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546 | The Christmas Story in Scripture · The Woman at the Well Ministries Podcast

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God is in control.
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She's a happy girl. Hello, friends, and welcome back to another podcast of Woman
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at the Well Ministries, where we believe that all of us have to come to Jesus
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like the woman at the well in John chapter 4.
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Our highest priority is making God real in your life.
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Whether you are listening in our app, in your favorite podcasting app,
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or on our website at watwm.org, we invite you to sit down with us as we look
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to the scriptures to learn more about God and to strengthen your daily walk with Jesus Christ.
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Welcome to today's podcast of Women at the Well Ministries.
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In honor of Christmas, we invite you to join with us as we read through the
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entire Christmas story.
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We hope that it is a blessing to you and to your family, and we invite you to
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read along. Kim, would you open us up in prayer?
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Yes. Let us pray.
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Our kind and most gracious, dear Heavenly Father, Lord, we thank you for this
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another day. We thank you for your love and your mercy and your grace.
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And Lord, as we come to this season where hearts and minds are more frequently
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and perhaps even more intensely,
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focused upon you, we thank you for being that babe that left it all and came
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to earth wrapped in swaddling clothes.
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Lord, we are more than aware that you were fully God and fully man,
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and you were sitting at the right hand of the Father when you chose to come.
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You were fully part of the Trinity and chose to come as an humble babe.
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And you came in a way that each and every one of us could receive you and understand
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who you are. We could access you.
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Because of you, we have access to God the Father.
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Jesus, we are grateful that you came as a babe wrapped in swaddling clothes,
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But we are forever and eternally grateful that you grew to be the man on the cross.
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And all the while you were God, making yourself available, taking on our sins.
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Choosing to suffer for our wrong and our sins and our ignorance.
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So, Lord, as we read this account of your coming and what it means,
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I pray that you open all of our hearts and all of our minds.
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That we see you in a way that we've never seen you, that we become more devoted, more dedicated,
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and deeper in love with who you are, that we may be who you've intended us to be.
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Lord, thank you for the greatest gift that was ever given.
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To God be the glory for the great things he has done.
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In Jesus' name we pray, amen.
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Let's begin in Isaiah chapter 7 and verse 14.
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Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign.
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Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Emmanuel.
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And in Isaiah 9, 6 and 7 we read.
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For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government shall
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be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful,
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Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.
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Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end upon the throne
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of David and upon his kingdom, to order it and to establish it with judgment
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and with justice from henceforth even forever.
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The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.
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The Announcement of John the Baptist's Birth, Luke 1, 5-25,
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There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias,
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of the course of Abia, and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron,
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and her name was Elizabeth.
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And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances.
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Of the Lord blameless. And they had no child because that Elizabeth was barren,
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and they both were now well stricken in years.
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And it came to pass that while he executed the priest's office before God in
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the order of his course, according to the custom of the priest's office,
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his lot was to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord.
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And the whole multitude of people were praying without at the time of incense.
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And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense.
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And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him.
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But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias, for thy prayer is heard,
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and thy wife Elizabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John.
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And thou shalt have joy and gladness, and many shall rejoice at his birth.
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For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine
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nor strong drink, and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost,
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even from his mother's womb.
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And many of the children of Israel shall be turned to the Lord their God,
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and he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias,
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to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,
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and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, and to make ready a people, prepared for the Lord.
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And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereabouts shall I know this?
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For I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years.
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And the angel answering unto him said, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence
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of God, and am sent to speak unto thee, and to show thee these glad tidings.
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And behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these
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things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words,
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which shall be fulfilled in their season.
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And the people waited for Zacharias, and marveled that he tarried so long in the temple.
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And when it came out, he could not speak unto them. They perceived that he had
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seen a vision in the temple, for he beckoned unto them, and remained speechless.
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And it came to pass that as soon as the days of his ministration were accomplished,
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he departed to his own house.
