"And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. ... For from His fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth came...
"In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy...
"And Mary said, 'My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for He has looked on the humble estate of His servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for He who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is...
"And Mary remained with her about three months and returned to her home." (Luke 1:56 ESV) I wonder if it was hard for Elizabeth to depend so much on Mary. Three months of fetching and carrying, sweeping and cleaning—because it's almost certain the hardest chores fell...
"Now the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she bore a son. And her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her. And on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child. And they would have called him...
"When His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with Child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these...
"When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a Son. And he called His Name Jesus." (Matthew 1:24-25 ESV) Think about how Joseph's life was changed when he woke up. The day...
"In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. ... And all went to be registered, each to his own town. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called...
"And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth." (Luke 2:6 ESV) When a baby decides it's coming, it's coming, and there's very little you can do to stop it. Joseph must have been frantic, trying to find a place where his wife could deliver her baby....
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." (Luke 2:7 ESV) This was Jesus' introduction to the world: being wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger....