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. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 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.
Luke 2:4-7 NIV
The Time Came
Canada is divided into six time zones. Most regions operate on standard time from the first Sunday in November to the second Sunday in March and daylight saving time the rest of the year. The division between time zones are based on proposals by Scottish Canadian railway engineer Sandford Fleming, who pioneered the use of the 24-hour clock, the world’s time zone system, and a standard prime meridian. The National Research Council maintains Canada’s official time through the use of atomic clocks.
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It’s Christmas Eve. The big day is almost here. All our Advent preparations come to their conclusion as we celebrate the birth of Jesus. The time has finally come. If that is the case for our own personal Christmas it was so much more when the first Christmas took place. God had been planning for the arrival of the Messiah since before the creation of the world. All of history was leading to this one event. Even today we mark all of history by the years before Jesus was born and after His arrival. Nothing about His birth happened by accident – not the events and not the timing. Luke 2:4-7 says this: “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. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 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.”
Merry Christmas.
These have been words from the heart.
Bob Beasley