Emmanuel God With Us in Her Story Part 2

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Welcome to a special two -part Christmas series

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of Her God Story, Emmanuel, God with us in Her

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story. Together we'll journey through the series

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of women in the family line of Jesus, discovering

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how their struggles, longings, and faith point

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us to the hope of Christmas. Welcome back to

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Her God Story and Merry Christmas, dear friends.

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I'm your host, Jodie Chiricosta, and I'm so glad

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you're here. In this episode, you'll hear more

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stories to encourage and inspire you in your

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walk with the Lord. Again, all scriptures quoted

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in this episode are from the New International

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Version. In our last episode, we looked at the

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stories of Sarah, Rebekah, Leah, and Tamar, women

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who longed for God's intervention and discovered

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that He was near. Their lives remind us that

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in our waiting, our striving, our rejection,

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and even in seasons of injustice, Emmanuel has

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always been present. Today, we'll look at the

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lives of four more women. Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheba,

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and Mary. Their stories reveal faith that saves,

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redemption that embraces outsiders, hope restored

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in grief and shame, and the ultimate fulfillment

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of God's Word in Christ. Once again, their yearning

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echoes through the carol that has been sung for

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centuries. Oh come, oh come, Emmanuel, and ransom

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captive Israel. that mourns in lonely exile here

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until the Son of God appear. O come, thou rod

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of Jesse, free thine own from Satan's tyranny,

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from depths of hell thy people save, and give

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them victory o 'er the grave. That ancient cry

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was fulfilled on the night Christ was born. The

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longing of generations, the longing of these

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women was answered in Bethlehem. Emmanuel has

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come. God is with us. So now let's step into

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their stories and see how their hope points us

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to the true joy of Christmas. Generations after

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Sarah and Rebecca, Leah and Tamar, when the Israelites

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finally entered the promised land after 40 years

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of wilderness wanting, Rahab enters the scene.

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You'll find her story in Joshua chapters two

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and six. Rahab was a prostitute living in Jericho.

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She was an outsider to Israel in every way, culturally,

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morally, spiritually. By the standards of her

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world, she was completely disqualified. And according

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to God's own command, her city and everyone in

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it were destined for destruction. But Rahab had

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heard the stories of the Lord, the God who brought

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his people out of Egypt, who had parted the Red

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Sea. who fed them in the wilderness. She believed

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that this God was not like the cruel idols of

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Canaan. In fact, in Joshua 2, 9 through 11, she

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told the spies, Her faith was remarkable. She

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risked her life to hide the Israelite spies on

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her roof and lower them to safety over the wall.

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Her only request was that her family be spared.

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When the walls of Jericho fell, Rahab and her

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household were saved. God rescued her from destruction

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and she was welcomed to be part of his people.

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Later, Rahab married the Israelite named Salman

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and together they had a son named Boaz. From

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her line came Obed, Jesse, and King David. Imagine,

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a Canaanite prostitute became the great -great

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-grandmother of Israelite's most famous king

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and part of Messiah's own genealogy. In her belief,

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Immanuel, God with us, met her in a city doomed

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for destruction and made her part of his family.

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Christmas reminds us no past is too dark. No

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shame is too great. No person is too far gone

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for God's redemption. Through faith, Rahab's

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scarlet cord became a symbol of salvation, pointing

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us to the blood of Christ. who saves all who

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trust in him. Rahab's son, Boaz, will later marry

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another woman of courage, Ruth, a widow from

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Moab. Her story told in the Book of Ruth begins

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with deep sorrow. Ruth's husband died, leaving

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her childless in a harsh land. Her mother -in

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-law, Naomi, urged her to return to her own people,

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but Ruth had come to know enough about the God

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of Israel the true and living God who gives life,

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to reject the bloodthirsty false god, Kamash,

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worshiped by the Moabites. Clinging to her mother

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-in -law, Naomi, in Ruth 1 .16, made one of the

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most beautiful declarations in Scripture. Don't

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urge me to leave you or turn back from you. Where

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you go, I will go. Where you stay, I will stay.

