Christ is the visible image of the invisible God.
He existed before anything was created
and is supreme over all creation,
for through him God created everything
in the heavenly realms and on earth.
He made the things we can see
and the things we can’t see—
such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities
in the unseen world.
Everything was created through him and for him.
He existed before anything else,
and he holds all creation together.
And now, dear brothers and sisters,
one final thing.
Fix your thoughts on what is true,
and honorable,
and right,
and pure,
and lovely,
and admirable.
Think about things that are excellent
and worthy of praise.
In the last days, the mountain of the LORD’s house
will be the highest of all—
the most important place on earth.
It will be raised above the other hills,
and people from all over the world will stream there to worship.
For the LORD is the one who shaped the mountains,
stirs up the winds,
and reveals his thoughts to mankind.
He turns the light of dawn into darkness
and treads on the heights of the earth.
The LORD God of Heaven’s Armies is his name!
It is the LORD who created the stars,
the Pleiades and Orion.
He turns darkness into morning
and day into night.
He draws up water from the oceans
and pours it down as rain on the land.
The LORD is his name!
The Savior—
yes, the Messiah, the Lord—
has been born today in Bethlehem,
the city of David!
That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby,
guarding their flocks of sheep.
Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them,
and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them.
They were terrified,
but the angel reassured them.
“Don’t be afraid!” he said.
“I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people.
The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—
has been born today in Bethlehem,
the city of David!”
“Oh, how my soul praises the Lord.
How my spirit rejoices in God my Savior!
For he took notice of his lowly servant girl,
and from now on all generations will call me blessed.
For the Mighty One is holy,
and he has done great things for me.
He shows mercy from generation to generation
to all who fear him.
His mighty arm has done tremendous things!
He has scattered the proud and haughty ones.
He has brought down princes from their thrones
and exalted the humble.
He has filled the hungry with good things
and sent the rich away with empty hands.
He has helped his servant Israel
and remembered to be merciful.
For he made this promise to our ancestors,
to Abraham and his children forever.”
Luke 1:46-55
All right then,
the Lord himself will give you the sign.
Look!
The virgin will conceive a child!
She will give birth to a son
and will call him Immanuel
(which means ‘God is with us’).
“…the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit.
And she will have a son,
and you are to name him Jesus,
for he will save his people from their sins.”
All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message
through his prophet:
“Look! The virgin will conceive a child!
She will give birth to a son,
and they will call him Immanuel,
which means ‘God is with us.’”
In the beginning the Word already existed.
The Word was with God,
and the Word was God.
He existed in the beginning with God.
God created everything through him,
and nothing was created except through him.
The Word gave life to everything that was created,
and his life brought light to everyone.
the light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness can never extinguish it.
So the Word became human
and made his home among us…
