Tracy's Blog

Luke 2:8-20 What is the most amazing thing you have seen happen? How did it impact you? Did you tell others about it? Witnessing something significant, spectacular, or miraculous is always memorable and often life-changing. Today I want to focus this Advent reflection on the shepherds who were witnesses to Jesus' birth so long ago. Luke 2:8-20 tells us about the shepherds interaction with angels in which they hear the good news that "Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord" (Luke 2:11). After the angels leave, they decide to go "to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about." (Luke 2:15). And that is exactly what they do. They go find Mary and Joseph and the baby. They see Him with their own eyes. They are witnesses to the Advent of the Christ. What is their response? Verse 17-18: "When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, an...

Matthew 1:18-25 Awkward. That's what it was. Mary, his betrothed, was pregnant.... and he wasn't the father. What was Joseph suppose to do? "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." (Matt. 1:19) But Joseph doesn't go through with his plan. Instead he takes Mary home as his wife (Matt. 1:24) because the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and told him to. He also told him the good news that Mary's child is "from the Holy Spirit" and that Joseph is to name Him "Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins" (Matt. 1:20-21). What an challenging position Joseph was in! He seemed to be a gentle sort of man since he was thinking about a quiet divorce instead of publically disgracing (or stoning???) Mary. But his desire to avoid public attention doesn't keep him from be willing to obey the messenger of God despite the difficult ci...

Luke 2:26-38 Advent is the season set aside to remember Christ's coming in the manger in Bethlehem so long ago. It is also a time to remember and prepare ourselves for His second Advent. In my personal Bible reading this week, there have been many passages talking about Christ coming again. "Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him...." (Rev. 1:7) is what I read today. These passages leave me wondering...how?...when?....what will it all mean? As the first Advent of Christ was proclaimed by the angel Gabriel to Mary, she experienced a range of emotions and questions. Maybe observing Mary's responses can help us in our wonderings. Luke 2:29 tells us, Mary was "greatly troubled" and "wondered what kind of greeting this might be" when the angel Gabriel visited her. The messenger hadn't yet shared the good news that the "Son of the Most High" who would be given the throne of David with an never ending kingdom (Luke 2:...

For the full story see Luke 1:5-25; 57-80 The Advent season is here and with it comes the anticipation of celebrating Jesus' birth. Often in the busyness of preparing, we feel that Christmas is coming too fast. My hope for you this year is that through Advent, you will experience (even briefly) time to contemplate the signficance of that first Christmas and that what you discover will permeate even the most hectic days. Where do we start? The silence of God. The Old Testament ends with a promise from the Lord to send "the prophet Elijah" before "that great and dreadful day of the LORD comes" (Malachi 4:5). It is over 400 years before John the Baptist would cry out, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near" (Matthew 3:2). Although they had the promise of a Deliverer, the Scriptures weren't added to in that time period and so Israel had to wait in the silence of God. How hard it must have been! It is striking that Zechariah, the father of John the ...