Are you ready to hear about the heart of Christmas in a cozy, intimate setting? We promise you a touching episode, full of narratives that capture the essence of this blessed season. Anchoring our conversation is the evocative scripture from Isaiah, “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given…” We’ll then transition into an emotional reading of the Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd Jones. This retelling of the awe-filled story of Mary, Joseph, and the birth of Jesus will leave you basking in the truth of God's fulfilled promises.
The narrative continues in the second part, where we delve deeper into the birth of Jesus, appreciating Mary and Joseph's unwavering faith. As we close, we pour out our hearts in gratitude to our wonderful listeners. You've stood with us throughout this year, and we cannot thank you enough. As we look ahead, we're excited about the forthcoming year, full of opportunities to inspire, uplift, and educate our cherished community. So sit back, grab your favorite holiday drink, and let us fill your hearts with the heart of Christmas. Merry Christmas to all!
FIND ME!
Melissa Crenshaw 0:00
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government will be upon his shoulder: and his name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David, and over his kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this. Isaiah 9:6-7.
Merry Christmas homeopathy family! We wanted to come here and just give you a very special Christmas message today.
Bri Hurlburt 0:44
So to piggyback off of you, Melissa, I'm going to read from the Jesus Storybook Bible. Obviously, it's written for little kids by Sally Lloyd Jones, but it's one of my favorite versions of the Christmas story. It’s titled “He’s Here”, taken from Luke 1-2.
Everything was ready. The moment God had been waiting for was here at last. God was coming to help His people, just as He promised in the beginning. But how would he come? What would he be like? What would he do? Mountains would have bowed down, seas would have roared, trees would have clapped their hands, but the earth held its breath. As silent as snow falling, He came in. And when no one was looking, in the darkness, He came.
Melissa Crenshaw 1:38
There was a young girl who was engaged to a man named Joseph. Joseph was the great, great, great, great grandson of King David. One morning this girl was minding her own business when suddenly a great warrior of light appeared right there in her bedroom. He was Gabriel, and he was an angel, a special messenger from heaven. When she saw the tall shining man standing there, Mary was frightened. “You don't need to be scared,” Gabriel said. “God is very happy with you.” Mary looked around to see if perhaps he was talking to someone else. “Mary,” Gabriel said and he laughed with such gladness that Mary's eyes filled with sudden tears.
Bri Hurlburt 2:23
“Mary, you're going to have a baby, a little boy. You will call him Jesus. He is God's own son. He’s the one. He's the rescuer. The God who flung planets into space and kept them whirling around and around. The God who made the universe with just a word. The One who could do anything at all, was making himself small, and coming down as a baby.
Wait, God was sending a baby to rescue the world? “But it's too wonderful,” Mary said and felt her heart beating hard. “How can it be true?”
“Is anything too wonderful for God?” Gabriel asked. So Mary trusted God more than what her eyes could see and she believed. “I am God's servant,” she said. “Whatever God says, I will do.”
Melissa Crenshaw 3:16
Sure enough, it was just as the angel had said. Nine months later, Mary was almost ready to have her baby. Now Mary and Joseph had to take a trip to Bethlehem, the town King David was from, but when they reached the little town, they found every room was full. Every bed was taken.
Bri Hurlburt 3:41
“Go away,” the innkeepers told them. “There isn't any place for you.” Where would they stay? Soon Mary's baby would come. They couldn't find anywhere except an old, tumbledown stable so they stayed where the cows and the donkeys and the horses stayed.
Melissa Crenshaw 3:58
And there in a stable, amongst the chickens, and the donkeys and the cows, in the quiet of the night, God gave the world his wonderful gift. The baby that would change the world was born, his baby son. Mary and Joseph wrapped him up to keep him warm. They made a soft bed of straw and used the animals’ feeding trough as his cradle. And they gazed in wonder at God's great gift wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger. Mary and Joseph named him Jesus, Emmanuel, which means God has come to live with us, because, of course, He had.
Bri Hurlburt 4:41
Merry Christmas.
Melissa Crenshaw 4:43
A precious story. Merry Christmas to all of you. Thank you for being here all year long. We're excited for what 2024 has to bring. And we're just, again, so, so blessed to have you in our lives, to have you to just be here to encourage us and to have you here for us to encourage and educate. So Merry Christmas to everybody.