Hello Beloved Friends and Merry Christmas,

It has become a Speak Comfort tradition to share our classic series on the hidden meanings of the different gifts from the wonderful carol "The Twelve Days of Christmas." The twelve days occur between Christmas Day and January 6th, or the Day of Epiphany, which marks the time between the birth of Christ and the arrival of The Three Wise Men of Matthew 2:1-12:

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet:

 “‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
    are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
    who will shepherd my people Israel.’”

Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.” After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.

We hope you enjoy and God Bless!

To read the entire series, click on day one, then follow the links at the bottom right of each page.

https://speakcomfort.com/2018/12/25/the-twelve-days-of-christmas-day-one/

https://speakcomfort.com/2018/12/26/the-twelve-days-of-christmas-day-two/

https://speakcomfort.com/2018/12/27/the-twelve-days-of-christmas-day-three/

https://speakcomfort.com/2018/12/28/the-twelve-days-of-christmas-day-four/

https://speakcomfort.com/2018/12/29/the-twelve-days-of-christmas-day-five/

https://speakcomfort.com/2018/12/30/the-twelve-days-of-christmas-day-six/

https://speakcomfort.com/2018/12/31/the-twelve-days-of-christmas-day-seven/

https://speakcomfort.com/2019/01/01/the-twelve-days-of-christmas-day-eight/

https://speakcomfort.com/2019/01/02/the-twelve-days-of-christmas-day-nine/

https://speakcomfort.com/2019/01/03/the-twelve-days-of-christmas-day-ten/

https://speakcomfort.com/2019/01/04/the-twelve-days-of-christmas-day-eleven/

https://speakcomfort.com/2019/01/05/the-twelve-days-of-christmas-day-twelve/

All scriptures are from the English Standard Version translation.

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6).

“…Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:10b-11).

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men (Luke 2:14 KJV).

Unto us a Child is born. To us a Son is given. He is Wonderful. He is our only Savior. He is our Counselor. He is Mighty, Everlasting – the Prince of Peace. Jesus is the answer to the plight of a fallen and broken world.

Heralded by angels. Laid in a manger. Attended by shepherds. The holy Child who the prophets looked steadfastly into the future to see is with us now, ready to abide forever in every heart that will receive him.

All around us, crises have reached the boiling point, with no end in sight. It seems there is nowhere to turn to avoid riots, fires, blizzards, disease, hunger, strife, terror, loneliness.

Let’s pause for a moment from all the busyness, not only of the holiday season, but from all the stress, worry and struggle we see on every side attempting to swamp our lives, and remember why we are here, and to whom we belong.

Jesus is exactly and precisely who the Word of God says he is. He is Wonderful. He is our perfect Counselor, to whom we can turn at any time for consolation and comfort. He is Mighty, to save and to heal. He gives us his strength in times of need. He is Everlasting – he does not change! What he did two thousand years ago, he does for all those who come to him as Lord and Savior.

He is the Prince of Peace, and through his Holy Spirit, Jesus gives us his peace that flows, not from worldly circumstances but from the very throne of Grace. When the storms of life rage all around us, Jesus says, Peace! Be Still! Know that I Am God!

At this time of year, it is easy to become heavy laden with many burdens. Jesus does not want us to be bowed down under the weight of the cares of the world. He came from heaven to earth as the Son of God, to walk with us as the Son of Man, cradled in a virgin womb, laid in a manger, hung from a cross and placed in a tomb; he rose again to dwell forever in our hearts and give us his peace.

Unto us a Son is given. Unto us a Child is born. For God so loves the world.

As we prepare to come together in fellowship with the ones we love in this season of joy and light and giving, can we prepare him room in our hearts, and receive the gift of his everlasting peace and comfort? Jesus does not give as the world gives. What he gives he does not take away, it does not rust or grow old, and it never decreases. His gifts are freely given and unconditional – a matter of grace. His gift of peace is living, powerful and active. The more of his peace, love and joy we receive, the more we have to give.

