Luke 2 - The Birth of Jesus

A Blessed Christmas to You!

1 At that time the Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire. 2 (This was the first census taken when Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 All returned to their own ancestral towns to register for this census. 4 And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David’s ancient home. He traveled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee. 5 He took with him Mary, his fiancée, who was now obviously pregnant. 6 And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. 7 She gave birth to her first child, a son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them.

8 That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. 9 Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, 10 but the angel reassured them. "Don’t be afraid!" he said. "I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. 11 The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! 12 And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger." 13 Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying, 14 "Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased."

15 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."

16 They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. 17 After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. 18 All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished, 19 but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often. 20 The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them.

Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers.

The Touch of the Master's Hand

by Myra B Welch

Twas battered and scarred, and the auctioneer
thought it scarcely worth his while
To waste much time on the old violin,
But held it up with a smile.
"What am I bidden, good folks," he cried,
"Who'll start the bidding for me?
A dollar, a dollar, then, two! Only two?
Two dollars, and who'll make it three?
Three dollars, once; three dollars, twice;
Going for three . . ." But no,

From the room, far back, a grey-haired man
Came forward and picked up the bow;
Then, wiping the dust from the old violin,
And tightening the loosened strings,
He played a melody pure and sweet
As a caroling angel sings.

The music ceased, and the auctioneer,
With a voice that was quiet and low,
said: "What am I bid for the old violin?"
And he held it up with the bow.
"A thousand dollars, and who'll make it two?
Two thousand! And who'll make it three?
Three thousand, once; three thousand, twice;
And going and gone." said he.

The people cheered, but some of them cried,
"We do not quite understand,
what changed its worth?"
Swift came the reply:
"The Touch Of The Master's Hand."

And many a man with life out of tune,
And battered and scarred with sin,
Is auctioned cheap to the thoughtless crowd,
Much like the old violin.

A 'mess of potage,' a glass of wine;
A game - and he travels on.
He is 'going' once, and 'going' twice,
He's 'going' and almost 'gone'.
But the Master comes and the foolish crowd
Never can quite understand
The worth of a soul and the change that's wrought
By the touch of the Master's Hand.

Great Expectations

In Matthew 13:31-2 Jesus . . . "gave them another parable: 'The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. It is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest garden plant and becomes a tree, so that the wild birds come and nest in its branches.'"

Two short verses. But what a contrast! Please notice the two pictures below. What a tiny seed! It is said to be the smallest seed the people in Jesus' day knew about. Planting such a small seed obviously would produce a very small plant, one would think. But no, the mustard "tree" grew to over six foot tall! (For the curiously scientific: the Black Mustard plant is not a tree, but can get over six foot tall. With birds making their nests in it, it is very "tree-like." Jesus was not trying to teach botany here, He was just making a point.)

God honors our willingness to work with what we have been given. He then gives us more, until our "mustard seed" becomes a "mustard tree." In recovery, we start out with very basic stuff. We admit we are powerless, that only God can set us free, and that we need to give it to Him, and let Him do so.

That is why we use the term "God as I understand Him." Our "mustard seed" understanding of God is very simple and basic. We don't need to come to Him after spending years learning theology and biblical interpretation. God isn't impressed by fancy "King James" type prayers. Some of the best prayers I have ever heard (or uttered) were basically, "HELP!" But, as I learn to give God areas of my life that need His cleansing touch, I grow stronger -- just like the mustard seed becomes that "tree." Eventually, I can truly say, "I am free! I have absolutely no desire to ever use again!" That freedom is worth the wait and work!