When God Came to Live on Earth

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A Silent Night Holy Night

When God Came to Live on Earth

“Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14).

God is holy and lives in heaven. He is attracted to humble and contrite people. He draws close to such, expressing His love by giving them spiritual energy and practical help (Isaiah 57:15).

Three Angelic Visitations

Always involved with His creation, God sometimes sends angels to earth in times of need. I will mention three such angelic visitations.

Once God came to live on earth. This is the story of how it happened.

Mary’s Visitation

It all began when God directed the angel Gabriel to visit a virgin named Mary. The angel said the Holy Spirit would overshadow her, and she would become pregnant by God. Meanwhile, Mary was engaged to be married to Joseph. She still lived with her parents. During their one-year engagement period, Mary was considered Joseph’s “almost” bride (Luke 1:26-35).

When Mary was perhaps in her second trimester, it became obvious she was pregnant. Mary and Joseph still had not exchanged marriage vows in a wedding ceremony. Now tongues began wagging. Joseph was distressed. Mary’s child was not his. He decided to break off their engagement quietly, which amounted to a divorce. Joseph had no desire to humiliate Mary (Matthew 1:18-19).

Joseph’s Visit

While Joseph was pondering this unexpected development in Mary’s life, God sent His angel to give Joseph some vital information. Joseph learned the Holy Spirit had impregnated Mary, making the baby God’s child. The angel told Joseph Mary would have a son, and directed Joseph to name Him Jesus. Joseph also should take Mary home to be his wife, terminating their engagement and beginning their married life together. The wedding ceremony and reception apparently never occurred (Matthew 1:20-25).

Hometown Nazareth

The couple lived in Nazareth, a town in Galilee. While Mary was pregnant, the supreme ruler of the Roman Empire, Caesar Augustus, called for a census to be taken. The purpose was to collect taxes. This disrupted normal life because people had to return to their ancestral home city to fill out the census forms (Luke 2:1-3).

Trip to Bethlehem

So Joseph and Mary, who was now great with child, traveled about 90 miles south to Bethlehem, a town in Judea. Bethlehem was where David the king was born. Joseph and Mary were from King David’s family line (Luke 2:4-5).

While they were in Bethlehem, Mary gave birth to Jesus, her firstborn son (Luke 2:6-7).

https://youtu.be/vC7DeB4rT5U by David Phelps

Second Angelic Visitation

The same day Jesus was born, God sent an angel to make an announcement. The angel appeared to some shepherds at night. They were staying awake to watch for predators while their sheep slept (Luke 2:8).

God’s glory around the angel lightened the night sky, frightening the shepherds. The angel alleviated their fears with news of great joy for all people. The angel announced a baby had been born that day. The angel said this baby was a Savior and called Him “Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:9-11).

This proclamation fulfilled prophecies God gave to the nation years earlier that He would send them a Messiah. Their long-awaited Messiah had been born that very day.

Now a multitude of angels appeared, praising God and proclaiming peace and goodwill to all (Luke 2:12-14).

Shepherd’s Worship the baby

The shepherds were now eager to follow through on what the angel had said. Following directions the first angel gave them, the shepherds went to see this baby for themselves (Luke 2:15).

After their visit with Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus, the shepherds gave an eyewitness account. They told everyone they met what they had seen and what the angel had told them about this baby (Luke 2:16-17).

Whether or not an angel visits us, may we also share with others what good things God has done for us.

Shirley Logsdon

 

 

 

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About Shirley Logsdon

I am the only child of Christian parents who wanted me to know God personally as they did. One night during church we watched a movie depicting a family in their home accepting Jesus as their personal Savior. I was nine and realized then my desire to make Jesus my personal Savior. With the full support of my parents, I met with the pastor and prayed to receive Christ. A few years later, several of us around the same age began classes for our confirmation to become church members. The privilege of taking communion was a special time for me. . During my teenage years I was outwardly complacent, but was inwardly rebellious. I developed the nasty habit of disrupting harmony in the household by nitpicking at anything and everything. A preacher came to hold revival services at my dad’s church and nailed me silently with looks. This helped me tremendously. I turned a corner and began to respect and obey my parents in attitude and actions. I survived these years through prayer (mine, my parents and friends). The love and tenacity of my parents and God’s grace got me through these years of upheaval. I readily identify with David the Psalmist when he said in Psalm 25:7, “Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions: according to Thy mercy remember Thou me for Thy goodness’ sake, O LORD.” Because my parents provided a stable home life for me, when I went to college my Christian values remained intact. After completing my education in 1979, I started working. For a while, I worked at temp agencies, then I did odd jobs. I settled down in a secretarial position in 1986 working for a firm specializing in retirement plan administration. In 2007, I started working for a law firm, eventually becoming a knowledge management assistant in their law library, helping to alert attorneys to new business opportunities. I am a productive citizen of my country in large part because my parents prayed for me and made clear by word and example what they expected of me. I am extremely grateful to God for them. John 15:5 is my life verse: “I am the vine, ye are the branches: he that abideth in Me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without Me ye can do nothing.” I am confronted with this realization every day I live, and it helps keep me on the straight and narrow path. I met my future husband at church. After a few years of our two families getting acquainted, he and I started courting. We married at the church where we met, in the presence of many relatives and friends. We have been married for 29 years. My hobbies are reading, cooking, and canning or freezing what my beloved husband grows in the garden. Also, I thoroughly enjoy writing. While my writing has included poems, most of my writing has been letters to family and friends. I like to share my faith when I write and am fond of adding a Bible verse or two to help focus on the source of our life. Since I am now retired after working 38 years, I can concentrate on keeping up with birthdays. Something else I enjoy is studying the Bible, often with others. Blogging is a new form of writing for me. I am getting my feet wet and I’m beginning to enjoy the experience.

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