Author: Beth Duncan

Luke 2:16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 

As a ponderer myself, verse 19 has always resonated with me. However, in my curious mood, I’d like to know what, specifically, Mary is treasuring and pondering. Is it all that has happened in Luke thus far? Zechariah’s muteness, Elizabeth’s pregnancy, The angel’s visit, Mary’s immaculate conception, Joseph’s continued support, the trip and census when she’s so very pregnant, the birth, the accommodations, the angels?

Luke 2:17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 

Some of these things are pretty significant hardships. The cynic in me resists the idea that she treasured the difficult things, though I know James 1:2 tells us to “Count it all joy whenever we face trials of many kinds” because those trials allow us to draw closer to God, and I know He can use all things for our good and His glory.

Luke 2:18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 

Precious Savior, You know I’m a ponderer. Help me to become a treasurer, too, valuing those times–good or bad–that allow me to draw closer to You. And while I don’t want to over-analyze, I know that pondering as I do with You each morning helps me draw closer. Help me to treasure and ponder so that I can continue to draw closer to You. Amen.

Luke 2:19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 

Have a blessed day.

Luke 2:12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

Again today, I wonder about the reaction of the shepherd’s in the quiet of their hearts, that place where they are really honest with themselves. Were they like, “What the heck just happened here?” or “Did you guys see what I saw?” Did they automatically accept and believe that angels had visited them with a holy message?

Luke 2:13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

Was there any doubt? Confusion? Fear? Annoyance? Were any of them upset at the disruption of their work? “Seriously?!? I’ve got work to do here. I can’t go traipsing off to Bethlehem to see what’s up.” Did they trust that they really had been visited by angels, that this really was a heavenly birth?

Luke 2:14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

Precious Savior, I can be incredibly skeptical and incredibly focused. Those traits can be really useful, but I fear that they can also keep me from seeing and hearing, looking and listening. I don’t want to miss You in my life. Help me to pay attention and be open to seeing You everywhere. I know You are there. Amen.

Luke 2:15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

Have a blessed day.

Luke 2:8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 

Why did the angel of the Lord appear to these shepherds? Were these more of the expectation-shattering choices like an unwed teenage girl becoming the mother of Jesus? Why these three? Why here? Why now?

Luke 2:9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.  

What were their reactions? Were they grumpy that their work was interrupted? Were they annoyed that they already had obligations to care for the sheep and now they had something else on their plate? Were they curious? Excited? Terrified?

Luke 2:10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 

Precious Savior, You are up to something here, and I’m curious, which I think is your point. Thank You for allowing me to read this scripture with a curious mind. Help me to soak up every single aspect of this story. Help my attitude reflect Your glory and sovereignty. Amen.

Luke 2:11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.

Have a blessed day.

Luke 2:4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 

Today’s scripture is a case study in wrong timing. Everything was wrong here–Mary was 9 months pregnant, and they had to go to Bethlehem for a census?!? While they were gone, she went into labor?!? She had the baby in a stable?!? (Of course, we know now that this wasn’t quite what we always thought, but still. The newborn Savior is going in an animal food trough?!?)

Luke 2:5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 

And yet, the Savior of the world was born. Exactly when and where He needed to be. And it was ok. Better than ok, it was miraculous, wrong timing, wrong location, this-is-not-the-way-it-is-supposed-to-be, and all. I can learn a lot from this story.

Luke 2:6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 

Precious Savior, You know I love a good plan. You know I have so many things laid out in my mind–time, place, exactly as it should be. Yet you also know that life does not always go according to plan. But You are always with me. Help me to hold on to my plans with open hands, so that I can adapt when the timing is wrong. Help me to hold on to You with everything that I am. Amen.

Luke 2:7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.

Have a blessed day.

Luke 2:1 In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 

And so begins one of the most well-known stories of the Bible. And especially with Christmas having just passed, so very many people are familiar with this story. Sometimes I think that might be part of the problem–familiarity. It makes us comfortable, we hurry along, not paying full attention because…we KNOW this story, right?

Luke 2:2 (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 

But if there is one thing I know for certain, it is that looking with new eyes on a familiar text can reveal things you haven’t noticed before, can reveal inconsistencies in what you thought you knew, can reveal things you’ve missed because you are just so familiar.

Luke 2:3 And everyone went to their own town to register.

Precious Savior, Thank You for new eyes to read a familiar story. Thank You for questions I never thought to ask before. Thank You for this season, this birth, this time to rejoice and celebrate. Thank You for hope, born in a manger. Amen.

Luke 2:4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 

Have a blessed day.