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And after those days his wife Elizabeth conceived, and hid herself five months,
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saying, Thus hath the Lord dealt with me in the days wherein he looked on me
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to take away my reproach among men.
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The Annunciation to Mary. Luke 1, 26-38.
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And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee
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named Nazareth, to a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph,
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of the house of David, and the virgin's name was Mary.
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And the angel came in unto her and said, Hail, thou art highly favored. The Lord is with thee.
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Blessed art thou among women. And when she saw him, she was troubled at his
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saying and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.
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And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found favor with God.
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And behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb and bring forth a son and shall call his name Jesus.
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And he shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest.
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And the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David.
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And he shall reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there shall be no end.
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Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?
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And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee,
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and the power of the highest shall overshadow thee.
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Therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.
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And behold, thy cousin Elizabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age,
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and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren.
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For with God Nothing shall be impossible.
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And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord, be it unto me according to thy word.
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And the angel departed from her.
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The angel appears to Joseph. Jesus' birth foretold.
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Matthew 1, 18-25 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise,
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when, as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together,
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she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.
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Then Joseph, her husband, being a just man and not willing to make her a public
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example, was minded to put her away privily.
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But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord peered unto
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him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee
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Mary thy wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.
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And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus.
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For he shall save his people from their sins. Now all this was done that it
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might be fulfilled, which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet,
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saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son,
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and they shall call his name Emmanuel,
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which being interpreted is God with us.
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Then Joseph, being raised from sleep, did as the angel the Lord had bidden him,
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and took unto him his wife, and knew her not till she had brought forth her
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firstborn son. and he called his name Jesus.
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Mary visits Elizabeth, the Magnificat.
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Luke 1, 39-56 And Mary arose in those days and went into the hill country with
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haste, into a city of Judah, and entered into the house of Zacharias and saluted Elizabeth.
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And it came to pass that when Elizabeth heard the salutation of Mary,
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the babe leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost.
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And she spake out with a loud voice and said, Blessed art thou among women,
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and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. And whence is this to me,
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that the mother of my Lord shall come to me?
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For lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears,
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the babe leaped in my womb for joy.
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And blessed is she that believed, for there shall be a performance of those
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things which were told her from the Lord.
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And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in
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God my Savior. For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden.
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For behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.
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For he that is mighty hath done to me great things, and holy is his name.
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And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation.
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He hath showed strength with his arm. He hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
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He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree.
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He hath filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he hath sent empty away.
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He hath opened his servant Israel in remembrance of his mercy,
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as he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed forever.
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And Mary abode with her about three months, and returned to her own house.".
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The birth of John the Baptist and Zacharias' prophecy.
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Luke 1, 57-80. Now Elizabeth's full time came that she should be delivered,
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and she brought forth a son.
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And her neighbors and her cousins heard how the Lord had showed great mercy
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upon her, and they rejoiced with her.
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And it came to pass that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child,
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and they called him Zacharias, after the name of his father.
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And his mother answered and said, Not so, but he shall be called John.
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And they said unto her, There is none of thy kindred that is called by this
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name. And they made signs to his father how he would have him called.
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He asked for a writing table, and wrote, saying, His name is John. And they marveled all.
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And his mouth was opened immediately, and his tongue loose, and he spake and praised God.
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And fear came on all that dwelt round about them, and all these sayings were
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noised about throughout all the hill country of Judea.
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And all they that heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying,
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What manner of child shall this be?
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And the hand of the Lord was with him.
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And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost and prophesied,
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saying, Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he hath visited and redeemed
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his people, and hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David.
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And he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began,
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that we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all that hate
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us, to perform the mercy promised to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant,
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the oath which he sware to our father Abraham,
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that he would grant unto us that we be delivered out of the hand of our enemy's
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might, and serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him all the days of our life.
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And thou, child, shall be called the prophet of the highest,
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for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways.
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To give the knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins.
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Through the tender mercy of our God, whereby the dayspring from on high hath
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visited us, to give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of
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death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.
