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Making Connections Review December 14 Isaiah 9:1-7, John 10:29-39   Making Connections:   Though today's market is flooded with baby name books, the importance of name & character has really been lost in today's western culture. While trends range from classic or family names to unique names, they rarely seem related to character.  In Biblical times, children received names based on their parents' hopes for them or because of something distinctive in & around their birth. God's names reflect His character as well: Jehovah Jireh - The Lord Will Provide; El Elyon - The Most High God; El Shaddai - Lord God Almighty; Jehovah Rapha - The Lord That Heals.   Isaiah 9 gives some names that certainly don't seem fitting for an ordinary baby, most especially one born in a stable: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father,  Prince of Peace . Can you imagine bigger names to live up to? They reveal that Jesus is not an ordinary baby, but God in

December 13 Isaiah  7:14 , Matthew 1:18-25, Philippians 2:5-10, Hebrews 2:17   Making Connections:   Imagine: You are engaged & some months before the wedding, your fiance comes to you & says she is pregnant. You know the child is not yours, but can you believe her story that the child is somehow from the Holy Spirit, and that your future bride is still a virgin? Or on the flip side - you are engaged to be married when an angel visits you & tells you that the Holy Spirit will overshadow you, creating within you a child. Though yet a virgin, you will be a mother. And you must tell your fiance... if he doesn't believe your story, he might have you stoned for adultery. Meanwhile, you can see & feel the evidence of this child growing within your own body.   The wonder & the scandal of the virgin birth is sometimes lost through our familiarity with the story. We can speak of it without really thinking about what it means, or what this might have been