65  These  final chapters conclude the ministry of Isaiah.  

Chapter 63 looks to the past, recalling how God delivered the Israelites from Egypt, bringing them through the Red Sea and making a "glorious name" for Himself.  

He became their Savior.

He redeemed them "in His love and in His mercy".

He "lifted them and carried them"

He had compassion on them and became their Father. 

Chapter 64 speaks of the present..
They need Him to " rend the heavens and come down"
To make His name known again.
To do awesome things for them.
To act on their behalf.
But they needed to :
confess their sins
realize that their "righteous deeds" were like "a filthy garment".
They needed to call upon Him.
They needed to humble themselves.

Isaiah prayed, " But now, O Lord, Thou art our Father, We are the clay and Thou our potter; and all of us are the work of Thy hand."

Chapter 65 focuses on the future;

The Lord had sought them, called to them, opened His arms to them, but they had rebelled against Him.  They provoked Him.  They worshiped idols.
They lived in darkness and uncleanness.
When He called them, they would not answer.
When He spoke they would not listen .
Instead they chose to do evil and that in "which I did not delight".

Therefore, He would separate those who are His servants and those who rebelled.
" Behold, My servants shall eat, but you shall be hungry. 
Behold, My servants shall drink, but you shall be thirsty.
Behold, My servants shall rejoice, but you shall be put to shame. 
behold, My servants shall shout joyfully with a glad heart, but you shall cry out with a heavy heart, and you shall wail with a broken spirit. " ( v13-14)

More to think about in this chapter and the last, but I must stop here.

Do we recognize that we have a God who has called us, Who has become our Savior, Who calls us and who desires us to hear Him? Do we wait on Him, as  servants.. as the clay awaits the Potter, as a child waits for his father?

Father, reveal Your will to us once again.. that we might humbly bow before You.. and really be Your Servants...
amen

Isaiah 62  Zion - the beautiful city of God, has a future glory that we have not yet seen...

It  will be a city where righteousness and salvation shine brighter than the sun.
It will be a city that is a "crown of beauty" and a "royal diadem".. held in the hand of God.
It will be a city that God will rejoice over.. like a groom rejoices over his bride.
It is  a city protected by God's watchmen.. those given the task of praying.. giving God "no rest until He establishes and makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth." (v7)
It is a city where God's banner flies overhead.
It is a city where all the nations will know that the inhabitants are holy, redeemed people of God.

We are told to pray for the peace of Jerusalem ( psalm 122:6) .  We need to keep praying for the establishment of God's Kingdom.. His reign and rule over the place that He has chosen for His Name.
It is His will and purpose to bring about this future glory for Zion.  May we be united with Him in this... as we faithfully pray.

Father in heaven,  hallowed be Your Name...You are Holy and Righteous and Faithful.  You are Mighty and Eternal and their is no other God, but You.  We pray that Your Kingdom will come in fullness, for we, like Abraham, are "looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God" ( Hebrews 11:10)  We pray for Your will to be done on earth as it is in heaven.  We pray that You will establish and make Jerusalem a praise in the earth... a holy city where righteousness and salvation shine brighter than the sun. We look forward to that day with rejoicing.
Prepare us by renewing our minds, changing our hearts, forgiving our sins, and establishing our paths.. by the power of Your Spirit, who strengthens us inwardly day by day.  In the Name of King Jesus we pray. amen.

Isaiah 61

v1-2  The servant of the Lord is anointed by the Spirit of God for these purposes:

To give good news to those who are in need.
To bring healing care to those who's hearts are broken.
To give the hope of freedom and liberty to those who are imprisoned.
And to  "proclaim the favorable year of the Lord and the day of vengeance of our God."
To give comfort to the mourners - victory, gladness, praise, and righteousness -
So that they will glorify the Lord!

It is what our Lord Jesus came to do for us.. and what we are commissioned to do for others.
"Go and tell them, go and tell them... Jesus died for sinful men! Go and tell them, go and tell them.. that He's coming back again"! ( Hymn by A.B. Simpson)

He has clothed us with a "robe of righteousness" and "garments of salvation".
He has made us "the priests of the Lord"...

We rejoice in Him , exulting Him, and walking in covenant with Him through Jesus Christ our Redeemer.  We are His servants and we have a job to do...

Father in Heaven,  lead us to those who need a word of hope today.  Reveal those who are mourning or brokenhearted today... and show us how to bring comfort and healing by Your power and love.
Thank You for saving us and making us Your own.  We are Your servants.  May Your will be done.
May Your Name be glorified. And may Your Kingdom come!  Amen.