Tag Archives: christmas
The Amazing History of Christmas | PragerU
The Vine Vigil wishes you a merry Christmas!
Please enjoy these treasured hymns as you read the following Scripture.
We here at The Vine Vigil wish you a lovely and very merry Christmas.
Luke 1:26-37
26 And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,
27 To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.
28 And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.
29 And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.
30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.
31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus.
32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:
33 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.
34 Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?
35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.
36 And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren.
37 For with God nothing shall be impossible.
Amen.
~ Cat Mahm
Merry Christmas from The Vine Vigil

Christmas Day 24

Christmas Day 23

Christmas Day 22

Christmas Day 21

Christmas Day 20

Christmas Day 19

Christmas Day 18

Christmas Day 17

Christmas Day 16

Christmas Day 15

Christmas Day 14

Christmas Day 13

Christmas Day 12

Christmas Day 11

Christmas Day 10

Christmas Day 9

Christmas Day 8

For the Lord’s Day – O Come, O Come, Emmanuel
“O Come, O Come, Emmanuel”
1. O come, O come, Immanuel,
and ransom captive Israel
that mourns in lonely exile here
until the Son of God appear.
Refrain:
Rejoice! Rejoice! Immanuel
shall come to you, O Israel.
2. O come, O Wisdom from on high,
who ordered all things mightily;
to us the path of knowledge show
and teach us in its ways to go.
Refrain:
Rejoice! Rejoice! Immanuel
shall come to you, O Israel.
3. O come, O come, great Lord of might,
who to your tribes on Sinai’s height
in ancient times did give the law
in cloud and majesty and awe.
Refrain:
Rejoice! Rejoice! Immanuel
shall come to you, O Israel.
The Birth of Christ
As we continue our descent into the month of December, we remember the birth of Christ, and we will be posting a selection of some of our favorite Christmas hymns so that you can celebrate this momentous and beloved time with us. This hymn, “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel,” is one of my very favorite Christmas hymns.
As a child, my parents always made Christmas very special. I remember on Christmas morning, waking up to the smell of my mother’s homemade cinnamon rolls with her secret lemon, cream-cheese icing. Of which, I – reminiscent of the prophet Elisha (in my own mind) – did not hesitate to ask for and proudly acquire, my own double portioning. As I sat at the table, bedecked by a Christmas-cheery tablecloth, this would be one of the hymns my mother would play on her record player. Perhaps it is the somber humility with which the verses beckon the coming of Christ, or perhaps it is the overwhelming reverence with which the refrain exclaims, “Rejoice! Rejoice!” this hymn, “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel,” stirs our hearts into movement and attention in recollection of the birth of Christ.
Isaiah 9:6-7
6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
7 Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.
Cat Mahm
Christmas Day 7

Christmas Day 6


For the Lord’s Day – I Will Sing the Wondrous Story
I will sing the wondrous story
Of the Christ Who died for me.
How He left His home in glory
For the cross of Calvary.
Refrain
Yes, I’ll sing the wondrous story
Of the Christ Who died for me,
Sing it with the saints in glory,
Gathered by the crystal sea.
I was lost, but Jesus found me,
Found the sheep that went astray,
Threw His loving arms around me,
Drew me back into His way.
Refrain
I was bruised, but Jesus healed me,
Faint was I from many a fall,
Sight was gone, and fears possessed me,
But He freed me from them all.
Refrain
Days of darkness still come o’er me,
Sorrow’s path I often tread,
But His presence still is with me;
By His guiding hand I’m led.
Refrain
He will keep me till the river
Rolls its waters at my feet;
Then He’ll bear me safely over,
Where the loved ones I shall meet.
Refrain
Words: Francis H. Rowley, 1886. The original lyrics began, “Can’t you sing the wondrous story…” Ira Sankey changed them before publishing the song in the 1887 edition of his Sacred Songs and Solos.
Music: Peter P. Bilhorn, 1886 (MIDI, score).
Rowley wrote of this song:
I was minister of the First Baptist Church of North Adams [Massachusetts] at the time the hymn was written in 1886, as nearly as I can remember. The church and the community were experiencing a period of unusual interest in religious matters, and I was assisted by a remarkable young singer named Peter Bilhorn. One night after the close of the service he said, “Why don’t you write a hymn for me to set to music?” During the night these most unpretentious and wholly unworthy verses came to me. Some years ago as I was going down a London street one night about eleven o’clock, I discovered ahead of me a group of Salvation Army people holding a service, and as I came nearer to them it occurred to me that the hymn they were singing was familiar. Then it dawned upon me that it was this one.
REVELATION 15:3
And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvelous are Thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are Thy ways, Thou King of saints.
Jesus Christ the Son of God – Part 3
The first two articles in this study, covered the deity and the humanity of our Savior. This third installment will examine His virgin birth – quite simply – without parallel in all of human history. Through this virgin birth, God became man.
The virgin birth of Jesus Christ – the godman
- There is actually a hint of the virgin birth first found in Genesis. Gen. 3:15 – And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. The One to defeat Satan was to be born of “the seed of the woman,” which is biologically impossible; there is no “seed of a woman.” Genesis 3:15, indicates that One was to be born without a human father.
- Isaiah prophesied that a “virgin would conceive.” Isa. 7:14 – Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. Immanuel = God with us
- Isaiah prophesied again. Isa. 9:6-7 – 6 For unto us a Child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.
- Prophecy stated that He was to be born in Bethlehem. Mic. 5:2 – But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.
- Joseph and Mary went to Bethlehem to be taxed, and to fulfill prophecy. Luke 2:1-7 – And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed. (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) 4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) 5 To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.6 And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. 7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.
Jesus Christ is One perfect Person, with two natures. One nature being that of Almighty God, and His other nature being that of man – man without sin. The unions of the two natures became the God-man Christ Jesus. No other person is without sin. Not Joseph Smith – and not Oprah Winfrey and not me. The perfect sinlessness of the Savior is possible because He did not inherit the sin nature through a human father.
Hebrews 4:15
King James Version (KJV)



