Devotion
The birth of our Lord
David Jacobs
At first glance, these verses may seem a bit disjointed and lead to some questions: Why are we told about the Roman tax laws right before learning about the birth of Christ? How would that be possible considering that Joseph and Mary lived in Nazareth and not Bethlehem?
Prophets had stated for centuries that a virgin would give birth to the Messiah in Bethlehem. God shows that he has dominion over even non-believers. Caesar Augustus orders a royal decree changing the tax situation forcing people to return to their homelands to pay taxes. Through divine intervention, God asserts his power even over a head of the most powerful nation on Earth, over the most powerful man on Earth, Caesar. As a result of this sudden decree, you can probably figure out where Joseph and Mary are forced to return: Bethlehem. What may seem out of place becomes a clear message: God rules the entire world and everyone in it.
The final verses we may have heard at some point. Jesus is born, to a virgin mother, wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger. The Son of God is born to the most humble of circumstances, teaching us a valuable lesson: blessed are the meek. He made Himself poor to give us eternal life. He suffered rejection so we could be accepted. Looks can be deceiving, and as James describes, "has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him?" (James 2:5)
It doesn't matter who you are: the ruler of the Roman Empire, or a poor, married couple giving birth in a manger, God rules over you. We must remember our place: humble servants of the Lord.
Prayer
Divine and glorious God, you truly rule over all. My eyes, ears, and heart are open to you, and I pray that you open them more each day. Humble me in thy sight, O Lord, my strength and my redeemer. As you have shown through Caesar and your only begotten son, Jesus Christ, all of creation obeys your every command. Use me as a vessel, Lord, so that I too, can be used for your glory. Amen.
Devotion
Abraham is Father of All
Frances Taylor
There are questions in every age about the importance of the Old Testament for Christians. Abraham is considered to be the Father of Faith for Jews, Christians and Muslims. We forget that it was Abraham who believed in the doctrine of only one God. It is through him and his descendants that this tradition comes down to us. Another fact that we can overlook is that Jesus was Jewish. He was born a Jew, lived as a Jew, died, rose and ascended into heaven as a Jew. Because we believe that he was the Messiah, the Christ, and we follow him, we are called Christian. Without the Old Testament, we wouldn't understand the promise of salvation; we wouldn't understand why it was important for Jesus to be of the family of King David. We would not understand his teaching either, because Jesus quoted from Scripture – the Old Testament – frequently. He told us that he came to fulfill the Scriptures, not to abolish them. In the same way, we can ...
