Luke 1:29-55

"[After Elizabeth's exclamation of how blessed Mary was,] Mary responded, "Oh, how my soul praises the Lord. How my spirit rejoices in God my Savior!..."

"A few days later Mary hurried to the hill country of Judea, to the town where Zechariah lived. She entered the house and greeted Elizabeth. At the..."

Too small to see, but too great to miss! Phil Ware begins a short series called When Spirit Becomes Flesh focusing on the birth of Jesus, the incarnation of God among his creatures, and the wonders of Christmas.

"Mary responded, "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....."

""Don't be afraid, Mary," the angel told her, "for you have found favor with God! You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him..."

"[Mary responded] "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......"

"The angel said to [Mary], "Do not be afraid, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name..."

Inspirational illustration of Luke 1:30-33 -- The angel said to Mary, "Do not be afraid, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus.

What does all of this mean ... to you and me ... today? Danny Sims shares insights into what God is saying in Jesus using the Communion we share at Christmas.

Three different ways to tell the story of our Savior's birth — short form, Bible verses, video! Phil Ware wishes everyone Merry Christmas for the Heartlight team and shares 3 different ways to share the story of Jesus at Christmas: a short form, the Bible text from "The Voice" Compass Bible and from a Worship House Media video about a child coming.

So how do we keep on keeping on after the angel leaves? Phil Ware begins a 4 part series on Mary, the mother of Jesus, called Windows to Wonder, and talks about how the angel left Mary and Mary's life began to unfold with challenges and difficulties, but she maintained faith.

"Mary responded, “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..."

Can you really be this in the real world? Rubel Shelly tackles the myth that you can be spiritual without being a part of a religious community, at least as a Christian.

Mary yielded her life completely to the LORD's call, discipline, and purpose for her. Will I? Demetrius Collins and Phil Ware lead us in a virtual, DIY, worship through words and music using YouTube videos to say thank you to our moms and call us to surrender to the discipline and transformation God is working in our lives.

Can you live certain that you will finish all you are supposed to do in this life before you leave it? Demetrius Collins and Phil Ware lead us in virtual worship through words and music using YouTube videos to challenge us to live for God and finish what he has given us to do by investing in future generations to carry on God's work.

"[After being told she would have a son,] Mary asked the angel, "But how can this happen? I am a virgin." The angel replied, "The Holy Spirit will...."

"[After telling Mary she would have a son even though she was a virgin, the angel said to her,] "What's more, your relative Elizabeth has become..."

"Mary responded, "Oh, how my soul praises the Lord. How my spirit rejoices in God my Savior!""

Inspirational illustration of Luke 1:46-47 -- My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.

Advent is the celebration of Jesus' coming to earth and bringing God's heavenly Kingdom shown in his ministry, lived by his people, and ultimately experienced at his return! Phil Ware shares Scriptures and James Nored shares an inspirational video regarding the blessings and significance of Advent, Jesus' coming to earth as God in human flesh as our Savior and Lord.

Now that the Christmas lights are put away, aren't you ready to meet the real Jesus? The coming of Christ is a violent grace that heads to a violent end and if we listen to the birth stories of Jesus we can find there a real Savior who lived in our all too real world.

"[After being told she would have a son by the Holy Spirit,] Mary responded, "I am the Lord's servant. May everything you have said about me come..."

"Dear Child of the King, When you open your Bible and you see the appearance of angels, know that the Father is up to something special in your world...."

"When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby [John the Baptizer] leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit."

"Mary said, "My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.... The Mighty One has done great things for me — holy is his name.""

"Dear Disciple, I know most of you hate tests! Some of those tests are medical tests which can be terrifying. Some tests are necessary to get you into..."

"The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come on you [Mary], and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the...."

Inspirational illustration of Luke 1:46 -- Mary said, 'My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.... The Mighty One has done great things for me - holy is his name.'

"Dear Disciple, Over the last month, you have been reminded of My birth and how My coming changed everything. I came at God's chosen time. Political....."

In a world swirling with heavy clouds and looming headlines, we mothers hold a massive opportunity! Melissa Troyer looks at everyday life, her children, and the horrifying images and videos and cries of mothers and children, and sees an opportunity to teach our children to say, But God!

"Dear Friend of God, Today, I AM asking you to do something important. I know you are busy with all your Christmas plans, but there is one important....."

What about Mary? Jeff Lee reminds us about Mary's faith, but he also reminds us of the importance of having a heart like hers.

"Dear Child of God, A large part of the history of faith is written by people who are not considered the greatest servants of faith. However, the..."

With the birth of Jesus, we enter a gritty world that we know is our own. Phil Ware continues his series called When Spirit Becomes Flesh and he focuses on the grit and real world feel of the birth stories and also the joy that comes from Jesus' birth.

"In the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to...."

Do you dare dream for the road ahead? Tom Norvell shares about moving into a new home and his dreams for the future.

"Dear Servant of the Lord, If you take the time to look at the grand story of grace in the Bible, you will notice servants of the Lord playing..."

Are you too young to know it is impossible? Tom Norvell Reminds us of the movie Amazing Grace and how William Pitt and Wilberforce did the impossible and overturned the slave trade in Great Britain and he calls on us to dream big dreams and do the impossible.

What do you do when you can't control your life? The world is changing and we lose control, but the real issue isn't controlling as it is yielding to the one in control.

Where can you find history's greatest treasures? Phil Ware reflects on Mary treasuring the memories of Jesus' birth in her heart and finds reason not to sweat the small stuff, not miss the moments of grace in Christmas, and not lose the opportunity to lock away treasures in our own hearts this time of y

Can anything good come from Nazareth? Phil Ware reminds us not to put away Jesus with the Christmas lights and blow up snowman, but to remember that Christ is alive in us!

Let's not settle for religion, going to church, or fast-food spirituality when God longs to fill that hole in our soul ! Phil Ware shares insights about intimately knowing God and Immanuel being real to us in our daily lives as we seek to be Jesus' disciples.

What does this last glimpse of Mary teach us about Jesus and discipleship? Phil Ware finishes his series on the Windows to Wonder, on Mary the mother of Jesus, the Messiah, the Lord, and Savior, and reminds us that we can all be part of Jesus' forever family.