Daily Scripture: Matthew 1:18 Here is how the birth of Yeshua the Messiah took place. When his mother Miryam was engaged to Yosef, before they were married, she was found to be pregnant from the Ruach HaKodesh. 19 Her husband-to-be, Yosef, was a man who did what was right; so he made plans to break the engagement quietly, rather than put her to public shame. 20 But while he was thinking about this, an angel of Adonai appeared to him in a dream and said, “Yosef, son of David, do not be afraid to take Miryam home with you as your wife; for what has been conceived in her is from the Ruach HaKodesh. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to name him Yeshua, [which means ‘Adonai saves,’] because he will save his people from their sins.”
Luke 1:26 In the sixth month, the angel Gavri’el was sent by God to a city in the Galil called Natzeret, 27 to a virgin engaged to a man named Yosef, of the house of David; the virgin’s name was Miryam. 28 Approaching her, the angel said, “Shalom, favored lady! Adonai is with you!” 29 She was deeply troubled by his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 The angel said to her, “Don’t be afraid, Miryam, for you have found favor with God. 31 Look! You will become pregnant, you will give birth to a son, and you are to name him Yeshua. 32 He will be great, he will be called Son of Ha‘Elyon. Adonai, God, will give him the throne of his forefather David; 33 and he will rule the House of Ya‘akov forever — there will be no end to his Kingdom.” 34 “How can this be,” asked Miryam of the angel, “since I am a virgin?” 35 The angel answered her,
“The Ruach HaKodesh will come over you,
the power of Ha‘Elyon will cover you.
Therefore the holy child born to you
will be called the Son of God.
36 “You have a relative, Elisheva, who is an old woman; and everyone says she is barren. But she has conceived a son and is six months pregnant! 37 For with God, nothing is impossible.”
Reflection Questions:
Christians proclaimed that Jesus was fully human and fully divine. Matthew and Luke both told the story of Jesus' conception and birth, but each one from a different parent’s point of view. Nevertheless, the two gospels emphasized certain key points in common. Both reported that the prospective parents at first reacted to the news of what God was doing with shock, and struggled to believe it. In both accounts, the baby was given a name that pointed to his saving mission. This was no ordinary child—this was a Savior sent by God.
- Imagine God gave you the task of choosing the Messiah’s parents. Would you be likely, in your human wisdom, to choose an unmarried teen-aged girl and an obscure carpenter who lived in a tiny backwater town? (Writers who think early Christians made up the story face the same question: would anyone be likely to invent this backdrop for their hero?) Does the very improbability of the stories of Jesus' birth detract from their credibility for you, or add to it?
- Our faith’s central claim is that Jesus fully embodied his name, which meant “God saves.” How does this claim shape your faith and your life? How can you honor the Bible’s claim that Jesus is the bringer of salvation in ways that follow his example, showing love and grace to people with different views than yours (even about Jesus), rather than condemning or mocking them?
Lord God, from darkness to light, from illness (physical or spiritual) to health, from death to life—you are always the God for whom nothing is impossible. I praise you for opening a life of hope and possibilities before me. Amen.
Insights from Nicole Alison
Nicole Alison serves as Coordinating Assistant to Operations at The Church of the Resurrection. Nicole finds her voice through writing. In her spare time she is a personal blogger and a ghost-writer for the Next Steps Pastor at a local church in Lenexa. Her passion is to share the love of Jesus through personal stories of redemption.
What I love about God so deeply is His heart for the unlikely and unexpected. It gives me hope that in every opportunity I may believe is mundane or useless, God sees differently. It means that people that seemed to be swept under the rug or forgotten are not. There have been countless times in my life where I have showed up feeling ill equipped, or so ordinary that I would never make a difference–but then God showed up.
I will never forget the time I was serving at a concert. I was stoked–I would be working with the artist’s sales. But, oops–the artists didn’t bring anything to sell. The other volunteer who was helping with me arrived late. When she heard the news, she turned sour in an instant. She went on and on about how she drove all the way there for nothing. I’ll admit, I began to view her as a “Debbie downer.” I didn’t like her poor attitude. But we found other things to do to help, and instead of clinging to my introverted nature, I decided to strike up a conversation.
