December 26 Devotion - Gloria in Excelsis Deo

For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. ¹² And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.”
¹³ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:
“ Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men”
¹⁵ So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven,  that the shepherds said to one another, “Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.” ¹⁶ And they came with haste and found Maryam and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger. ¹⁷ Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. ¹⁸ And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds. ¹⁹ But Maryam kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. ²⁰ Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them.

Luke 2:11-20

“Glory to God in the highest” is only found once in the Bible in Luke 2:14.
That verse is so extraordinary; it’s been given a special name.  It’s called the Gloria in Excelsis Deo.  That’s from the Latin translation for “Glory to God in the highest.”

You might recognize it from the popular Christmas hymn “Angels We Have Heard on High.”  Maybe you didn’t know it, but when you sing that chorus you are singing in Latin, “Gloria, in excelsis Deo” “Glory to God in the highest”.

Listen to it sung by Bocelli: https://youtu.be/MLS6qZt9WLQ

There are other divine encounters in the Bible, but this is the only time the Bible says the heavenly host ('army' of good angels in Heaven) appeared to men, and this is the one sentence they left for us: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men”

The Bible doesn’t say anything about the heavenly host singing, but what they said was understood by the shepherds, so either it was spoken in their own language, or the shepherds were given a supernatural ability to understand the heavenly language.

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, thank You for Your abundant blessings and inseparable love. Lord, I join the shepherds in glorifying You. I thank You and praise You for all the blessings You have bestowed upon me. Help me to be like Maryam, mother of our Saviour Jesus, in constantly pondering in my mind Your love, mercy and grace. I rejoice in Your birth Jesus. God let the birth of Jesus this year bring peace on earth and goodwill amongst us. Heavenly Father, I praise You, I glorify You and I rejoice in Your grace. In the Holy Name of Jesus I pray. ‘Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.’ Ephesians 3:20-21

Jesus loves you,

In Him,

Wagdi Henein

فَقَدْ وُلِدَ لَكُمُ الْيَوْمَ فِي مَدِينَةِ دَاوُدَ مُخَلِّصٌ هُوَ الْمَسِيحُ الرَّبُّ.

 ¹² وَهَذِهِ هِيَ الْعَلاَمَةُ لَكُمْ. تَجِدُونَ طِفْلاً مَلْفُوفاً بِقِمَاطٍ وَنَائِماً فِي مِذْوَدٍ».

 ¹³ وَفَجْأَةً ظَهَرَ مَعَ الْمَلاَكِ جُمْهُورٌ مِنَ الْجُنْدِ السَّمَاوِيِّ، يُسَبِّحُونَ اللهَ قَائِلِينَ:

 ¹⁴ «الْمَجْدُ لِلهِ فِي الأَعَالِي، وَعَلَى الأَرْضِ السَّلامُ؛ وَبِالنَّاسِ الْمَسَرَّةُ! »

 ¹⁵ وَلَمَّا انْصَرَفَ الْمَلاَئِكَةُ عَنِ الرُّعَاةِ إِلَى السَّمَاءِ، قَالَ بَعْضُهُمْ لِبَعْضٍ: «لِنَذْهَبْ إِذَنْ إِلَى بَيْتِ لَحْمٍ، وَنَنْظُرْ هَذَا الأَمْرَ الَّذِي حَدَثَ وَقَدْ أَعْلَمَنَا بِهِ الرَّبُّ!»

 ¹⁶ وَجَاءُوا مُسْرِعِينَ، فَوَجَدُوا مَرْيَمَ وَيُوسُفَ، وَالطِّفْلَ نَائِماً فِي الْمِذْوَدِ.

 ¹⁷ فَلَمَّا رَأَوْا ذلِكَ، أَخَذُوا يُخْبِرُونَ بِمَا قِيلَ لَهُمْ بِخُصُوصِ هَذَا الطِّفْلِ.

 ¹⁸ وَجَمِيعُ الَّذِينَ سَمِعُوا بِذلِكَ دُهِشُوا مِمَّا قَالَهُ لَهُمُ الرُّعَاةُ.

 ¹⁹ وَأَمَّا مَرْيَمُ، فَكَانَتْ تَحْفَظُ هَذِهِ الأُمُورَ جَمِيعاً، وَتَتَأَمَّلُهَا فِي قَلْبِهَا.

