Christmas Celebrates a Present Given to Us by God Himself
For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.Isaiah 9:6
For a child is born to us, a son is given to us.The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called:Wonderful Counselor,* Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
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For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.Romans 6:23
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.
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“For God loved the world in this way: He gave His One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.”John 3:16
"For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.
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Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow.James 1:17
Whatever is good and perfect comes down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens.* He never changes or casts a shifting shadow.*
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Christmas Is a Celebration of Jesus’ Birth
Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.Isaiah 7:14
All right then, the Lord himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin* will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means `God is with us').
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The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!Luke 2:11
The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!
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Christmas Was Predicted Thousands of Years Ago
“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.”Micah 5:2
*But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, are only a small village among all the people of Judah.Yet a ruler of Israel will come from you, one whose origins are from the distant past.
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Out of the stump of David’s family will grow a shoot—yes, a new Branch bearing fruit from the old root.Isaiah 11:1
Out of the stump of David's family* will grow a shoot— yes, a new Branch bearing fruit from the old root.
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“The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).Matthew 1:23
"Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son,and they will call him Immanuel,* which means `God is with us.'"
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Jesus Is God’s Son and Has Always Existed with Him
The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God.”Luke 1:35
The angel replied, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God.
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Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation,Colossians 1:15
Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation,*
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Jesus Was Born to Intercede for Us
So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe. This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.Hebrews 4:14-16
So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe. This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.
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Christmas Is a Celebration of Freedom for All God’s People
But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children.Galatians 4:4-5
But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children.*
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Edie Melson—author, blogger, speaker— has penned numerous books, including While My Soldier Serves, a book of prayers for those with a loved one in the military. As a sought-after speaker, she’s encouraged and challenged audiences across the country and around the world. She and husband Kirk have been married 35 years and raised three sons. They live in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mtns in SC. Connect with her on her website, http://www.ediemelson.com/ and through Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