As I began to talk to her, I could still feel her tension and frustration. But I asked her how she was connected to the event and where she worked. She began to soften a little, and began to smile one of those “I want to but I don’t want to let you in” smiles. Eventually, the concert was about to begin and I did something really out of character. I decided to invite her to sit by me at the concert. I’ll be honest–I wanted my own space that night. I wanted to soak in the music and reflect on God. But I had a nudge that I needed to invite this lady to sit by me.
The concert begins, the room is filled with beautiful, awe-inspiring music–and I’m afraid to let go and worship God next to this lady. But soon, her demeanor shifts and she smiles and laughs authentically. Soon enough, this lady (who is about twice my age) and I are jumping up and down, doing fist pumps and praising the Lord. About half-way through the concert, the lady explained that she really needed tonight. She was having such a hard day, and she was so thankful that I invited her into the concert and sat by her. By the end of the night, she gave me two hugs and was beaming.
Driving home, I was amazed. In the unexpected, God showed up. He got me out of my comfort zone–I just opened up to someone that I wasn’t sure I wanted to. Even in this small circumstance, I learned a little more about grace and love, about ordinary turning into extraordinary. I was changed–the lady I volunteered with was changed. Best of all, God received the Glory. I love that God works in the unexpected and unlikely. This experience taught me to do life expecting the unexpected, ready to listen, share and invite people into my heart. It taught me to be more like Christ in the places where it seems most unlikely God would work. God is always working. I just need to ready and willing to do my part.
Download the GPS App
The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection
13720 Roe Avenue
What I love about God so deeply is His heart for the unlikely and unexpected. It gives me hope that in every opportunity I may believe is mundane or useless, God sees differently. It means that people that seemed to be swept under the rug or forgotten are not. There have been countless times in my life where I have showed up feeling ill equipped, or so ordinary that I would never make a difference–but then God showed up.
I will never forget the time I was serving at a concert. I was stoked–I would be working with the artist’s sales. But, oops–the artists didn’t bring anything to sell. The other volunteer who was helping with me arrived late. When she heard the news, she turned sour in an instant. She went on and on about how she drove all the way there for nothing. I’ll admit, I began to view her as a “Debbie downer.” I didn’t like her poor attitude. But we found other things to do to help, and instead of clinging to my introverted nature, I decided to strike up a conversation.
As I began to talk to her, I could still feel her tension and frustration. But I asked her how she was connected to the event and where she worked. She began to soften a little, and began to smile one of those “I want to but I don’t want to let you in” smiles. Eventually, the concert was about to begin and I did something really out of character. I decided to invite her to sit by me at the concert. I’ll be honest–I wanted my own space that night. I wanted to soak in the music and reflect on God. But I had a nudge that I needed to invite this lady to sit by me.
The concert begins, the room is filled with beautiful, awe-inspiring music–and I’m afraid to let go and worship God next to this lady. But soon, her demeanor shifts and she smiles and laughs authentically. Soon enough, this lady (who is about twice my age) and I are jumping up and down, doing fist pumps and praising the Lord. About half-way through the concert, the lady explained that she really needed tonight. She was having such a hard day, and she was so thankful that I invited her into the concert and sat by her. By the end of the night, she gave me two hugs and was beaming.
Driving home, I was amazed. In the unexpected, God showed up. He got me out of my comfort zone–I just opened up to someone that I wasn’t sure I wanted to. Even in this small circumstance, I learned a little more about grace and love, about ordinary turning into extraordinary. I was changed–the lady I volunteered with was changed. Best of all, God received the Glory. I love that God works in the unexpected and unlikely. This experience taught me to do life expecting the unexpected, ready to listen, share and invite people into my heart. It taught me to be more like Christ in the places where it seems most unlikely God would work. God is always working. I just need to ready and willing to do my part.
Download the GPS App
The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection
13720 Roe Avenue
Leawood, Kansas 66224 United States
913.897.0120
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