 ²⁰ ثُمَّ رَجَعَ الرُّعَاةُ يُمَجِّدُونَ اللهَ وَيُسَبِّحُونَهُ عَلَى كُلِّ مَا سَمِعُوهُ وَرَأَوْهُ كَمَا قِيلَ لَهُمْ.

December 23 Devotion - Why was Jesus born?

Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. ⁹ And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. ¹⁰ Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. ¹¹ For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. ¹² And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.”

Luke 2:1-12

While we celebrate CHRISTmas (meaning Christ sent), it may be a good time to reflect on the reasons why Jesus Christ had to be born. I read about 7 reasons why Jesus had to be born:

1. Jesus had to be born because of mankind's sin.

2. Jesus had to be born because God wanted to reveal His own character to humanity.

3. Jesus had to be born to remove the sins of humankind through a perfect sacrifice.

4. Jesus had to be born for mankind to have a Mediator to God.

5. Jesus had to be born to provide the promised Seed of Abraham.

6. Jesus had to be born for God to make His Spirit available to all humankind.

7. Jesus had to be born for God to redeem mankind.

https://youtu.be/wKRC5Ikq44s

Hark! The Herald Angels Sing

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, thank You for Your abundant blessings and inseparable love. Lord, thank You that You so loved me before I was even born and that You sent Your only begotten Son so that I could have everlasting life through my belief in Him. God thank You that even though You hate sin, You redeemed me, a sinner, through Jesus the perfect sacrifice. Thank You Jesus for being my mediator and for sending The Holy Spirit to comfort me. In the name of The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit I rejoice in Your birth Jesus. God let the birth of Jesus this year bring peace on earth and goodwill amongst us. Heavenly Father, let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to You I lift up my soul. Lord, I praise You, I glorify You and I rejoice in Your grace. I declare Jesus as my Lord and Saviour and I pray in His Holy Name. To Him be the power, the glory, the majesty, the blessings, and the dominion forever and ever, Amen.

Jesus loves you,

In Him,

Wagdi Henein

وَكَانَ فِي تِلْكَ الْمِنْطَقَةِ رُعَاةٌ يَبِيتُونَ فِي الْعَرَاءِ، يَتَنَاوَبُونَ حِرَاسَةَ قَطِيعِهِمْ فِي اللَّيْلِ

 ⁹ وَإِذَا مَلاَكٌ مِنْ عِنْدِ الرَّبِّ قَدْ ظَهَرَ لَهُمْ، وَمَجْدُ الرَّبِّ أَضَاءَ حَوْلَهُمْ، فَخَافُوا أَشَدَّ الْخَوْفِ.

 ¹⁰ فَقَالَ لَهُمُ الْمَلاَكُ: «لاَ تَخَافُوا! فَهَا أَنَا أُبَشِّرُكُمْ بِفَرَحٍ عَظِيمٍ يَعُمُّ الشَّعْبَ كُلَّهُ:

 ¹¹ فَقَدْ وُلِدَ لَكُمُ الْيَوْمَ فِي مَدِينَةِ دَاوُدَ مُخَلِّصٌ هُوَ الْمَسِيحُ الرَّبُّ.

 ¹² وَهَذِهِ هِيَ الْعَلاَمَةُ لَكُمْ. تَجِدُونَ طِفْلاً مَلْفُوفاً بِقِمَاطٍ وَنَائِماً فِي مِذْوَدٍ».

December 22 Devotion - Immanuel: God with us

Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Maryam was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. ¹⁹ Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. ²⁰ But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Maryam your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. ²¹ And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins.”
²² So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: ²³ “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel which is translated, “God with us.”
²⁴ Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife, ²⁵ and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name JESUS.

Words in oblique type in the New Testament are quoted from the Old Testament. At that time Jesus spoke Aramaic. In Aramaic His mother’s name is Maryam.

Matthew 1:18-25

When the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and made God's plan clear, Joseph was obedient. He didn’t request to understand how all of this was going to unfold.

Many times I find myself in a situation where I don't know what to do. I should pray and ask guidance from the Lord. Although I don’t expect God to speak to me through an angel; like He did with Joseph; I believe that through prayer and meditation and being open to hear God’s guidance He will speak to me through His Holy Word and The Holy Spirit. My responsibility is to listen and obey.

