No Ordinary Birth

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December 24, 2018

By Steve King

This week, people around the globe are remembering a birth which occurred over two thousand years ago. It hit history so hard it broke it in half (B.C. and A.D.) and launched an unstoppable movement of hope which influences all of our lives still today.

Emmanuel, God with us—this was nothing short of extraordinary. Yet every year, when we celebrate the birth of Jesus and read the nativity story, do we stop and consider all the events surrounding this miracle?

This week let’s review and remind ourselves of what truly happened that night in Bethlehem.

We find the birth story in the Gospels of Matthew, Luke, and John. Notice that each describes the birth of Jesus Christ from a different perspective:

• Matthew emphasizes the virginity of Mary and the role of the Holy Spirit in fulfillment of prophecy regarding Christ’s birth (Matthew 1:18-25).
• Luke stresses the providence of God working through ordinary circumstances and the obedience of Mary and Joseph to care for the newborn Savior of the world (Luke 2:1-20).
• John declares the divinity of Christ and the addition of humanity when He became flesh (John 1:1-14).

Read those three gospel accounts and ask God to give you some fresh insights about the birth of our Savior. What do the passages tell you about God and people? What are some commands to obey and promises to claim? How do the three accounts harmonize and what do they collectively reveal about the identity of Jesus Christ?

There is born for us a Savior who is Christ the Lord! Rejoice!