Merry Christmas!

The Lamb of God...
who takes away the sins of the world.

That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord's glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them. "Don't be afraid!" he said. "I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger." Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others--the armies of heaven—praising God and saying, Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased." When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, "Let's go to Bethlehem! Let's see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about." They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. Luke 2:8-17 

Meditate. Don’t be afraid.

 

Did you unwrap your presents? What was the best Christmas present you got this year? Is that what Christmas is all about for you? Presents? Snow? Religious activities? What is your priority with your time? Do you put Jesus first in your life?  

Jesus was placed in manger for His bed—there was no room in the inn when Mary and Joseph arrived in Bethlehem for the census. He was born in that town near where the lambs were born in the spring and raised for use as sacrifices at the Temple in Jerusalem. Those lambs were wrapped in swaddling clothes, then laid in a manger or carried by their shepherd to keep them safe, pure and spotless, until their time of sacrifice. Our Lamb of God is Jesus, who takes away the sins of the world. He was sacrificed at Jerusalem, just as the year-old lambs were. Was he born in the spring as other lambs? The shepherd were out in the field keeping watch over their flocks—as would be necessary in the spring birthing time. There is debate about the true date of Jesus’ birth. Spring or Winter? The Jewish New Year begins in the springtime. Does it matter if we celebrate Jesus’ birth in December or in March? Consider how you honor Him today…on His birthday and all through the coming year.

 

Prayer – Lord Jesus, You are the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world—You have taken away my sin. Redeemed me from an eternal life of sin and evil desires. For that I am eternally grateful.

 

Verse of Salvation ~ After this I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes and held palm branches in their hands. And they were shouting with a great roar, "Salvation comes from our God who sits on the throne and from the Lamb!" Revelation 7:9-10

 

© 2025 Text, photos, and illustrations by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved. 

All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless otherwise noted. 

New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. 

Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Biblical search from Blue Letter Bible - http://v3.blueletterbible.org/search.cfm. 

 

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