Date: 12/16/2009
<br>Author: Devin
<br>Title: Let's Celebrate
<br><br>One day about 2,000 years ago an angel named Gabriel appeared to a young Jewish woman named Mary. Gabriel told Mary she would have a son, Jesus, who would be the Son of God! Mary was confused and worried about this sudden news, but she had faith in God and said, "I am the Lord's servant; let it be as you say."  Mary and her husband-to-be, Joseph, lived in a town called Nazareth. But they had to travel to the city of Bethlehem to register for a census ordered by the Roman emperor, Caesar Augustus.  When Joseph and Mary got to Bethlehem, there was no place for them to stay because the inn was already full. They ended up spending the night in a stable, a place where animals were kept. There was probably fresh hay on the floor that they used for beds.  That night, Jesus was born. There was no crib, so they laid baby Jesus in a manger, a feeding trough for animals. The manger also probably had fresh hay in it and made a nice bed for the baby Jesus.<br><br>That night, some shepherds were in the fields near Bethlehem, keeping watch over their flocks of sheep. An angel appeared to them and gave them the good news that a Savior, the Messiah, had been born. The angel told the shepherds they could find Jesus lying in a manger. Suddenly a whole group of angels appeared saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!  The shepherds hurried into Bethlehem and found Jesus in the manger, just as the angel had told them. After they had seen Jesus, they spread the news, and everyone who heard was in awe.<br><br>Over the next couple of weeks, the above story found in the Gospels  will be told countless times the world over.  The nativity scene will adorn many a front lawn and thoughts of the virgin birth will reign in the minds of millions.  At the very minimum, many who never give the Son of God a second thought during most of the calender year will at least pause to acknowledge the gift of His arrival to the world.  Some of those same folks might even take it a step further and attend a worship service sometime during the holiday season. Though we have no accurate date of the occasion above, one thing is a concrete guarantee ..... we can accurately know that it  DID happen.<br><br>I for one, join the apostle Paul in being thankful for any time that someone thinks about or preaches about the Savior of the world.  The former Saul says in Philippians 1 beginning with verse 15 that there will be some who will preach Christ for motives other than those that are right and proper.  He mentions that some will preach the resurrected Messiah out of strife, envy and contention.  And yet, though their hearts and intentions are misdirected, Paul said he would rejoice in the message being preached regardless. (Philippians 1:18) <br><br> I could never imagine that there would be a bad time to talk about the subject of John 3:16.  Even though we don't know the exact timing, I could never imagine that there would be a bad time to acknowledge the gift that came from on high in the form of a man.  I could never imagine a God ordained time set aside to purposely remain silent about the life-saving provision extended to mankind.  I could never imagine holding my tongue about the one whose life began in a manger and ended on a cross.  I could not imagine my life without the life of Jesus.  Thank you God for the present..... its what I've always needed :)<br><br>Merry Christmas from the Pickards – Ruby, Jordan, Kaylee, Angie & Devin     <br><br>