Day 8

In the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to the Galilean village of Nazareth to a virgin engaged to be married to a man descended from David. His name was Joseph, and the virgin's name, Mary. Upon entering, Gabriel greeted her:
   Good morning!
   You're beautiful with God's beauty,
   Beautiful inside and out!
   God be with you.
She was thoroughly shaken, wondering what was behind a greeting like that. But the angel assured her, "Mary, you have nothing to fear. God has a surprise for you: You will become pregnant and give birth to a son and call his name Jesus.
   He will be great,
      be called 'Son of the Highest.'
   The Lord God will give him
      the throne of his father David;
   He will rule Jacob's house forever—
      no end, ever, to his kingdom."
Mary said to the angel, "But how? I've never slept with a man."
The angel answered, 
   The Holy Spirit will come upon you,
      the power of the Highest hover over you;
   Therefore, the child you bring to birth
      will be called Holy, Son of God.
"And did you know that your cousin Elizabeth conceived a son, old as she is? Everyone called her barren, and here she is six months pregnant! Nothing, you see, is impossible with God."
   And Mary said,
   Yes, I see it all now:
      I'm the Lord's maid, ready to serve.
   Let it be with me
      just as you say.
   Then the angel left her.

Luke 1: 26-38

Day 7

Zachariah said to the angel, "Do you expect me to believe this? I'm an old man and my wife is an old woman."
But the angel said, "I am Gabriel, the sentinel of God, sent especially to bring you this glad news. But because you won't believe me, you'll be unable to say a word until the day of your son's birth. Every word I've spoken to you will come true on time—God's time."
Meanwhile, the congregation waiting for Zachariah was getting restless, wondering what was keeping him so long in the sanctuary. When he came out and couldn't speak, they knew he had seen a vision. He continued speechless and had to use sign language with the people.
When the course of his priestly assignment was completed, he went back home. It wasn't long before his wife, Elizabeth, conceived. She went off by herself for five months, relishing her pregnancy. "So, this is how God acts to remedy my unfortunate condition!" she said.

Luke 1: 18-25 

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Day 6

Unannounced, an angel of God appeared just to the right of the altar of incense. Zachariah was paralyzed in fear.
 But the angel reassured him, "Don't fear, Zachariah. Your prayer has been heard. Elizabeth, your wife, will bear a son by you. You are to name him John. You're going to leap like a gazelle for joy, and not only you—many will delight in his birth. He'll achieve great stature with God.
 "He'll drink neither wine nor beer. He'll be filled with the Holy Spirit from the moment he leaves his mother's womb. He will turn many sons and daughters of Israel back to their God. He will herald God's arrival in the style and strength of Elijah, soften the hearts of parents to children, and kindle devout understanding among hardened skeptics—he'll get the people ready for God."

Luke 1:11-17

Day 5

During the rule of Herod, King of Judea, there was a priest assigned service in the regiment of Abijah. His name was Zachariah. His wife was descended from the daughters of Aaron. Her name was Elizabeth. Together they lived honorably before God, careful in keeping to the ways of the commandments and enjoying a clear conscience before God. But they were childless because Elizabeth could never conceive, and now they were quite old.

It so happened that as Zachariah was carrying out his priestly duties before God, working the shift assigned to his regiment, it came his one turn in life to enter the sanctuary of God and burn incense. The congregation was gathered and praying outside the Temple at the hour of the incense offering. 

Luke 1:5-10

Day 4

'Watch for this: The time is coming'—God's Decree—'when I will keep the promise I made to the families of Israel and Judah. When that time comes, I will make a fresh and true shoot sprout from the David-Tree. He will run this country honestly and fairly. He will set things right. That's when Judah will be secure and Jerusalem live in safety. The motto for the city will be, "God Has Set Things Right for Us." 

Jeremiah 33: 14-16

Day 3

 A green Shoot will sprout from Jesse's stump, from his roots a budding Branch.
The life-giving Spirit of God will hover over him, 
   the Spirit that brings wisdom and understanding,
The Spirit that gives direction and builds strength, 
   the Spirit that instills knowledge and Fear-of-God.
Fear-of-God 
   will be all his joy and delight.
He won't judge by appearances, 
   won't decide on the basis of hearsay.
He'll judge the needy by what is right, 
   render decisions on earth's poor with justice.
His words will bring everyone to awed attention. 
   A mere breath from his lips will topple the wicked.
Each morning he'll pull on sturdy work clothes and boots, 
   and build righteousness and faithfulness in the land.The wolf will romp with the lamb, 
   the leopard sleep with the kid.
Calf and lion will eat from the same trough, 
   and a little child will tend them.
Cow and bear will graze the same pasture, 
   their calves and cubs grow up together, 
   and the lion eat straw like the ox.
The nursing child will crawl over rattlesnake dens, 
   the toddler stick his hand down the hole of a serpent.
Neither animal nor human will hurt or kill 
   on my holy mountain.
The whole earth will be brimming with knowing God-Alive, 
   a living knowledge of God ocean-deep, ocean-wide.

On that day, Jesse's Root will be raised high, posted as a rallying banner for the peoples. The nations will all come to him. His headquarters will be glorious.

Isaiah 11:1-10

Day 2

The people who walked in darkness 
   have seen a great light.
For those who lived in a land of deep shadows— 
   light! sunbursts of light!
You repopulated the nation, 
   you expanded its joy.
Oh, they're so glad in your presence! 
   Festival joy!
The joy of a great celebration, 
   sharing rich gifts and warm greetings.
The abuse of oppressors and cruelty of tyrants— 
   all their whips and cudgels and curses—
Is gone, done away with, a deliverance 
   as surprising and sudden as Gideon's old victory over Midian.
The boots of all those invading troops, 
   along with their shirts soaked with innocent blood,
Will be piled in a heap and burned, 
   a fire that will burn for days!
For a child has been born—for us! 
   the gift of a son—for us!
He'll take over 
   the running of the world.
His names will be: Amazing Counselor, 
   Strong God,
Eternal Father, 
   Prince of Wholeness.
His ruling authority will grow, 
   and there'll be no limits to the wholeness he brings.
He'll rule from the historic David throne 
   over that promised kingdom.
He'll put that kingdom on a firm footing 
   and keep it going
With fair dealing and right living, 
   beginning now and lasting always.
The zeal of God-of-the-Angel-Armies 
   will do all this.

 Isaiah 9: 2-7

Day 1

 The Word was first, 
      the Word present to God, 
      God present to the Word. 
   The Word was God, 
      in readiness for God from day one.

Everything was created through him;
      nothing—not one thing!—
      came into being without him.
   What came into existence was Life,
      and the Life was Light to live by.
   The Life-Light blazed out of the darkness;
      the darkness couldn't put it out.

John 1:1-5

Loving this Christmas Season, remembering the true reason for this beautiful time of year!!!