Luke 2:4-14 (NIV)
The Birth of Jesus
4 So Joseph also went up from the town of
Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the
town of David, because he belonged to the house
and line of David. 5 He went there to register
with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him
and was expecting a child. 6 While they were
there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7
and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She
wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a
manger, because there was no guest room
available for them.
8 And there were shepherds living out in the
fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks
at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to
them, and the glory of the Lord shone around
them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel
said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you
good news that will cause great joy for all the
people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior
has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the
Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will
find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a
manger.”
13 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.”
He
was born of a virgin as prophesied by the
prophet Isaiah and lived a sinless life. He
later shed His blood, was crucified, died and
was buried for the sins of mankind. He was
resurrected from the dead, ascended to Heaven
and is seated at the Right Hand of the Father.
He will come again! He has gone to prepare a
place for us. Praise His Holy name for the gift
of eternal life. He secured our future once we
accept and acknowledge that He is our Savior and
make him Lord of our lives.
O’ What a
Savior!
At
Christmas we spread His message of peace and
harmony and above all love. Many folks express
their affection through gifts and warm wishes,
but in the midst of all the commercialization,
we do not forget the real spirit of the true
Christmas. We hope you make more cherished
memories this year by spending time with family
and friends, singing Christmas carols, attending
church services and special cantatas and other
musical events, taking a walk with a friend and
reflecting on the beauty of the season.
The
Christmas season is an extra special time to
celebrate the priceless gift of our Lord and
Savior Jesus Christ. His birth, which we
commemorate during this season, is so much more
than a holiday celebration. We proudly proclaim
our gratitude to our Heavenly Father of the most
significant gift we will ever receive: Our
Blessed Savior is the Son of God, the Redeemer
of all mankind, the King of Kings, the Prince of
Peace, and our joy and salvation. The Christmas
season has marvelous meaning as we seek to
follow His example and live His teachings.
The
beautiful hymns that we sing at Christmas allow
us to feel the Spirit affirming to our hearts
that He is the Light of the World; He is
Wonderful, Counselor, the Prince of Peace, our
Savior and Redeemer, Emmanuel, and the Messiah
! And the great I AM!
This time of year further offers us an
opportunity to think about the welfare of all
people and especially those experiencing
hardship and misfortune. May we pray for all of
our military serving around the world and their
families. We are so grateful for their service
and love of country. We salute each and every
one. May we exemplify the context of Jesus’
example and show acts of benevolence and
kindness as to others as we are able. A favorite
Christmas quote is from Helen Keller who was
visually impaired:
“The only real blind person at Christmas-time is
he who has no Christmas in his heart.”
The
Harvesters wish for every single person in our
music family is for a healthy, happy, joyous,
safe and peaceful Christmas season and all good
thoughts for the year 2019. You are very special
to us and we appreciate you all so much.
Peace, joy and the love of Christ from The
Harvesters,
Danny, Allen, Mark, Tommy
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