Feast of the Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ
Posted on December 25, 2023 by under
Scripture: St. Luke 1:39-56 (NKJV)
1:39 Now Mary arose in those days and went into the hill country with haste, to a city of Judah, 40 and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth. 41 And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42 Then she spoke out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! 43 But why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 For indeed, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. 45 Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord.”
46 And Mary said:
“My soul magnifies the Lord,
47 “and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.
48 “For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant; For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed.
49 “For He who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is His name.
50 “And His mercy is on those who fear Him from generation to generation.
51 “He has shown strength with His arm; He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
52 “He has put down the mighty from their thrones, and exalted the lowly.
53 “He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich He has sent away empty.
54 “He has helped His servant Israel, in remembrance of His mercy,
55 “as He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his seed forever.”
56 And Mary remained with her about three months, and returned to her house.
Devotion
“He has shown strength with His arm; He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.”
Even when our Lord was incarnate in the womb of His blessed mother, He was our almighty Savior! The honored Virgin and others around her were blessed with true faith by the Holy Ghost to recognize and confess the powerful work that God was doing with the baby she carried. Mary, Joseph, Elizabeth, and Zacharias are rightly remembered as special, holy people in the story of our Lord’s coming in the flesh. They were God’s true people, saints who heard and believed His holy promises.
Today the Church continues to remember, believe, and confess the great promises of our Lord. We also have the added blessing of confessing that His mighty deeds most certainly fulfilled the great things about which the saints before us prophesied! The believers of the Old Testament era trusted that the Savior would come and show His power. The saints of the New Testament era now sing and praise God with “Amen!” and “Hallelujah!” because He did show this power from the cross and empty tomb of our Lord Jesus. All the miracles and all the power He manifested, from His holy conception, to His birth, through His ministry, showed mercy toward us sinners. By His divine strength He saves us, and whosoever believes in Him, from sin and death!
Collect: Grant, we beseech Thee, Almighty God, that the new Birth of Thine Only-Begotten Son in the flesh may set us free who are held in the old bondage under the yoke of sin; through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever One God, world without end. Amen.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
