MESSAGE OF THE MANGER
AN ADVENT BLOG
DAY 1: OLD TESTAMENT PROPHECY: GOD’S WORD IS TRUSTWORTHY
In looking at the great things God has done, we need to know that we can trust His word.
DAY 2: THE GOSPELS: PROCLAIMING THE TRUTH
In this reading we will look at the reasons Luke and John wrote down the things they did about Jesus and His life on earth.
DAY 3: ZECHARIAH: DOUBTING WHAT GOD SAYS
The Gospel of Luke begins with the story of Zechariah being told he would have a son who would go forth in the spirit and power of Elijah.
DAY 4: MARY: WALKING BY FAITH
The angel Gabriel visited a young woman named Mary, whom God
had chosen to be the mother of his Son.
DAY 5: ELIZABETH: BEING FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT
We see from what happened when the women greeted each other that John was filled with the Holy Spirit even in Elizabeth’s womb.
DAY 6: JOHN THE BAPTIST: LIVING FOR GOD
After Mary left, Elizabeth gave birth to a son as the angel had said she would. Zechariah was able to speak again and gave a great prophecy as to what his son John would do.
DAY 7: JOSEPH: BEING FAITHFUL TO GOD’S CALLING
Luke doesn’t say much in his gospel about Joseph, who was
pledged to be Mary’s husband,
so we have to go to the Gospel of Matthew to find out more about him and what he was like.
DAY 8: BETHLEHEM: BECOMING GREAT THROUGH HUMILITY
Bethlehem, the town of David where the prophet Micah said the Savior would be born, was a humble little town about five miles south of Jerusalem.
DAY 9: THE MANGER: CRADLING GOD’S HUMBLE SERVANT
As we look at the scene in the stable we want to evaluate the surroundings into which Christ was born. In the last reading we read that Mary wrapped Jesus in cloths and placed him in a manger.
DAY 10: THE ANGELS: ANNOUNCING THE BIRTH
The shepherds were told by an angel where they could find
the Savior who had been born. We think of angels as being radiant representatives of God.
DAY 11: THE SHEPHERDS: BELIEVING THE MESSAGE
Once they got over their terror, the shepherds must have been awestruck when the heavenly host appeared to them. Their response was to go and see what they had been told. They believed and so they obeyed.
DAY 12: THE DONKEY: BEARING THE SAVIOR
It is likely that Mary rode on a donkey from Nazareth to
Bethlehem since she was pregnant. A donkey plays an important role in prophecy
concerning the Savior.
DAY 13: LAMB OF GOD: TAKING AWAY THE SINS OF THE WORLD
Having sheep in the manger scene reminds us First, Jesus is the sacrificial lamb that takes away the sin of the world. The next reading we will look at Jesus as the Good Shepherd.
DAY 14: THE LOST SHEEP: NEEDING A SHEPHERD
Looking at the sheep in the stable reminds us not only that Jesus is the Lamb of God, it also reminds us that we are lost sheep in need of a shepherd.
DAY 15: SIMEON: SEEING WITH HIS EYES THE PRECIOUS SAVIOR
They had Jesus circumcised on the eighth day. After 40 days of a purification period, they went to the temple in Jerusalem to offer a sacrifice for their first born son.
DAY 16: THE WISE MEN: SEEKING THE SAVIOR
Matthew is the one who relates the story of the Magi (Wise Men) coming from the east. Although we can’t be certain, the Magi were probably astrologers who studied the stars and were advisors to the King of Persia.
DAY 17: THE STAR: LEADING TO THE SAVIOR
After meeting with king Herod, the Magi continued to follow
the star to the place where they found Jesus with his mother. They gave valuable gifts to the child. The fact that three gifts are listed has given rise to the legend that there were three Magi.
DAY 18: EGYPT: CALLING OUT OF CAPTIVITY
Only the Gospel of Matthew relates Mary and Joseph taking
the Christ child to Egypt to protect his life. At the time of the Patriarchs, Egypt was a place of refuge for the Israelites when God led Jacob and his family there to escape a famine.
DAY 19: HEROD: DEMONSTRATING MAN’S EVIL
King Herod was a very wicked man. He could not stand the thought that there was a baby born who might replace him as king. Remember the Magi had referred to the baby as “the King of the Jews.”
DAY 20: NAZARETH: BEING DESPISED AND REJECTED
Mary and Joseph came from Nazareth and when it was safe they took Jesus back there to live. At the time of Jesus, to call someone a Nazarene (meaning from Nazareth) was the same
as saying he was “despised.”
DAY 21: THE TEMPLE: SEEKING THE PRESENCE OF GOD
The story of Jesus’ birth and infancy ends with him going back to Nazareth. Luke is the only
Gospel writer who relates something of Jesus’ childhood when he tells what happened to Jesus at the temple in Jerusalem when he was twelve years old.
DAY 22: THE CHILD: GIVEN TO US
As we have now finished the story of Jesus’ birth and childhood, in the last four days before Christmas we want to gain an expanded perspective of the baby in the manger. We want to look more closely at who Jesus is and his purpose for coming to earth.
DAY 23: THE WORD: COMING IN THE FLESH
We can look at the baby in the manger and forget that he is the God of the Universe and the Creator of all things, who took the form of a man so that he could show us the way to the Father and save us from our sins. John begins his gospel, not telling the Christmas story, but sharing who Jesus is.
DAY 24: THE SUFFERING SERVANT: BEARING OUR SIN
Jesus did not remain a baby; he came to fulfill the Father’s
plan by living a perfect life and dying for our sin to reconcile us to God. Reconcile means to bring back together on right terms.
DAY 25: THE FIRSTBORN: RECONCILING US TO GOD
As we look forward to celebrating the birth of Christ tomorrow, we want to remember the “Message of the Manger.” The Apostle Paul
shares the essence of who Christ is and his ministry in his letter to the Colossians.
DAY 26: CHRISTMAS: CELEBRATING THE BIRTH OF THE SAVIOR
Take this time to really thank Jesus for his coming and all
that he has done for you.