
Dailies
~ Advent
December
24, 2019
Merry
Christmas! Thank you for joining us this year!
May
you focus on Jesus in your Holiday celebration of Jesus’ birth!
Heavenly
Father thank you for all you did and all you will do, in Jesus’ name, amen
But very early on Sunday
morning the women went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. 2 They found that the stone
had been rolled away from the entrance. 3 So they went in, but they
didn’t find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 As they stood there
puzzled, two men suddenly appeared to them, clothed in dazzling robes.
5 The women were terrified and
bowed with their faces to the ground. Then the men asked, “Why are you looking
among the dead for someone who is alive? 6 He isn’t
here! He is risen from the dead! Remember what he told you back in Galilee, 7 that the
Son of Man[b] must be betrayed into the hands
of sinful men and be crucified, and that he would rise again on the third day.”
8 Then they remembered that
he had said this. 9 So they
rushed back from the tomb to tell his eleven disciples—and everyone else—what
had happened. 10 It was Mary Magdalene,
Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and several other women who told the apostles
what had happened. 11 But the
story sounded like nonsense to the men, so they didn’t believe it. 12 However,
Peter jumped up and ran to the tomb to look. Stooping, he peered in and saw the
empty linen wrappings; then he went home again, wondering what had happened.
13 That same day two of Jesus’
followers were walking to the village of Emmaus, seven miles[c] from Jerusalem. 14 As they
walked along, they were talking about everything that had happened. 15 As they
talked and discussed these things, Jesus himself suddenly came and began
walking with them. 16 But God
kept them from recognizing him.
17 He asked them, “What
are you discussing so intently as you walk along?”
They stopped short; sadness written across their faces. 18 Then one
of them, Cleopas, replied, “You must be the only person in Jerusalem who hasn’t
heard about all the things that have happened there the last few days.”
19 “What things?” Jesus
asked.
“The things that happened to Jesus, the man from Nazareth,” they
said. “He was a prophet who did powerful miracles, and he was a mighty teacher
in the eyes of God and all the people. 20 But our
leading priests and other religious leaders handed him over to be condemned to
death, and they crucified him. 21 We had
hoped he was the Messiah who had come to rescue Israel. This all happened three
days ago.
22 “Then some women from our
group of his followers were at his tomb early this morning, and they came back
with an amazing report. 23 They said
his body was missing, and they had seen angels who told them Jesus is alive! 24 Some of
our men ran out to see, and sure enough, his body was gone, just as the women
had said.”
25 Then Jesus said to
them, “You foolish people! You find it so hard to believe all that the
prophets wrote in the Scriptures. 26 Wasn’t it
clearly predicted that the Messiah would have to suffer all these things before
entering his glory?” 27 Then
Jesus took them through the writings of Moses and all the prophets, explaining
from all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.
28 By this time they were
nearing Emmaus and the end of their journey. Jesus acted as if he were going
on, 29 but they begged him, “Stay
the night with us, since it is getting late.” So, he went home with them. 30 As they
sat down to eat, he took the bread and blessed it. Then he broke it and
gave it to them. 31 Suddenly,
their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And at that moment he
disappeared!
32 They said to each other,
“Didn’t our hearts burn within us as he talked with us on the road and
explained the Scriptures to us?” 33 And
within the hour they were on their way back to Jerusalem. There they found the
eleven disciples and the others who had gathered with them, 34 who said,
“The Lord has really risen! He appeared to Peter.”
35 Then the two from Emmaus
told their story of how Jesus had appeared to them as they were walking along the
road, and how they had recognized him as he was breaking the bread. 36 And just
as they were telling about it, Jesus himself was suddenly standing there among
them. “Peace be with you,” he said. 37 But the
whole group was startled and frightened, thinking they were seeing a ghost!
38 “Why are you frightened?” he
asked. “Why are your hearts filled with doubt? 39 Look at
my hands. Look at my feet. You can see that it’s really me. Touch me and make
sure that I am not a ghost, because ghosts don’t have bodies, as you see that I
do.” 40 As he spoke, he showed them
his hands and his feet.
41 Still they stood there in
disbelief, filled with joy and wonder. Then he asked them, “Do you have
anything here to eat?” 42 They gave
him a piece of broiled fish, 43 and he
ate it as they watched.
44 Then he said, “When I
was with you before, I told you that everything written about me in the law of
Moses and the prophets and in the Psalms must be fulfilled.” 45 Then he opened
their minds to understand the Scriptures. 46 And he
said, “Yes, it was written long ago that the Messiah would suffer and die
and rise from the dead on the third day. 47 It was
also written that this message would be proclaimed in the authority of his name
to all the nations, beginning in Jerusalem: ‘There is forgiveness of sins for
all who repent.’ 48 You are
witnesses of all these things.
49 “And now I will send the
Holy Spirit, just as my Father promised. But stay here in the city until the
Holy Spirit comes and fills you with power from heaven.”
50 Then Jesus led them to
Bethany, and lifting his hands to heaven, he blessed them. 51 While he
was blessing them, he left them and was taken up to heaven. 52 So they
worshiped him and then returned to Jerusalem filled with great joy. 53 And they
spent all of their time in the Temple, praising God.
With great joy they spent all of their
time in church praising God! They were all so amazed knowing that this thing
was indeed from God, being that Jesus is God Himself, they were excited to find
out what this Holy Spirit, or Comforter, was going to be! I imagine some were afraid and went to the
Temple for that reason but found those who had seen him and as they shared
about what happened they too praised God! Such joy in Jerusalem!