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And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till
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the day of his showing in Israel.
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The births of Jesus Christ and the shepherds.
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Luke 2, 1-20. And it came to pass in those days that there went out a decree
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from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed.
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And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.
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And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.
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And Joseph also went up from Galilee out of the city of Nazareth into Judea
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unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David,
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to be taxed with Mary, his espoused wife, being great with child.
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And so it was that while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.
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And she brought forth her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling clothes
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and allowed him in a manger because there was no room for them in the inn.
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And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field,
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keeping watch over their flock by night.
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And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone
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round about them, and they were sore afraid.
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And the angel said unto them, Fear not, for behold, I bring you good tidings
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of great joy, which shall be to all people.
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For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior,
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which is Christ the Lord.
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And this shall be a sign unto you. Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swapling.
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Clothes, lying in a manger.
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And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly hosts,
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praising God and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men.
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And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven,
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the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem,
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and see this thing which has come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.
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And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph and the babe lying in a manger.
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And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told
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them concerning this child.
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And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.
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But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart.
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And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that
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they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.
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Jesus is presented in the temple, Luke 2, 21-39.
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And when eight days were accomplished for the circumcising of the child,
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his name was called Jesus, which was so named of the angel before he was conceived in the womb.
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And when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were accomplished,
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they brought him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord.
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As it is written in the law of the Lord, every male that openeth womb shall
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be called holy to the Lord, and to offer a sacrifice according to that which
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is said in the law of the Lord, a pair of turtle doves or two young pigeons.
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And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon,
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and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel,
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and the Holy Ghost was upon him.
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And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost that he should not see death
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before he had seen the Lord's Christ.
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And he came by the Spirit into the temple, when the parents brought in the child
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Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law.
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Then took he up in his arms and blessed God, and said, Lord,
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now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace according to thy word.
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For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, which thou hast prepared for the face
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of all people, a light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.
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And Joseph and his mother marveled at these things which were spoken of him.
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And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, Behold,
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This child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel,
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and for a sign which shall be spoken against.
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Yea, a sword shall pierce through thine own soul also, that the thoughts of
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many hearts may be revealed.
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And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel of the tribe of Azur.
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She was of great age and had lived with a husband seven years from her virginity.
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And she was a widow of about four score and four years which departed not from
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the temple but served God with fastings and prayers night and day.
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And she coming in that instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord,
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and spake of him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem.
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And when they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord,
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they returned into Galilee to their own city Nazareth.
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The visit of the wise men, Herod's
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plot, flight into Egypt, return to Nazareth, Matthew 2, 1 through 23.
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Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king,
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behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem.
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Saying, Where is he that is born king of the Jews? For we have seen his star
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in the east and are come to worship him.
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When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled,
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and all Jerusalem with him.
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And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together,
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he demanded of them where Christ should be born.
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And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet, it.
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And thou, Bethlehem, and the land of Judah, art not thou the least among the princes of Judah?
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For out of thee shall come a governor that shall rule my people Israel.
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Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, inquired of them diligently
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what time the star appeared.
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And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, Go and search diligently for the young child.
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And when you have found him, bring me word again that I may come and worship him also.
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When they had heard the king, they departed and lo the
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star which they saw in the east went before them till it
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came and stood over where the young child was when they
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saw the star they rejoiced with exceeding great
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joy and when they were coming to the house they
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saw the young child with mary his mother and fell
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down and worshiped him and when they had opened their
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treasures they presented unto him gifts gold
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and frankincense and myrrh and being
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warned of god in a dream that they should not return to
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herod they departed into their own country another way
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and when they were departed behold the angel of the lord appeared to joseph
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in a dream saying arise and take the young child and his mother and flee into
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egypt and be thou there until i bring thee word for herod will seek the young
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child to destroy him when he arose he took the young child and his mother by
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night and departed into egypt.
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And was there until the death of Herod, and it might be fulfilled which was
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spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son.
