“I looked for someone who might rebuild

the wall of righteousness that guards the land.

I searched for someone to stand in the gap in the wall…

Ezekiel 22:30

Therefore, since we are surrounded 

by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith,

let us strip off every weight that slows us down,

especially the sin that so easily trips us up.

And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.

Hebrews 12:1

After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened

and what the angel had said to them about this child.

…It was just as the angel had told them.

Luke 2:17,20

And I will give them singleness of heart

and put a new spirit within them.

I will take away their stony, stubborn heart

and give them a tender, responsive heart,

so they will obey my decrees and regulations.

Then they will truly be my people,

and I will be their God.

Ezekiel 11:19-20

The faithful love of the LORD never ends!

His mercies never cease.

Great is his faithfulness;

his mercies begin afresh each morning.

Lamentations 3:22-23

Sudden, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—

the armies of heaven—

praising God and saying,

“Glory to God in highest heaven,

and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”

When the angels had returned to heaven,

the shepherds said to each other,

“Let’s go to Bethlehem!

Let’s see this thing that has happened,

which the Lord has told us about.”

Luke 2:13-15

The Savior—

yes, the Messiah, the Lord—

has been born today in Bethlehem,

the city of David!

Luke 2:11

“Look! The virgin will conceive a child!

She will give birth to a son,

and they will call him Immanuel,

with means ‘God is with us.’”

Matthew 1:23

(Hubble telescope image)

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.

Luke 2:8-10

The day will come when watchmen will shout

from the hill country of Ephraim,

‘Come, let us go up to Jerusalem

to worship the LORD our God.’”

Jeremiah 31:6