Thursday, December 10 Read Matthew 2:4-6 King Herod, or Herod the Great, as he liked to be called, was a cruel, power-hungry ruler who destroyed anyone he feared was trying to topple him from his throne. He even killed several members of his own family because he thought they were plotting against…….Read More
Wednesday, December 9 Read Matthew 2:3 Because three gifts were given, we have assumed there were three wise men. The book of tradition says there were three: Gaspar, Melchior, and Balthasar. But, since the Bible does not confirm that, we can only conclude the number of the wise men did not matter……..Read More
Tuesday, December 8 Read Matthew 2:1-2 I hope you are beginning to get the picture that nothing about the birth of Jesus was “normal”! The way He was conceived, the place He was born, the announcement by the angels, and the visit of the shepherds on the night of His birth, were…….Read More
Monday, December 7 Read Matthew 1:24-25 As we begin our personal studies this week, let’s review the four main things Matthew wants his readers to know about the birth of the Son of God. Vs 18 – “Mary was found with child of the Holy Ghost”. Vs 20 – “that which is…….Read More
Sunday, December 6 The Lighting of The Bethlehem Candle—(purple) the candle of peace—Luke 3:4-6 As we re-light the first purple candle, we remember the meaning of the word “advent” is “coming” or “visit”! We are preparing for the Advent of Christ at Christmas; walking through those historical steps and taking our time…….Read More
Saturday, December 5 Read Matthew 1:18-23 Having read or heard the story so many times, we tend to overlook many of the intricate details of these events, and how they affected the lives of the people. The birth of God’s Son into the world was one of the most disturbing events in…….Read More
Friday, December 4 Read Matthew 1:18 One of the essential doctrines of the Christian Faith is referred to as the “virgin birth” of Jesus. Actually, the baby Jesus was born just like any other child, but He was not conceived like every other child. To be the “Christ-child” – the “Messiah” –…….Read More
Thursday, December 3 Read Matthew 1:16-17 We end our study of the genealogy of Jesus with three important truths. In verse 16, Matthew goes to great lengths to make sure his readers understood, while Jesus was born to Mary, her husband, Joseph was not Jesus’ father. Jesus was not born of man,…….Read More
Wednesday, December 2 Read Matthew 1:7-17 Today we continue with the genealogy of Jesus from David as we follow the “kingly line”. Perhaps this chart will be helpful. The genealogy of Jesus demonstrates that God’s grace is not inherited, but rather “given” as He wills. For example, there are…….Read More
Tuesday, December 1 Read Matthew 1:1-6 Ok, let’s just get this genealogy stuff behind us, and get on with the real Christmas story. Not so fast!! This is the Christmas story, for had Jesus not been in the lineage of Abraham and David, His birth, His life, His…….Read More