The Humanity of Christ - Merry Christmas!

As we celebrate Christ's birth it takes on new meaning to our family this year because we are first time grandparents.  It's been so much fun watching a newborn grow.  It helps me to realize the fullness of Christ's humanity. 

Just think, Christ was born a baby and had to grow up like the rest of us.  You know as God it would have been a whole lot easier to just pop down here as Christ already in His late twenties ready to start His ministry.  He could have simply bypassed all of that growing up stuff, but He didn't.  He took on the full human experience so that He knows exactly what we go through.    

If God is willing to go that far for us, how far should we be willing to go for Him?  Is it too much to ask that we believe in His Son Jesus Christ?  I don't think so.  Have you accepted Jesus yet?  Christ took on the whole human experience for us, why not give the whole Christian experience a try for Him.  I promise you that you'll be glad you did. 

Just simply ask Jesus to come into your life and take over.  Just have a heartfelt conversation with Him.  "Dear Jesus…".

Every year we used to gather the family around and read the Christmas Story from the Bible.  Here are the verses that we read.  I hope they will be as much of a blessing to your family as they have been to ours.

Merry Christmas from The Common Christian!

The Christmas Story

Luke

5  In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron.

6  Both of them were upright in the sight of God, observing all the Lord's commandments and regulations blamelessly.

7  But they had no children, because Elizabeth was barren; and they were both well along in years.

8  Once when Zechariah's division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God,

9  he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense.

10  And when the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled worshipers were praying outside.

11  Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense.

12  When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear.

13  But the angel said to him: "Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name John.

14  He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth,

15  for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from birth.

16  Many of the people of Israel will he bring back to the Lord their God.

1. And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous--to make ready a people prepared for the Lord."

23  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."

26  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."

29  Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be.

30  But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God.

31  You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus.

32  He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David,

33  and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end."

34  "How will this be," Mary asked the angel, "since I am a virgin?"

35  The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.

36  Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month.

37  For nothing is impossible with God."

1. "I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May it be to me as you have said." Then the angel left her.

Matthew

18  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."

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.

Luke

39  At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea,

40  where she entered Zechariah's home and greeted Elizabeth.

41  When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.

42  In a loud voice she exclaimed: "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear!

43  But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?

44  As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.

45  Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!"

46  And Mary said: "My soul glorifies the Lord

47  and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,

48  for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed,

49  for the Mighty One has done great things for me-- holy is his name.

50  His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation.

51  He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.

52  He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble.

53  He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty.

54  He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful

55  to Abraham and his descendants forever, even as he said to our fathers."

1. Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned home.

2:1  In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world.

2  (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.)

3  And everyone went to his own town to register.

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 room for them in the inn.

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 of great joy that will be for all the people.

11  Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ 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,

14  "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."

15  When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."

16  So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger.

17  When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child,

2. and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.

Matthew

2:1  After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem

2  and asked, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him."

3  When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him.

4  When he had called together all the people's chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born.

5  "In Bethlehem in Judea," they replied, "for this is what the prophet has written:

6  "'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.'"

7  Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared.

8  He sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him."

9  After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was.

10  When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.

11  On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh.