Beacon2Light

Mary, Servant of the Lord Luke 1:26-38 1. Mary Received a Special Message from God (27-33, 35-37) a. an angel visited her (26-28) b. Mary would conceive a child by the Holy Spirit (31, 35) c. The child would be unique - be great, called the Son of the Most High (32a) - He will inherit the throne of David/reign forever (32b-33) - He will be called the Son of God (35) 2. Mary Received a Special Mercy from God (28-30) - She is highly favored by the Lord (28a, 30)  [Lit. full of grace – used of all believers – Eph. 1:6] - The Lord is with her (28b) - Blessed are you among women (special undeserved grace from God) 3. Mary Received a Special Mission from God (31-33, 35) - She will have a baby (fertility was important then; even as it is now to some extent) - She will have a son (the son is the one through whom the name and inheritance is passed) - He’s named by God (Jesus means “salvation is of the...

I wanted to point you to a good and concise rebuttal of Newsweek's recent Christmas cover story entitled "The Myths of Jesus." But first, it would help if you read what  Dr. Bart D. Ehrman wrote.  The Daily Beast has it posted under the title  What Do We Really Know About Jesus? Take a few minutes and read that and then read this rebuttal. Rebuttal to Newsweek's Cover Story on 'The Myths of Jesus' The work that Jerry Newcombe cites in his article is the New International Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties by Gleason Archer

The frenzy of Christmas preparations is upon us. Shopping, planning for the holy-day feast, seeking to keep disparate members of the family happy by going here today and then there tomorrow can be a logistical nightmare. Yet, in the midst of all the craziness we are drawn to a manger scene from two thousand years ago. Imagine a world where the superpower is Rome; where might makes right. Taxes, the enemy of today, was the enemy back then. A census was taken and people were on the move to their ancestral homesteads across the Promised Land. One couple among hundreds, if not thousands perhaps, arrives in Bethlehem. Door after door announces the news, “Sorry, there is no room.” Finally, one innkeeper takes mercy on the young woman about to give birth. “There is a stable, it’s not much, but there you can find shelter and warmth,” the man apologetically offered. It would have to do, Joseph thought, what else could he do? Mary was weary from the journey and who knows when this chil...