The Virgin Mary

November 11

(Luke 1:26-27 NIV) "In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, {27} to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary."

(Matthew 1:19-25 NIV) "Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. {20} But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. {21} She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins." {22} All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: {23} "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel" --which means, "God with us." {24} When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. {25} But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus."

(Isaiah 7:14 NIV) "Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel."

The virgin birth is an essential ingredient of the Christian faith. Isaiah prophesied three things about the birth of the coming Messiah: a virgin would become pregnant, the child born to her would be a male, and that child would be called Immanuel, which means “God with us”. The power of the Most High overshadowed Mary, and the Son of God was conceived in her. It brings back the imagery of “the Spirit of God hovering over the waters” in the first chapter of Genesis. God speaks a word, and Light comes to the world. God speaks, and Life happens. The virgin birth was a necessity if Jesus was to be “the spotless Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world”. If Mary was not a virgin, and Jesus had a human father, He could not have been “God with us”, and He could not “save His people from their sins”. But it is true, and because it’s true, we can be saved. Believe! -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day

God’s Choice Couple

November 10

(Luke 1:26-28 NIV)  "In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, {27} to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary. {28} The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.""

(Matthew 1:18-21 NIV)  "This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. {19} Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. {20} But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. {21} She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.""

God chose the home where Jesus would grow up. He handpicked the Dad and Mom who would raise His Son -- the couple who would change the diapers of the Savior of the world. He chose Joseph and Mary. What did God see in these two that qualified them to be parents to the Lord of the universe? He saw a commitment to purity. He saw a couple with merciful hearts. He saw their spiritual sensitivity. They had a willingness to obey in spite of tough circumstances -- a faith that would act in spite of doubt. He saw a couple who would behave courageously in spite of adversity. They were a choice couple, and they are models for us today. We too, can make choices like they did. Recommit to purity. Hear the cries for mercy around you. Be sensitive to God’s leading. Obey God’s voice. Stretch your faith. Be courageous in adverse situations. You too, can become a “choice” disciple. -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day    

Hometown to a Savior

November 9

(Luke 1:26 NIV)  "In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee…”

(Luke 4:16-37 NIV) ““He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood up to read. {17} The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: {18} "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, {19} to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." {20} Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him, {21} and he began by saying to them, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing." {22} All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips. "Isn't this Joseph's son?" they asked. {23} Jesus said to them, "Surely you will quote this proverb to me: 'Physician, heal yourself! Do here in your hometown what we have heard that you did in Capernaum.'" {24} "I tell you the truth," he continued, "no prophet is accepted in his hometown. {25} I assure you that there were many widows in Israel in Elijah's time, when the sky was shut for three and a half years and there was a severe famine throughout the land. {26} Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to a widow in Zarephath in the region of Sidon. {27} And there were many in Israel with leprosy in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed--only Naaman the Syrian." {28} All the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this. {29} They got up, drove him out of the town, and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw him down the cliff. {30} But he walked right through the crowd and went on his way. {31} Then he went down to Capernaum, a town in Galilee, and on the Sabbath began to teach the people. {32} They were amazed at his teaching, because his message had authority. {33} In the synagogue there was a man possessed by a demon, an evil spirit. He cried out at the top of his voice, {34} "Ha! What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are--the Holy One of God!" {35} "Be quiet!" Jesus said sternly. "Come out of him!" Then the demon threw the man down before them all and came out without injuring him. {36} All the people were amazed and said to each other, "What is this teaching? With authority and power he gives orders to evil spirits and they come out!" {37} And the news about him spread throughout the surrounding area."

(John 1:45-46 NIV) "Philip found Nathanael and told him, "We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote--Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph." {46} "Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?" Nathanael asked. "Come and see," said Philip."

(John 19:19 NIV)  "Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read: JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS."

Jesus was born in Bethlehem, but grew up in a small town called Nazareth. Many times, our Lord was referred to as “Jesus of Nazareth”. The demons called Him this, as well as those who came to arrest Him at Gethsemane. Pilate identified Jesus with Nazareth at His crucifixion, by hanging a sign on the cross. Nazareth did not have a good reputation. When told that Jesus was from Nazareth, Nathanael, a future disciple, asked sarcastically if anything good could come out of that town. The people of Nazareth even tried to kill Jesus when He returned home and preached a message they didn’t like. What this means is that Jesus began His life and ministry as “despised and rejected”. Isaiah’s prophetic words about Christ were fulfilled, even before the cross. This is what makes it so ironic that the most famous man ever to live was none other than Jesus of Nazareth. -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day

Dispensing With Disgrace

November 8

(Luke 1:23-25 NIV) ““When his time of service was completed, he returned home. {24} After this his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and for five months remained in seclusion. {25} "The Lord has done this for me," she said. "In these days he has shown his favor and taken away my disgrace among the people.””

(Genesis 30:22-23 NIV) ““Then God remembered Rachel; he listened to her and opened her womb. {23} She became pregnant and gave birth to a son and said, "God has taken away my disgrace.””

(Ephesians 2:4-9 NIV) “But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, {5} made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions--it is by grace you have been saved. {6} And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, {7} in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. {8} For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- {9} not by works, so that no one can boast.”

When the muted Zechariah finished serving at the temple, he went home, and the angel’s words came to be -- Elizabeth became pregnant. She hid her pregnancy for five months, probably because no one would have believed her until it became obvious. Her words portray a woman who was grateful for God’s grace. She knows God has done her a favor, and gives Him glory for the life growing inside her. There is no complaint about the timing -- only praise for a prayer answered. She echoes the words of an ancient relative, Rachel, and declares that by God’s grace, her disgrace has been taken away. God still dispenses with disgrace today. Jesus will deal with whatever has disgraced us. He can even redeem it for God’s glory. The Lord will dispense with our disgrace and replace it with joy. It is by grace you have been saved. Trust in Christ to dispense with your disgrace. -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day