Mary’s Assurance

Though most of us are still trying to figure out what to do with all that turkey, tomorrow is officially the first day of Advent. I’ve been holding back on those Christmas stories and carols until now but today I offer to you my first Christmas devotional of 2020. God bless you and if you are interested you can find the entire collection over on Amazon under the title – Whatever Happened to Christmas? by Peter Caligiuri.

And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called Holy – the Son of God. Luke 1:35 ESV

Often, we hesitate to ask God questions because we’re afraid, He’ll be angry. But if anyone had a right to question God about His plans, Mary certainly tops that list. When Gabriel announced to her that she was going to have a baby Mary didn’t jump up and down for joy. Instead she questioned, “How can this happen?” and then she filled God in on some intimate details by adding; “I have not known a man.” (God I’ve been good!).

But instead of God shooting off some thunderbolts or refusing to answer He gladly shared exactly how things would go down. That gives the rest of us great hope as we wrestle with our own worries. Whether our questions are about social justice, the spread of Corona virus or our own physical ailments God invites us to ask them. He is not upset when we come to Him with our doubts; instead, He delights to show us His answers. He knows our fears and He is saying, “I’ve got this! Life is uncertain, but My promises are not!” So, this Christmas if we will just trust Him as Mary did then we can know that whatever God sends us comes from Heaven, and just like Mary we will one day see the face of Jesus Christ.

Whatever Happened to Christmas?

I know it might seem early but before you know it the holiday season will arrive, and the release date for this year’s Christmas devotional “Whatever happened to Christmas?” is here. This thirty day walk from Thanksgiving to the manger takes a few peeks back at Christmas memories because in a world at war with Corona Virus, we desperately need to recall the peace of Christmas.  Does anyone still remember that wondrous sense of timelessness that Christmas day once held? Today, are we constantly running due to necessity or are we just staying busy because it helps make us to feel important? When Jesus was wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a humble manger shepherds left their flocks in the fields to see Him, the Wise Men left their homes to worship and even angels stood breathlessly on tiptoes to watch.

God now invites us to join them in knowing that no matter what is happening around us Jesus Christ is worthy of our worship. Christmas means listening again to the amazing story of the child of Bethlehem whose name is Everlasting Father, the Prince of peace and the Savior of our crazy world.

Whatever happened to Christmas is in both standard and large print, while the e-book version will be available starting on Saturday 10-24-20. So, whatever happened to Christmas? The answer is nothing! By His grace it remains forever the same!

Here are the links

Regular Print: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08KTJKPP3

Large Print: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08L2LL1YY