Read – 5 Days of Christmas Peace

Christmas is the time we celebrate the greatest story ever told – the story of a baby sent to earth who would become the Savior. There is no story we could ever read that could replace the account of the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus. During the next few weeks at this Christmastime, I invite you to join me in reading and meditating on the different accounts of Christ’s birth in the Bible.

It is easy to quickly skim over them because we’ve read them so many times. This is unfortunate because there is always something new to learn or see on our life journey. Here’s my suggestion to make reading the Christmas story of Christ’s birth fresh this year.

Read the Story of Christ’s Birth in Multiple Versions

Each week, read one chapter of the account of Christ’s birth from either Matthew 1-2 or Luke 1-2. Each day of that week, read it in a different version. Most of us have multiple versions of the Bible in our homes such as:

• KJV
• NIV
• NKJV
• NASB
• RSV
• ESV

If you don’t have multiple versions of the Bible on hand, simply go to Bible Gateway where you can read the entire Bible online in dozens of versions. (You can also download a free Bible Gateway app if you have a Kindle. I especially like using this app to listen to the Bible being read to me.)

Meditate on the Story of Christ’s Birth

My suggestion is to start the first week with Matthew 1. Read it each day in a different version. Ask the Holy Spirit to open your eyes to details you have never noticed. Compare the different versions and see how each one might shed a little more light on various passages.

Next week read and meditate on Matthew 2. The next week Luke 1 and the last week Luke 2.

Rather than attempting to read widely during this Advent season, I encourage you to choose to dig deep.

May the Lord bless each of us as we read and reflect on the story of the Savior’s birth!

This is part of 5 Days of Christmas Peace. This is a series of brief but meaningful thoughts about celebrating Christmas in a peaceful way.

• Simplify – 5 Days of Christmas Peace
• Quiet – 5 Days of Christmas Peace
• Read – 5 Days of Christmas Peace
• Listen – 5 Days of Christmas Peace
• Pray – 5 Days of Christmas Peace

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