Extreme Makeover, Christmas Edition

Tasked with hard things (onus)

Matthew 1:18 NRSV

Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit.

Mary

Matthew 1:19 (NRSV)

Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly.

Matthew 1:20 NRSV

But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.

Matthew 1:21 NRSV

She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

Matthew 1:22 NRSV

All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet:

Matthew 1:23 NRSV

“Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel,” which means, “God is with us.”

Matthew 1:24 NRSV

When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife,

Matthew 1:25 NRSV

but had no marital relations with her until she had borne a son; and he named him Jesus.

Joseph

Matthew 2:1 NRSV

In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem,

Matthew 2:2 NRSV

asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.”

Matthew 2:3 NRSV

When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him;

Matthew 2:4 NRSV

and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born.

Matthew 2:5 NRSV

They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet:

Matthew 2:6 NRSV

‘And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who is to shepherd my people Israel.’ ”

Matthew 2:7 NRSV

Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared.

Matthew 2:8 NRSV

Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.”

Matthew 2:9 NRSV

When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was.

Matthew 2:10 NRSV

When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy.

Matthew 2:11 NRSV

On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

Matthew 2:12 NRSV

And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.

The Wise Men

Matthew 2:13 NRSV

Now after they had left, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.”

Matthew 2:14 NRSV

Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother by night, and went to Egypt,

Matthew 2:15 NRSV

and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet, “Out of Egypt I have called my son.”

Joseph & Mary

Hard things for us

John 6:53 NET 2nd ed.

Jesus said to them, “I tell you the solemn truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in yourselves.

John 6:54 NET 2nd ed.

The one who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.

John 6:55 NET 2nd ed.

For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink.

John 6:56 NET 2nd ed.

The one who eats my flesh and drinks my blood resides in me, and I in him.

John 6:57 NET 2nd ed.

Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so the one who consumes me will live because of me.

John 6:58 NET 2nd ed.

This is the bread that came down from heaven; it is not like the bread your ancestors ate, but then later died. The one who eats this bread will live forever.”

John 6:59 NET 2nd ed.

Jesus said these things while he was teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.

John 6:60 NET 2nd ed.

Then many of his disciples, when they heard these things, said, “This is a difficult saying! Who can understand it?”

John 6:61 NET 2nd ed.

When Jesus was aware that his disciples were complaining about this, he said to them, “Does this cause you to be offended?

John 6:62 NET 2nd ed.

Then what if you see the Son of Man ascending where he was before?

John 6:63 NET 2nd ed.

The Spirit is the one who gives life; human nature is of no help! The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.

John 6:64 NET 2nd ed.

But there are some of you who do not believe.” (For Jesus had already known from the beginning who those were who did not believe, and who it was who would betray him.)

John 6:65 NET 2nd ed.

So Jesus added, “Because of this I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has allowed him to come.”

John 6:66 NET 2nd ed.

After this many of his disciples quit following him and did not accompany him any longer.

John 6:67 NET 2nd ed.

So Jesus said to the twelve, “You don’t want to go away too, do you?”

John 6:68 NET 2nd ed.

Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words of eternal life.

John 6:69 NET 2nd ed.

We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God!”