Scripture Snippets

  Luke 2:19 19 But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. There is no season of the year more festive, significant, and memorable than Christmas. The colors, the sounds, the family gatherings, the special meals, and the excitement of children and grandchildren make for happy memories. (In our house we have a special December calendar.) Secrets abound, touched by affection, only to be unwrapped on Christmas morning. For us, there are other memories as well that fill our minds—the things we unwrap, the gifts we give, and the joy we experience in giving are symbols of the greatest of all gifts, the Lord Jesus Christ.  The mystery of deity-in-flesh-among-us is as incomparable as it is incomprehensibly true. It is something that has captured our imagination, filling us with delight and appreciation. Mary is a great illustration, and model, in this regard for us. She was likely aroused from sleep by a group of shepherds who, somewhat perplexed, came to see her n...

  Luke 2:15-16 15 So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, “Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger. It was time for the Christ Child to be born—in the middle of the night and in a manger. The birth announcement came in spectacular fashion—not on social media nor to powerful leaders of the day but to lowly shepherds on the hillside.  Heavenly messengers proclaimed the news about the Savior who had been born (Luke 2:11). In their excitement, the shepherds hurried off to Bethlehem to see this miracle for themselves. But did they imagine this tiny baby was also their Shepherd?  We are compared to sheep throughout Scripture (Psalm 100:3). We stubbornly go our own way (Isaiah 53:6) because we think we can manage life without the Lord. But the truth is, we are lost ...

  Luke 2:13-14 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: 14 “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!” Gloria in Excelsis Deo—Glory to God in the highest! We hear this highest praise given at Jesus’s birth, and it is reserved for only one. “Glory to God in the highest” was the praise given by the angels while the shepherds watched their flocks by night. The angel’s greeting and the heavenly host’s praise caused the shepherds to get on their feet and run to see where Jesus was born. Jesus’s birth brought about “highest praise” from Mary in her Magnificat (Luke 1:46–55), from Zechariah in his prophecy (1:68–79), and from Simeon in his prayer (2:29–32).  Everywhere the announcement of Jesus’s birth was heard, high praise followed. The higher one goes the better, like a sledge hammer hitting a bell at a carnival: high, higher, and highest! This reminds me of my grandfather’s phrase, “good, better...

  Luke 2:10-12 10 Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. 11 For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.” Joseph and Mary travel a great distance for the census as Mary’s contractions increase. Upon their arrival in Bethlehem she goes into labor. Just in time Joseph finds a place of shelter. There is no room in the inn, so the back stable will have to do.  Meanwhile, the Lord prepares nearby shepherds as witnesses to the Savior’s birth. These simple herdsmen are familiar with sheep and stables, but they never imagine what would happen that starry night.  The midnight sky dims. The shepherds kindle a small fire, keeping watch over their flock. A veteran herder tells the story of fending off a wild beast. Wind-carried yelps echo in the dis...

John 1:1 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. John 1:14 14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. The fragrant, lip-smacking aroma of breakfast made me feel hungrier than I really was. My buddy’s wife was frantically cooking up a feast. Eggs, juice, toast, apricot marmalade, and fresh fruit topped off the spread. Nevertheless, this effort made my “Spidey-senses” buzz, and I could not shake my suspicions.  Soon the reason came out in their words: “Would you come and visit our church this Sunday?” “Sure, I would be glad to come,” I said. It was really her church, where they got “points” for bringing visitors. Now, these are friends, but in the past, they never really agreed theologically on a lot of viewpoints with me, but they were going to a new church and I was curious what they were being taught now. I was right to be suspicious ab...

  Luke 2:7 7 And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. For a long time when I served as a youth pastor, every Christmas season I challenged the teenagers in my Sunday school class to take a Christmas quiz to demonstrate that much of what they think they know about Christmas may be incorrect. There are gift cards on the line, so they take it seriously. Most miss half or more of the questions because of assumptions and a lack of careful reading. One of the questions on the quiz asks, “What did the innkeeper tell Mary and Joseph?” There are five possible answers, but virtually every teen confidently chooses, “There is no room for them in the inn.” All are surprised to learn there is no mention in the text of an “innkeeper” or anything anyone might have said to Mary and Joseph. In fact, the Greek word translated here as “inn” is a more general word referring to any place of lodg...

  Luke 2:6-7 6 So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. 7 And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. The nativity sets that we see in homes, offices, and even on lawns during this season capture a still frame, a moment in time, but offer little to awaken our senses. I often read this passage in Luke and fail to linger in the process that brought Mary to the time when she gave birth to Jesus. We must call on our senses of taste, touch, and hearing to fully appreciate the process.  “The time was completed”: Those words are filled with many sights and sounds—Mary’s water breaking and her shrieks from labor pains as she tried to balance herself and stay upright, Joseph’s heart racing as he cared for his family, and finally a sigh of relief from the couple as a spot was chosen for the birth.  “She brought forth (gave birth)”...