Music Monday: “Mary’s Lullaby (Tonight you are mine.)” by Wanda West Palmer

by: Debbie Waltz

Welcome Back, Readers~

Merry Christmas, everybody. Ironically, this is the first “Music Monday” that is going to be posted on Christmas day. I pray for friends and loved ones to surround you today. May this day remind you of your blessings – never take them for granted. For those missing loved ones this year, I pray God’s presence be with you in a very special way.

Amid all the good we give each other today, may we never forget the precious gift God sent to us over 2000 years ago. The birth of Jesus Christ fulfilled the Old Testament prophets’ predictions. Isaiah 7:14 says, “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: the virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.” He continues, revealing how Jesus is from the family of Jesse in chapter 11: “A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots, a Branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him – the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, The Spirit of knowledge and fear of the LORD.” (Verses 1-3 NIV)

But Jesus’ birth is only half of the story. Like other children his age, his parents brought him up in the Jewish religion of his ancestors. As a boy, he grew up learning to read the Torah and understanding what the Scriptures really meant.
Although he only ministered on earth for 30 years, his followers were misled into thinking the Messiah would bring an end to oppressive leadership. Contrary to religious teachings which concentrated on the law of Moses, Jesus was more concerned about people’s spiritual and physical health.

Why He Came

Was Jesus just some carpenter who was a really good man? Or was he just some lunatic? While others are grappling with their conclusions, we have already found the truth. Jesus came to earth TO SAVE US! Being both fully God and fully man , He offered himself as a substitute in place of our sins. Romans 5: 6-8 says, “You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (NIV.) In this one act, Jesus acknowledges our need for a sacrifice, but also satisfies his wrath.

I know wrath isn’t something we typically discuss at Christmas. Nevertheless, it’s crucial. You see, we can’t have one without the other. Jesus is perfect, and we aren’t.

Consequently, he had to conquer death so that we could be reconciled with him and spend eternity in heaven. Paul continues in Romans with this: “Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life.”

To listen to Wanda Palmer’s song, it can be accessed here:

Merry Christmas everyone. I will be taking the next week off for the holidays!