Luke 1:67 His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied:

Again what strikes me about today’s scripture, about Zechariah’s reaction to nine months of muteness and a new baby at his age, is that he reacts with songs of praise. He doesn’t grumble about not being able to speak for nine months. He doesn’t complain about the fact that this blessed event would have been appreciated when they were younger and trying to conceive. He is thankful for what is, and he expresses that through a song of praise.

Luke 1:68 “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come to his people and redeemed them.

I have always said you will find what you are looking for in life. If you look for things to grumble about, you’ll find them everywhere. If you look for blessings, you’ll find them, too. Unfortunately, my default these days seems to be grumbling. I don’t like that about myself. And I know, when I look for the blessings, I see them everywhere in my life.

Luke 1:69-70 He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David (as he said through his holy prophets of long ago),

Precious Savior, I feel You calling me to task about my grumbly attitude. I don’t like it either, and I know I have the power to change it. Help me to be more like Mary, more like Zechariah, singing songs of praise for the gifts and blessings that are instead of grumbling about the things that are not as I wish. Help me to focus on all the good in my life. Amen.

Luke 1:71 salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us—

Have a blessed day.

Luke 1:62-63 Then they made signs to his father, to find out what he would like to name the child. He asked for a writing tablet, and to everyone’s astonishment he wrote, “His name is John.” 

Again today’s scripture talks about upending expectations. Babies were named after fathers or families, but both Elizabeth and Zechariah were insistent that this child would be named John. It seems a small thing, but this birth, the babe that would prepare the way for Christ, had been upending expectations since before conception.

Luke 1:64 Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue set free, and he began to speak, praising God.  

Zechariah, too, is upending expectations. He was struck mute back before Elizabeth even conceived–ostensibly because he questioned the angel, but maybe that muteness was so that he would be able to think about the miracle God was working in his life, in his marriage? Because when he was able to speak again, he praised God immediately.

Luke 1:65 All the neighbors were filled with awe, and throughout the hill country of Judea people were talking about all these things.

Precious Savior, I am often way too sensitive to expectations of this world. I am also much too reliant on what I think is expected of me–behaviors, attitudes, etc. Thank You for these examples of the beauty that can come from upended expectations. Help me live according to You alone. Amen.

Luke 1:66 Everyone who heard this wondered about it, asking, “What then is this child going to be?” For the Lord’s hand was with him.

Have a blessed day.

Luke 1:57 When it was time for Elizabeth to have her baby, she gave birth to a son. 

I was tempted to skip ahead to the birth of Jesus for today’s devo reflection, but last night our Christmas Eve sermon was entitled “When the Timing is Wrong,” and I decided to stay exactly where God has placed me in Luke at the moment. In today’s scripture, we are celebrating John’s birth. On today’s date, we are celebrating Jesus’s birth. The timing seems wrong on so many things in life, but if we look, there are always reasons to celebrate.

Luke 1:58 Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy, and they shared her joy.

Along with wrong timing, these chapters in Luke show us that even when something defies expectations, it can be a blessing. Zechariah was only a lowly priest. Elizabeth was so far past childbearing years. Mary was an unwed teen. Joseph didn’t want to marry scandal. And yet, John was born to pave the way, and Jesus was born to save us all, proving that even when nothing goes according to expectation, life can still be beautiful.

Luke 1:59-60 On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to name him after his father Zechariah, but his mother spoke up and said, “No! He is to be called John.”

Precious Savior, Thank You for these crucial reminders that even when the timing is all wrong, even when every expectation is upended, You are working. Help us, as we go through this day where we have so many hopes and expectations, to be mindful of Your presence, of Your blessings, of Your hope. Amen.

Luke 1:61 They said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who has that name.”

Have a blessed day.

Luke 1:50-51 His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation. He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.

If I were to sing of God’s love, His faithfulness–even just as I’ve seen it in my life, I would have an unending song. That is a humbling and grace-filled experience because this season feels so hard, but as I thought about this idea today, I immediately had so much that I am thankful for, so many ways that I have seen God’s goodness, His presence in my life.

Luke 1:52-53 He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty.

My song would not be all good things, but all the ways that God has shown up, even in the difficult times. That is the beauty of Mary’s song. She has just had a lot of heavy news laid on her–unwed, pregnant, earthly vessel for the Son of God. But she’s also had a lot of positives–she is favored by the Lord, Joseph is going to stand by her, Elizabeth is there for her, she is carrying the Son of God.

Luke 1:54-55 He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever, just as he promised our ancestors.”

Precious Savior, Thank You for the reminder that You are with us through the good and the bad. Thank You that we can sing Your praises, we can sing about Your presence and Your goodness because You are so very present in our lives. Help us to cling to our songs of praise to You, through sunshine and storms. Draw us closer. Amen.

Luke 1:56 Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned home.

Have a blessed day.