Luke 1:15 (Blessed Birth)

Welcome God now with this LIFE Group Devotion(FB), provided by LIFE Runners(FB). Guest Authors schedule. LIFE Minute radio.

"He will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother's womb." ~ Luke 1:15 (full readings)

Rich's Reflections: The Old Testament reading, Psalm, and Gospel today all reflect on God's blessings through babies, born and unborn. Throughout salvation history, God's plan has been to send babies filled with the Holy Spirit to redeem and deliver His people. The babies Samson (Jgs 13:5), John the Baptizer (Lk 1:16-17), and Jesus (Lk 1:32-33) are commissioned before conception to rescue God's people. In addition, Scripture presents baby Moses (Ex 2:2) as an infant who should have been killed, but was rescued from certain death so that he could rescue Israel. Since God rescues His people by sending anointed babies, it stands to reason that Satan would fight strongly against the conception, delivery, and raising of babies (culture of death). Millions of babies are aborted each year and many millions more never were conceived because of artificial contraception. Let's not reject God's plan of deliverance through babies. This Christmas, embrace the Infant Jesus and all babies. Jesus, "the Life" (Jn 11:25), plans to defeat the culture of death through our openness to life. "Choose life" (Dt 30:19).

Faith Challenge: Support God's plan by choosing life.

Counter-Culture News: LSN, LifeNews, Priests for Life, AFA,Vatican, Project Rachel.

Our Prayers: Prayer to end abortion, Spiritual Adoption, Alpha Center, Peters family (JP). Add Prayers on our website. Pray with meals, bedtime, wake up, LIFE Runners, etc. Consider mid-week Family Rosary (17 min). Let’s pray now.

Feast Day: Saint Anastasius I.

Faith Quote: "Any country that accepts abortion, is not teaching its people to love, but to use any violence to get what it wants." ~ Mother Teresa

Through Christ our Lord,
Rich
James 1:22

* Pray/Fast: Prayer connects us with God’s will & His miracles, changing us & helping others. Fast from things that take your eyes off Jesus. Those who pray together stay together, and close to God!
* Save Unborn (& family): Abortion reality (images)…#1 death cause (22% pregnancies). Prov 24:11 & Jer 1:5. “A great poverty that a child must die that you might live as you wish.” Mother Teresa.
* Evangelize: Make room for unbelievers & re-evangelization of self, by way of prayer (relationship) and following Christ’s example of love (service/sacrifice/mercy). Mt 28:19.

Psalm 13:6 (The Nativity of Mary)

Let's welcome God this morning by reflecting on this short Living In Faith Exchange (LIFE) Group devotion (life-devotions.blogspot.com), which is based on Living Faith. All whatsoever you do in word or in work, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Col. 3:17

Let my heart rejoice in your salvation; let me sing of the Lord. "He has been good to me." Psalm 13:6 (full readings)

Living Faith snippets: "The Father made and redeemed us through the Son and the Spirit, but he did it for our sake--starting with Mary, in whom it was accomplished not only first but best. Do we detract from Christ's finished work by affirming its perfect realization in Mary? On the contrary, we celebrate his work, precisely by focusing our attention on the human person who manifests it most perfectly." by Scott Hahn, author of Hail, Holy Queen

OBOB snippets: "Because we are Christians, we are into birth. We are born again, "begotten from above" (Jn 3:3). We received a new birth through the waters of baptism (Ti 3:5). We are "born of the Spirit" (see Jn 3:8). We've been reborn through the word of God (Jas 1:18; 1 Pt 1:23). This love for birth and for what Jesus treasures leads us to joyfully celebrate the birth of Mary, Jesus' mother and our mother (Jn 19:26). Mary was born so Jesus could be born of her. Mary is therefore declared to be "a sign of sure hope" (Lumen Gentium, 68). Her birth is "a birth unto hope" for all of us (1 Pt 1:3). "And this hope will not leave us disappointed, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit Who has been given to us" (Rm 5:5).

Faith Challenge: Let's all invite one person each week (John 14:6) to join our LIFE Group (>220 ProLife Christians).

Counter-Culture News: LifeSiteNews, American Family Association, Priests for Life
* Let's never forget the horrific reality of abortion (images)...#1 cause of death in America. Let's courageously share ProLife Truth to create social tension for exposing abortion's unjust peace...rebuilding a Culture of Life (Matt 5:16) and setting the unborn free!

Our Prayers: Those who pray together stay together. Fasting ideas in footnote below.

* Prayer to end abortion, abused children, chastity, peace, our enemies, our troops, depression/ despair, prisoners, ProLife politicians, illnesses/injuries, jobs, natural disasters, refugees, addictions, persecuted believers, Peters family (JP in hospital), Stephanie Spader (healthy pregnancy), Adrian Hermosillo (sister Angelica battling cancer).

Feast Day: The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Faith Quote: "Through [Mary], through [her] 'yes', the Hope of the ages became
reality." (Spe Salvi, Pope Benedict XVI, 50)

Through Christ our Lord,

Rich

James 1:22

* Prayer: Prayer connects us with God's will & His miracles, changing us & helping others. 'If you pray that God will move a mountain and He doesn’t, assume Christ wants you to climb it instead.'
* Fasting: Let's fast from things that take our eyes off Jesus (selfishness, bitterness, being so critical, impatience, gossip, excessive video games, etc) and take on things that fix our eyes on Jesus (selflessness, kindness, compassion, forgiveness, patience, understanding, caring, helping, listening).
* Defend the unborn: 'Rescue those who are unjustly sentenced to death; don’t stand back and let them die' (Prov 24:11). 'Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you' (Jer 1:5). 'It is a great poverty that a child must die that you might live as you wish' (Blessed Mother Teresa).
* Evangelization: Let's make room for unbelievers (be a friend, make a friend, lead friend to Christ) and perpetual re-evangelization of self and those near us, by way of daily prayer (relationship) and following Christ's example of selfless love, mercy, and service (Matt 28:19).