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Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wrath,
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and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem,
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and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under,
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according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the wise men.
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Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet,
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saying, in ramah was there a voice heard lamentation
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and weeping and of great mourning rachel weeping for
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her children would not be comforted because they are not but
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when herod was dead behold an angel of the lord appears
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in a dream to joseph in egypt saying arise
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and take the young child and his mother and go into the land of israel for they
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are dead which sought the young child's life and he arose and took the young
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child and his mother and came into the land of israel But when he heard that
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Archelaus did reign in Judea in the room of his father Herod,
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he was afraid to go thither.
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Notwithstanding, being warned of God in a dream, he turned aside into the parts
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of Galilee, and he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth,
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that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets,
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He shall be called a Nazarene.
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The Word made flesh. John 1, 1-18.
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In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
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The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him,
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and without Him was not anything made that was made.
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In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.
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And the light shineth in darkness, and the darkness comprehended it not.
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There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
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The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the light that all men through him might believe.
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He was not that light, but he was sent to bear witness of that light.
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That was the true light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.
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He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.
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He came into his own, and his own received him not.
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But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God,
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even to them that believe on his name, which were born, not of blood,
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nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
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And the word was made flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory,
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the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
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John bare witness of him and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake.
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He that cometh after me is preferred before me, for he was before me.
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And of his fullness have all we received, and grace for grace.
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For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.
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No man hath seen God at any time, the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father.
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He hath declared him.
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Pray with me. Our kind and most gracious, dear Heavenly Father,
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Lord, we thank you for your word.
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We thank you that we know, and we know, and we know, Lord, that it was your
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plan that Jesus would come.
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We thank you, Lord, for the prophecies that we can look at to point to the birth of Jesus.
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We thank you, Lord, for the prophecies that we can see that continue to be fulfilled.
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We thank you, Lord, that we can look at your scripture and we can see parallel
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from book to book, and we can have confidence in what your word says.
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Lord, most importantly, we thank you for Jesus.
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We thank you, Lord, that you sent him to earth as a man, that he would know
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what it was like to live as we live, that he would be one to whom we could relate,
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that he would be one to whom we can put our trust in because we know,
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Lord, that He understands.
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But most importantly, we thank you for His sacrificial death on the cross,
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for what it means for each and every one of us,
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for what it means for our salvation, and for the availability that He has to
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us and the accessibility that He has to us that we might be able to know Him
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and to be near Him and to call him our Lord and our friend.
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Lord, we thank you for salvation. We thank you for grace.
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We thank you for the mercy you bestow upon us in each and every day.
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Lord, we ask a special blessing upon all of our listeners.
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We ask, Lord, that you would draw near to them, Lord, that you would give them
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a wonderful Christmas, that wherever they are, Lord, that you would sidle up next to them, Lord,
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that you would reveal yourself to them, and that you would allow them to see the greatest gift,
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or that they have ever been given.
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Lord, we thank you for the gifts you give us every day. And most importantly,
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we thank you, Lord, for the gift that you give us in Jesus.
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Lord, we love you and we praise you. And in your name we pray.
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All God's people said, amen.
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And Merry Christmas. Merry Christmas. Remember, you are loved. Jesus loves you. Amen.
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Thank you for joining us in today's podcast. You can visit the show notes for
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quotes from today's podcast and scripture references.
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We pray today has been a blessing, and we encourage you to reach out to us through
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you'll be able to subscribe to Bible Bits, a daily devotion written by Kim and
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delivered Monday through Friday by text message.
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Woman at the Well Ministries is a non-profit organization dedicated to serving our Heavenly Father.
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And it is through your loving and generous support that our ministry continues to bless others.
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To learn how to partner with Woman at the Well Ministries, please visit our website.
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Thank you to the Gospel Group Fudge Creek for letting us use their hit song, Happy Girl.
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We greatly appreciate your prayers. We are praying daily for our listeners.
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Remember that God loves you. You.