Our prayer for us all is that we will be more abundantly blessed in the love of God this holiday season than we can imagine, and that in being blessed, God will guide us to be a blessing, to shine the light of the gift of Christmas into a dark and stumbling world – for the glory of God Almighty.

All of us at Speak Comfort wish you and your families a Merry Christmas and every blessing in the New Year. We thank God for you daily, and you're in our hearts and prayers.

If you would like Jesus to come into your heart and your life as your Lord and Savior, please take a moment to pray this prayer with us, so that you may enter into the joy, fellowship, and protection of Christ:

Dear God, I believe with all of my heart that Jesus died on the cross for my sake, and that He has risen from the dead for my deliverance. Lord, I receive your Word, and I repent of my sins.  I receive the gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ. Come into my heart, Lord Jesus. I receive Your complete forgiveness and my new birth into Your kingdom. I receive Your Holy Spirit to guide me and teach me, and I make You the Lord of my life. I receive salvation in the holy name of Jesus, today and forever. Amen.

All scriptures are from the English Standard Version translation unless otherwise noted.

But why Bethlehem?

Strong’s Concordance assigns “Bethlehem” number 1035, which in Hebrew means “house of bread.” The first part of the compound word is beyth, meaning a house or a place that could contain a family (Strong’s 1004-1006). But the word for bread, lechem, can also mean food, fruit, or victuals, and is related to l’chem, a feast, and lachem, battle or war (Strong’s 3899-3901).

This is interesting because we would expect that after being anointed king of Israel, David would have immediately taken control of his kingdom. However, that is not what happened, and King David would spend twenty years battling his enemies before he assumed the throne. In fact, the next task that God assigned the young shepherd boy was not to take his seat as king but to defeat the giant, Goliath, thereby snatching the army of Israel from the jaws of defeat and catching the attention of King Saul (see 1 Samuel 17). Young David who had been brought up in Bethlehem, spent much of his life at war. He was born a shepherd boy, who was raised up by God to be a mighty king and assume the throne of Israel.

But Jesus, who is God Almighty, King of kings and Lord of lords, stepped down from the Throne of God in the courts of heaven to be born in a stable in Bethlehem as both the Son of Man and the Son of God. David was born to become a warrior king. The King of kings was born to become bread for a lost and starving world.

In John 6:35-40, Jesus proclaimed, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me.  And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”

The gospel of Luke chronicles the birth of Jesus:

“And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn” (2:4-7).

The arrival of the Savior of the world was heralded by angels and shepherds, on a lonely night in an insignificant little town, away from princes and palaces:

And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear.  And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.”  And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

 “Glory to God in the highest,

    and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. (2:8-18)

And this sweet babe, swaddled and lying in a manger, is the fulfillment of Isaiah’s great prophecy of the One who was, who is, and who is to come:

For to us a child is born,

    to us a son is given;

and the government shall be upon his shoulder,

    and his name shall be called

Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Of the increase of his government and of peace

    there will be no end,

on the throne of David and over his kingdom,

    to establish it and to uphold it

with justice and with righteousness

    from this time forth and forevermore.

The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.

(Isaiah 9:6-7)

All of God's Blessings for a very Merry Christmas to you and your loved ones from the Speak Comfort Team. 

To enjoy “Nat King Cole - O Little Town Of Bethlehem (Lyric Video)”

Please copy and paste in your browser:   youtube.com/watch?v=EHKORmpW4Cg

All scriptures are from the English Standard Version translation.

We do not know exactly how long the Holy Family lived in Egypt, but we do know that historically King Herod died around 4 BC, at which time Joseph, Mary, and Jesus would have returned to Israel: “But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying, ‘Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child's life are dead.’ And he rose and took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there, and being warned in a dream he withdrew to the district of Galilee. And he went and lived in a city called Nazareth, so that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, that he would be called a Nazarene” (Matthew 2:19-23).