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, thank You for loving me with a deep and everlasting love, thank You for Your abundant blessings in my life, and for the riches of Your grace upon my life. Thank You Lord for sending Your angels to protect Your maidservant Maryam. Thank You Abba for loving us so much that You gave Your only begotten Son JESUS, to be our ‘Immanuel’. Heavenly Father, fill me with joy through the many lessons I have learned from the story of the birth of our Saviour. Help me to read your Word and listen as You give me the answers to life's difficult questions. In this festive season of celebrating the birth of our Saviour, give me a faith equal to that of Maryam and Joseph and direct me to trust You and follow Your will. Lord may Jesus be born into my heart and the hearts of all my friends and family and may everyone be saved, and come unto the knowledge of the truth because that is Your desire Lord.  1 Timothy 2:4 Lord, I praise You, I glorify You and I rejoice in Your grace. I declare Jesus as my Lord and Saviour and I pray in His Holy Name. To Him be the power, the glory, the majesty, the blessings, and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Jesus loves you,

In Him,

Wagdi Henein

اما ولادة يسوع المسيح فكانت هكذا .لما كانت مريم امه مخطوبة ليوسف قبل ان يجتمعا وجدت حبلى من الروح القدس .

19 فيوسف رجلها اذ كان بارا ولم يشأ ان يشهرها اراد تخليتها سرّا .

20 ولكن فيما هو متفكر في هذه الامور اذا ملاك الرب قد ظهر له في حلم قائلا يا يوسف ابن داود لا تخف ان تأخذ مريم امرأتك . لان الذي حبل به فيها هو من الروح القدس .

21 فستلد ابنا وتدعو اسمه يسوع لانه يخلّص شعبه من خطاياهم .

22 وهذا كله كان لكي يتم ما قيل من الرب بالنبي القائل .

23 هوذا العذراء تحبل وتلد ابنا ويدعون اسمه عمانوئيل الذي تفسيره الله معنا

24 فلما استيقظ يوسف من النوم فعل كما امره ملاك الرب واخذ امرأته .

25 ولم يعرفها حتى ولدت ابنها البكر .ودعا اسمه يسوع

December 21 Devotion - My soul magnifies The Lord

Now Maryam* arose in those days and went into the hill country with haste, to a city of Judah, ⁴⁰ and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth. ⁴¹ And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Maryam, that the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. ⁴² Then she spoke out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! ⁴³ But why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? ⁴⁴ For indeed, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. ⁴⁵ Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord.”

“My soul magnifies the Lord, ⁴⁷ And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. ⁴⁸ For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant;
For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed. ⁴⁹ For He who is mighty has done great things for me,
And holy is His name. ⁵⁰ And His mercy is on those who fear Him
From generation to generation. ⁵¹ He has shown strength with His arm;
He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. ⁵² He has put down the mighty from their thrones,
And exalted the lowly. ⁵³ He has filled the hungry with good things,
And the rich He has sent away empty. ⁵⁴ He has helped His servant Israel,
In remembrance of His mercy, ⁵⁵ As He spoke to our fathers,
To Abraham and to his seed forever.”

 * Jesus spoke Aramaic. In Aramaic His mother’s name is Maryam.

Luke 1:39-55

Maryam’s psalm of praise reveals a repeated use of the terminology and theology of the Old Testament. It is obvious that Maryam was very well versed in the Old Testament and accordingly her hymn demonstrates that.

Maryam’s praise begins with her grateful response to the grace God has shown to her, a humble servant of the Lord. Maryam does not in any way view herself as better or holier than anyone else. She views herself as the Lord’s servant, whose humble estate is the occasion for His mercy and grace. There is no hint that she thinks God has chosen her to be the mother of Messiah due to her blessedness, but rather that her blessedness is the result of God’s sovereign and gracious choice to use her as His instrument.

Maryam saw her blessing as but an illustration, one instance of God’s grace, which leads her to praise God for His grace to all those who fear Him, from one generation to generation. Maryam’s praise focuses on the faithfulness of God to His promises.

