The Wise Men

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.”

When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.

So they said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet:

‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,

Are not the least among the rulers of Judah;

For out of you shall come a Ruler

Who will shepherd My people Israel.’ ”

Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also.”

When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way.

(Matthew 2:1-14 NKJV)

https://biblehub.com/nkjv/matthew/2.htm

Christ is Born

And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered.

This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria.

So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city.

Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David,  to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child.  So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered.  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. 

Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night.  And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid.  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.  For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.  And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.”

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host

praising God and saying:

“Glory to God in the highest,

And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”

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.”  And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger.  Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child.  And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds. 

But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. 

Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them. (Luke2:1-20 NKJV) 

 

https://biblehub.com/nkjv/luke/2.htm

 

 

The Christ, the Son of the Living God

At the time of Jesus' birth, most Jewish people were able to recite their genealogy (family tree) all the way back to Adam.  The scriptures clearly state that the Messiah would be a descendant of King David of Israel. (Jeremiah 23:5-6; Isaiah 11:1-2; Psalm 89 3-4, 18, 26-37; Acts 2:29-30)   Therefore, it was important that Jesus’ genealogy show that he was a descendant of David.

The genealogy of Jesus of Nazareth is provided for us in the Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 1, and the Gospel of Luke, Chapter 3.  There are, however, significant differences between the two.  In Matthew's Gospel the father of Jesus' stepfather, Joseph, is listed as “Jacob.”  In Luke's Gospel it says that Joseph's father was “Heli.”  This is because the genealogy listed in Luke is actually the genealogy of Mary, Jesus’ mother.  Heli was Joseph's father-in-law, and Heli was regarded as Joseph's father culturally.

The significance cannot be overstated.  If Joseph was Jesus' biological father, then Jesus cannot be the Messiah.  Matthew 1:11 shows that Joseph was a descendent of Jeconiah (a.k.a. Jehoiachin) a King in the linage of David who was so evil that he was cursed (2Kings 24:8; 1Chronicles 3:16; Jeremiah 22:18-30), and no descendant of Jeconiah could inherit the throne of David.  The only way that Jesus can be "the Christ (Messiah), the Son of the living God," (Matthew 16:16) is through the genealogy of Mary.

Those who would deny the Immaculate Conception, and the virgin birth of Jesus of Nazareth, by doing so also deny Peter's witness that He is the Messiah.  “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” (Luke 23:34 NIV)

 

 

Joseph's Obedience

This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about:

His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph,

but before they came together,

she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit.

Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law,

and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace,

he had in mind to divorce her quietly.

But after he had considered this,

an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said,

“Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife,

because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.

She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus,

because he will save his people from their sins.”

All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet:

”The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son,

and they will call him Immanuel”* (which means God with us).

When Joseph woke up,

he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him

and took Mary home as his wife.

But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son.

And he gave him the name Jesus.

(Matthew 1:18-25 NIV)

* Isaiah 7:14

https://biblehub.com/niv/matthew/1.htm

The Annunciation

Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary.

And having come in, the angel said to her,

“Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you;

blessed are you among women!”

But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.”

Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?”

And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren. For with God nothing will be impossible.”

Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her. (Luke 1:26-38 NKJV)

https://biblehub.com/nkjv/luke/1.htm

The Origin of the Universe

A couple of years ago, we got tired of the cable TV companies.  They raised their rates over and over, and what we were getting wasn’t worth what we were paying.  We agreed to start streaming our TV.  The “quality” of the programming is almost as good, and streaming has saved us a lot of money.

Our streaming service offers the tubi channel free of charge, and free is important to us concerning television.  I am very reluctant to endorse or recommend anything in Lamp in a Corner, especially regarding television entertainment.  There is too much objectionable content on television that might lead someone astray (myself included).  I watch television, but I try to be very selective about it.  In many cases you might as well pipe an open sewer into your home.

I ran across a documentary on tubi, however, that I would like to call to your attention.  It is called “The Privileged Planet.”  Lad Allen wrote, directed, and produced it, and the actor (narrator) is John Rhys-Davies.  The film is not a “religious” polemic.  Rather, it uses a scientific approach to demonstrate how observation of the universe shows evidence that it was created by intelligent design rather than by a random, unplanned combination of events. 

The program is very well made, and it is interestingly presented in terms that the average person can understand. Those scientists who are featured are credible, and it seems that they are sincere about the information they provide.  The dvd is available on Amazon. 

I am not prone to using empirical data to “prove” the Bible.  I believe that it is impossible to know God except by faith. (Hebrews 11:6)  We should not, however, ignore evidence from observation, experience, or research that supports what the Bible provides for us. 

Christians have long said that ‘You can’t explain creation without a creator.’  Although true, it is an argument that is often dismissed by those who are reluctant to consider the Christian point of view.  The Privileged Planet makes it more difficult to dismiss intelligent design.

 

 

Peace on Earth

The Christmas hymn, I heard the Bells on Christmas Day, was adapted from a poem (Christmas Bells) written by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow on Christmas in 1863.  It was a time of great personal difficulty for Longfellow, who was mourning the death of his wife and whose son had been seriously wounded in the Civil War.

I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day

I heard the bells on Christmas day

Their old familiar carols play,

And wild and sweet the words repeat

Of peace of earth, good will to men.

I thought how, as the day had come,

The belfries of all Christendom

Had rolled along th'unbroken song

Of peace on earth, good will to men.

And in despair I bowed my head:

"There is no peace on earth," I said,

"For hate is strong, and mocks the song

Of peace on earth, good will to men."

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:

"God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;

The wrong shall fail, the right prevail,

With peace on earth, good will to men."

Till, ringing, singing on its way,

The world revolved from night to day

A voice, a chime, a chant sublime,

Of peace on earth, good will to men.

From: Baptist Hymnal, 1991

https://hymnary.org/text/i_heard_the_bells_on_christmas_day

In today’s world, Russia is massing troops on its border with Ukraine and China is sending its warplanes into Taiwan’s airspace almost daily.  Both countries believe that their legitimate national interests support their actions.

The United States is not bound by treaty to defend Taiwan, but our position since 1948 has been that the Taiwanese people have the right to self-determination, and our stance has been to support them.  The U.S. has considered it to be in our national interest to resist the People’s Republic of China if they use force to extend their control over Taiwan.

In 1994 the United States, Great Britain, and the Russian Federation gave “security assurances” to Ukraine in exchange for the dismantling of her nuclear weapons.  Now, the Ukrainians have no nukes and very little security.  It is unclear whether the agreement obligates America to defend Ukraine militarily.  However, since 1994, the United States has given assurances that it would help Ukraine should Russia invade her.  We have provided Ukraine with material and financial aid, so far.

Not to be outdone, the Iranians continue to fuel terrorism around the world and especially in the Middle East.  They are enriching fissionable material at an alarming speed, and it is clear that they intend to possess deliverable nuclear weapons in the near future.

When Jesus was born, angels appeared to shepherds in the hills near Bethlehem: 

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 

“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” (Luke 2:13-14 NIV)

 https://biblehub.com/niv/luke/2.htm

The song is correct, God is not dead or asleep.  He is in control.  If we turn to Him, repent of our sins, humble ourselves and pray, He will heal our land. (2Chronicles 7:14)

Are we people that a holy God can look upon with favor?  Only if He sees the righteousness of Christ in the place of our sin.  Ask Jesus to be your savior, and then follow Him.  Pray for peace.