If you pick up a copy of “Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible,” you won’t find a reference to the Messiah being called a “Nazarene” anywhere in the Old Testament. So why is this important? Why did God send Gabriel to Mary in Nazareth, why did Nathanael wonder if anything good could come from Nazareth, and what Old Testament prophecy was Matthew referring to in recounting the story of Jesus’ birth? Matthew was quoting the prophet Isaiah, chapter 11, where the Messiah is called “The Root of Jesse”:

“There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse,

    and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.

 And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him,

    the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,

    the Spirit of counsel and might,

    the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord” (Isaiah 11:1-2).

If you go to “Strong’s” and look up the word for “branch” in Isaiah 11, you will be directed to Strong’s number 5342, in Hebrew, netser, a “shoot” or “descendant,” and in Jesus’ case, he is the promised descendant of Jesse, the father of King David. So, we could say that Jesus could be called a branch, shoot, or root of the house of Jesse, or a “netserene,” or Nazarene. Therefore, the fulfillment of the messianic prophecy of Isaiah 11 is foreshadowed in the very first words of Luke’s description of the Annunciation to Mary: “In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David” (Luke 1:26).

Remember that in Luke 1:19, the archangel announced to Zechariah, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news.” It was not a coincidence that Mary and Joseph lived in the tiny, forgettable town of Nazareth, in Galilee, or that they returned there after Herod’s death, where they could be safe. But there are no Christmas songs that mention “O Little Town of Nazareth,” so why then, was it important that Jesus was born in a stable in Bethlehem, and not all warm and cozy in Mary’s house back in Galilee?

Please stay tuned for the next part of our Advent celebration, where we will discuss the meaning of “the house of bread.”

All scriptures are from the English Standard Version translation.

“’For I know the plans I have for you,’ says the Lord. ‘They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope’” (Jeremiah 29:11 NLT).

Beloved Friends, much about the past few years has been disheartening, and the world seems to be locked in a struggle between light and darkness, triumph and disaster. But there was a time in Biblical history when things were significantly worse, when there was no Church, and humanity had not heard from God for centuries…

The interval between the Old and New Testaments is known as “the intertestamental period,” which lasted for 400 years. During this time, there was no communication from God to his people, the Holy Spirit was not present, and the heavens and the earth waited in anticipation for the prophecy of Isaiah to be fulfilled:

The people who walked in darkness

    have seen a great light;

those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness,

    on them has light shone…

For to us a child is born,

    to us a son is given;

and the government shall be upon his shoulder,

    and his name shall be called

Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Of the increase of his government and of peace

    there will be no end...

(Isaiah 9:2, 6-7a)

Perhaps because he and Elizabeth had been childless for so long, unlike the patriarch Abraham (See Genesis 15:6), Zechariah doubted what the angel promised: “And Zechariah said to the angel, ‘How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.’  And the angel answered him, ‘I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time.’  And the people were waiting for Zechariah, and they were wondering at his delay in the temple” (vv. 18-21).

It was the duty of the priest on departing the Temple to stand and bless the congregation who had been praying outside. But because of his unbelief, Zechariah was dumb before the Lord and before the people. At that moment, the ministering priest embodied the spirit of the entire intertestamental silence, and he prefigured the coming of the Messiah, the Mediator of the New Covenant (See Hebrews 12:24), who would be the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets. The Law stood silent in anticipation of the coming of the Lord: “And when he came out, he was unable to speak to them, and they realized that he had seen a vision in the temple. And he kept making signs to them and remained mute. And when his time of service was ended, he went to his home” (v. 22).

Can you imagine the uproar that ensued when the priest who had entered the Temple fully able to communicate exited the Temple unable to speak? And then somehow by gestures and signs indicated to the people that after 400 years Israel had finally been given a visitation by a messenger of God? Who was Gabriel the Archangel, no less!

I live in a small town, and even in our twenty- first century with all the different gadgets we use to keep up with the news, there is nothing like the local grapevine to instantly spread all manner of gossip from one end of the county to another! How much more would this have been true in the first century, where the only way to receive information was by word of mouth!