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself and to meditate on it:

Abba Father, thank You for Your abundant blessings and inseparable love. Lord, I praise You, I glorify You and I rejoice in Your grace. Lord, use me as Your instrument that I may be blessed by Your sovereign and gracious choice. Help me Lord to learn from Maryam, the mother of Jesus, to see myself as Your servant and help me to feel joy in my spirit in my God my saviour. Holy is Your name LORD. Thank You God for Your faithfulness to Your promises. Lord, I join all the generations to call The Virgin Maryam, Mother of Jesus, as ‘blessed’.

In the Holy Name of Jesus I pray. To Him be the glory, the power, the majesty and the dominion forever and ever. Amen. ‘Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.’ Ephesians 3:20-21

Jesus loves you,

In Him,

Wagdi Henein

وَفِي تِلْكَ الأَيَّامِ، قَامَتْ مَرْيَمُ وَذَهَبَتْ مُسْرِعَةً إِلَى الْجِبَالِ، قَاصِدَةً إِلَى مَدِينَةٍ مِنْ مُدُنِ يَهُوذَا.  

 ⁴⁰ فَدَخَلَتْ بَيْتَ زَكَرِيَّا وَسَلَّمَتْ عَلَى أَلِيصَابَاتَ.

 ⁴¹ وَلَمَّا سَمِعَتْ أَلِيصَابَاتُ سَلاَمَ مَرْيَمَ، قَفَزَ الْجَنِينُ دَاخِلَ بَطْنِهَا. وَامْتَلَأَتْ أَلِيصَابَاتُ مِنَ الرُّوحِ الْقُدُسِ،

 ⁴² وَهَتَفَتْ بِصَوْتٍ عَالٍ قَائِلَةٍ: «مُبَارَكَةٌ أَنْتِ بَيْنَ النِّسَاءِ! وَمُبَارَكَةٌ ثَمَرَةُ بَطْنِكِ!

 ⁴³ فَمِنْ أَيْنَ لِي هَذَا: أَنْ تَأْتِيَ إِلَيَّ أُمُّ رَبِّي؟

 ⁴⁴ فَإِنَّهُ مَا إِنْ وَقَعَ صَوْتُ سَلاَمِكِ فِي أُذُنَيَّ حَتَّى قَفَزَ الْجَنِينُ ابْتِهَاجاً فِي بَطْنِي:

 ⁴⁵ فَطُوبَى لِلَّتِي آمَنَتْ أَنَّهُ سَيَتِمُّ مَا قِيلَ لَهَا مِنْ قِبَلِ الرَّبِّ! »

  ⁴⁶ فَقَالَتْ مَرْيَمُ: «تُعَظِّمُ نَفْسِي الرَّبَّ،

 ⁴⁷ وَتَبْتَهِجُ رُوحِي بِاللهِ مُخَلِّصِي.

 ⁴⁸ فَإِنَّهُ نَظَرَ إِلَى تَوَاضُعِ أَمَتِهِ، وَهَا إِنَّ جَمِيعَ الأَجْيَالِ مِنَ الآنَ فَصَاعِداً سَوْفَ تُطَوِّبُنِي.

 ⁴⁹ فَإِنَّ الْقَدِيرَ قَدْ فَعَلَ بِي أُمُوراً عَظِيمَةً، قُدُّوسٌ اسْمُهُ،

 ⁵⁰ وَرَحْمَتُهُ لِلَّذِينَ يَتَّقُونَهُ جِيلاً بَعْدَ جِيلٍ.

 ⁵¹ عَمِلَ بِذِرَاعِهِ قُوَّةً؛ شَتَّتَ الْمُتَكَبِّرِينَ فِي نِيَّاتِ قُلُوبِهِمْ.

 ⁵² أَنْزَلَ الْمُقْتَدِريِنَ عَنْ عُرُوشِهِمْ، وَرَفَعَ الْمُتَوَاضِعِينَ.

 ⁵³ أَشْبَعَ الْجِيَاعَ خَيْرَاتٍ، وَصَرَفَ الأَغْنِيَاءَ فَارِغِينَ.

 ⁵⁴ أَعَانَ إِسْرَائِيلَ فَتَاهُ، مُتَذَكِّراً الرَّحْمَةَ،

⁵⁵ كَمَا تَكَلَّمَ إِلَى آبَائِنَا، لإِبْرَاهِيمَ وَنَسْلِهِ إِلَى الأَبَدِ».