Every year I re-read the Gospel of Luke in the month of December. There are 24 chapters, so I begin with one per day on Dec 1 and finish on Christmas Eve. This year I've enjoyed it even more because it has dovetailed with the Matthew study I'm doing in Bible Study Fellowship (BSF).
I grew up with the King James Bible, which might as well have been a foreign language with all of the thees, thous and old verbiage that made it hard to understand. As an adult, I adore my NIV (New International Version) that has made God's inspired word so much more comprehensible with its straightforward language. I believe God is always trying to speak to me through His words in the Bible to help me understand Him better. Who He is. How much He loves me. What He wants to accomplish with my life for His glory.
My name is Carrie, and I'm a Santaholic. And yet my enormous Santa collection doesn't supplant my understanding of the real reason we celebrate Dec 25 as the birth of Jesus Christ. What a gracious God, that He sent this baby boy, both human and deity, to Mary and Joseph to ultimately be the King who would erase the stain of sin from man and provide a path for our salvation.
Luke has its share of challenging parables, even the NIV. And yet it's the most important story found in the most important book you'll ever read. I pray you'll take the time to ponder the amazing story of Jesus' birth in Luke 2 in any version of the Bible you prefer. Let yourselves get lost (again) in the joyous miracle of Christ in the manger in Bethlehem this Christmas season.
Hearkening back to what we studied in Matthew 1:21 earlier in the fall...
"She will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins."
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