The real meaning of Christmas is often lost on us because of our lack of attention to the details of the original Christmas story. The story as we find it in the Gospels actually begins many years before Jesus became famous.  It begins with some relatives of Jesus who had been childless until their old […]

Most of us know the miracle of the Christmas story.  The virgin Mary encounters the angel Gabriel one night who reveals to her that she will have the privilege of bearing Israel’s Messiah and Savior, Jesus of Nazareth.  Of course, Mary wonders how this can be, since she is a virgin.  The angel then explains […]

When the virgin Mary heard that her older relative, Elizabeth, knew she was about to give birth to the Messiah, our Savior, Mary was bursting with excitement. She broke out in unbridled praise to God. Among the many things Mary praised God for in that incredible moment, was that “His mercy extends to those who […]

Mary had just received the news that she was about to be the mother of Israel’s long-awaited Messiah . . . as a virgin. Who, in the world, was going to believe that her pregnancy was not the result of immorality, but rather a miracle from God?  Who in the world could she share this […]