THE DELIVERY OF THE ADVENT

“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” (Luke 2:6-7 NKJV).

The all-important birth of Christ occurred after Joseph and Mary reached Bethlehem for this Caesar-ordered census (registration). Luke goes on to tell us that “While they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered.” The word “there” refers to Bethlehem because this was where Scripture said Christ would be born (Micah 5:2). Thus we want to note the following:

The calendar in the delivery – “The days were completed for her to be delivered.” God’s promises are not always filled quickly, they often take time. Mary had to wait nine months before “completed” could be written on the promise given her.

The creed in the delivery – “She brought forth her firstborn son.” Note it does not say the “firstborn” of Joseph and Mary since Joseph was not involved in this birth. This statement emphasizes the important doctrine of the virgin birth of Christ. Since Christ was born of a virgin, He was Mary’s “firstborn.”

The crib for the delivery – “Laid Him in a manger.” The Lord Jesus was born in a stable where animals were usually kept. A “manger” was a place where food was put for livestock to eat. The influx of people into the small town of Bethlehem resulted in “no room for them in the inn.”

The care after the delivery – “She...wrapped Him in swaddling clothes.” The birth of the Lord Jesus showed that Mary had a strong constitution as well as character. There was no doctor or midwife to help Mary, and yet after the Lord’s birth she was able to provide care for the baby by wrapping Him in swaddling clothes. God enables us for our calling.

The first advent of the Lord Jesus was humble. The place where He was born symbolizes the typical contempt that society has for the Lord. However, what a contrast it will be when He comes back to earth a second time; it will be “with power and great glory” (Matt. 24:30).

(Adapted from Butler Commentary)

Soli Deo Gloria (To God Alone Be The Glory)

Quotation of the Week

“God shook the world with a babe - not a bomb!”

Anonymous

Word Study

Swaddling cloths

In Luke 2:7 we read, “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!” (NKJV)

Swaddling cloths is the Greek word sparganoo (σπαργανοω = spar-gan-o-o). The word means to swathe or wrap in wrapping cloths or bands. These were strips of cloth like bandages, wrapped around young infants to keep their limbs straight. The word is especially associated with the wrapping of the newborn, both in Biblical usage and in other Greek sources.

In the Septuagint sparganoo word occurs just twice, once in Job 38:9 and again in Ezek. 16:4. On both occasions the word is used metaphorically. In the New Testament sparganoo appears only in Luke 2:7, 12 referring to the newborn Jesus whom Mary wrapped in swaddling cloths. In light of the Old Testament usage this probably carries the implication that the baby thus treated was loved and properly cared for. In New Testament times babies were wrapped in a large square of cloth, and strips of cloth were tied around the square to keep it in place.

Prophecies Fulfilled by Jesus

Old Testament Prophecy – That He would be born of a virgin (Isa. 7:14)

New Testament Fulfillment – Matt. 1:22-23

Bible Facts

In Luke 2:13-14 we read, “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!” (NKJV) The word “host” means an army of angels; “ten thousand times ten thousand” as stated in Dan. 7:10. Seems like God gave the shepherds a special glimpse into the spiritual world.

Bible Quiz

The Lord Jesus was named by God Himself. When did the naming take place?

**Answer to last week’s trivia:What Old Testament priest was told “you will be mute and not able to speak” until the birth of his son? Zacharias (Luke 1:57-64; cf Luke 1:20).

That’s in the Bible

“There but for the grace of God go I”

"But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me!” (1 Cor. 15:10 NKJV).

Paul recounted his past by stating he persecuted the church of God heavily before his conversion. The expression “by the grace of God” is used often by those who have had some particular downfall in their lives and were helped by God in their time of need. God’s grace is truly amazing, for the only real difference between a sinner and a saint is God’s grace. Every saint can say, “There but for the grace of God go I” when he speaks of what might have happened to him had he followed the crowds and not the way of God. We should never reach the point of pride where we can’t acknowledge as the hymn says that God “saved a wretch like me.”

Stories of Favorite Christmas Carols

Angels We Have Heard On High

The French carol Les anges dans nos campagnes, now known as Angels We Have Heard on High, is completely anonymous. In A.D. 129, Telesphous, Bishop of Rome, ordained that, “In the Holy Night of the Nativity of our Lord and Savior, all shall solemnly sing the Angel’s Hymn.” With that proclamation the ‘Angels Hymn’' became the first Christmas hymn of the Christian church. Its most common English version was translated in 1862 by James Chadwick, and its most memorable feature is its chorus Gloria in Excelsis Deo! which is Latin for Glory to God in the Highest. It has always been printed with no known lyricist or composer. Further, many years ago shepherds in the hills of southern France had a Christmas Eve custom of calling to one another, singing Gloria in Excelsis Deo, each from his own hillside. The traditional tune that the shepherds used may have been from a late Medieval Latin chorale. It became the magnificent chorus of Angels We Have Heard on High.

A Little Humor

The pastor was looking in on the nursery the day after Christmas when he noticed that the baby Jesus was missing. He went outside and saw a little boy pulling a new red wagon. In the wagon was the baby Jesus. We walked up to the boy and said, “Hi, there. Where did you get the baby Jesus?” The boy answered honestly, “In the church.” “Why did you take him?” the pastor asked. “Well,” said the boy, “I prayed to the Lord Jesus and asked him for a wagon for Christmas. I told Him that if He gave me one, I’d take Him for a ride in it.”

Thought Provoking Church Sign

“Merry Christmas to our Christian friends. Happy Hanukkah to our Jewish friends. To our atheist friends - good luck!’”