Daily Bible Verse - 12/25/2007 - Luke 2:10-11

Then the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. (NIV)

And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. (KJV)

But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. (NASB)
Luke 2:10-11

Commentary

The city of David here refers to Bethlehem. In other passages, the phrase means Jerusalem (2 Sam. 5:7).
Savior .. Christ .. Lord: These three titles together summarize the saving work of Jesus and His sovereign position. What God was called in 1:47, Savior, Jesus is called here. The word Christ means "Anointed," referring to Jesus' royal, messianic position. The word Lord was the title of a ruler. The meaning of the word is defined by Peter in Acts 2:30-36. Jesus is destined to sit and distribute salvation's benefits from God's side, ruling with the Father.

Radmacher, E. D., Allen, R. B., & House, H. W. (1999). Nelson's new illustrated Bible commentary (Lk 2:11-12). Nashville: T. Nelson Publishers.

Did you know?
Our word Christmas comes from the English observance of the birth of Christ called Christes masse (Christ's mass), because a special mass was celebrated on that day. In France, it's known as Noel; in Spain, Navidad; and in Italy, Natale-all those words meaning simply birthday. The Germans use the word Weihnachten, meaning holy nights.

Morgan, R. J. (2000). Nelson's complete book of stories, illustrations, and quotes (electronic ed.) (110). Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers.

Daily Bible Verse - 12/24/2007 - Luke 2:14

"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests." (NIV)

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. (KJV)

"Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased." (NASB)

Luke 2:14

Commentary

peace. This is not to be taken as a universal declaration of peace toward all humanity. Rather, peace with God is a corollary of justification (see note on Rom. 5:1). goodwill toward men. Note the marginal rendering. The Gr. word for "goodwill" is also used in 10:21. The verb form of the same word is used in 3:22; 12:32. In each case, it refers to God's sovereign good pleasure. So a better rendering here might be "peace toward men on whom God's sovereign pleasure rests." God's peace is not a reward for those who have good will, but a gracious gift to those who are the objects of His good will.

MacArthur, J. J. (1997, c1997). The MacArthur Study Bible (electronic ed.) (Lk 2:14). Nashville: Word Pub.

Apollo 8 Christmas Eve Broadcast
Apollo 8, the first manned mission to the Moon, entered lunar orbit on Christmas Eve, December 24, 1968. That evening, the astronauts; Commander Frank Borman, Command Module Pilot Jim Lovell, and Lunar Module Pilot William Anders did a live television broadcast from lunar orbit, in which they showed pictures of the Earth and Moon seen from Apollo 8. They ended the broadcast with the crew taking turns reading from the book of Genesis. Borman then added, "And from the crew of Apollo 8, we close with good night, good luck, a Merry Christmas, and God bless all of you - all of you on the good Earth."

The Apollo 8 Christmas Eve Broadcast Video

http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/lunar/apollo8_xmas.html