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Your people will be my people and your God. my

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God. She left everything behind, everything familiar

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to follow Naomi to Bethlehem. There she worked

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tirelessly, gleaning grain to provide for them

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both with no designs other than to serve Naomi

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and Israel's God. And because of her faith, God

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directed her steps to Boaz, a man of integrity

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and compassion. He became her kinsman redeemer.

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a close relative who had the right to redeem

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her deceased husband's land and provide an heir.

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Boaz willingly took that role, marrying Ruth

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and securing her future. From their union came

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Obed, the grandfather of King David. Ruth, a

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foreigner once outside the covenant, became part

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of the royal line leading to Christ himself.

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Her story proclaims that God's redemption extends

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far beyond borders and backgrounds. Ruth was

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not born into Israel's promise, yet by faith

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she entered into it. And through her, God brought

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forth the Redeemer of all nations. At Christmas,

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we remember that Emmanuel, God with us, came

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not only for the chosen people of Israel, but

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for the outsider too. Ruth's story invites us

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to see God's love reaching beyond every barrier

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to welcome all who believe. Christmas reminds

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us God welcomes the outsider. He redeems the

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forgotten and he restores the broken. His love

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reaches further than we can imagine. From Ruth's

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line came Jesse. And from Jesse, David, the man

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after God's own heart. But even David's household

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bore this marks of sin and sorrow. Bathsheba's

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story begins in 2 Samuel 11 and 12 and continues

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in 1 Kings 1 and 2. Bathsheba was taken by King

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David when her husband Uriah was away at war.

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When she became pregnant, David tried to cover

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it up and ultimately arranged Uriah's death.

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Bathsheba was left widowed, shamed, and grieving

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the loss of both her husband and her innocence.

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Thankfully, David did not abandon her and she

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became one of his wives. And soon after, her

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first child with David died. Her early days with

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the king were marked by pain upon pain, betrayal,

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loss, and shame. Yet, even in her grief, God

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did not abandon her. The Lord sent the prophet

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Nathaniel to confront David's sin, and out of

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his repentance came mercy. God gave Bathsheba

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another son, Solomon. And the scripture says

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the Lord loved him. Over time, Bathsheba was

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restored to honor. She, of all David's wives,

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became the Queen Mother. Her wisdom and influence

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shaping the future of the nation. She's remembered

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not only in her shame and sorrow, but for the

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hope that followed it. And in Matthew's genealogy,

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she's included, an enduring reminder that God

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redeems both sin and suffering. In Bathsheba's

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tears, Emmanuel, God with us, drew near to comfort,

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to redeem, and to restore. He transformed a story

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marked by shame into one of legacy and grace.

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If you've walked through loss, betrayal, or regret,

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Bathsheba's story reminds us that no wound lines

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beyond the reach, beyond the reach of God's mercy.

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He restores hope in our grief, dignity in our

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shame, and beauty for our ashes. And at Christmas,

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we're reminded again. The God who came near still

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brings life out of sorrow and light into our

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darkest places. And then we come to Mary, the

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young woman from Nazareth through whom every

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promise was fulfilled. Her story begins in Luke

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chapter one and two and Matthew chapters one

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and two. Mary was betrothed to Joseph, a carpenter,

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when the angel Gabriel appeared to her. He said

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in Luke one, 31 and 32, you will conceive. and

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give birth to a son, and you are to call him

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Jesus. He will be great and will be called the

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son of the Most High." Mary was startled. She

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asked, how can this be, since I'm a virgin? But

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the angel assured her, for no word of God will

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ever fail. In simple faith, Mary responded, I'm

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the Lord's servant. May your word be fulfilled.

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Her obedience was not easy. She faced misunderstanding,

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gossip, and really great risks to her life. Yet

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she trusted that the God who called her would

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sustain her. And when the time came, she gave

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birth to Emmanuel, God with us, in a humble stable

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in Bethlehem. The Savior of the world was laid

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in a manger, wrapped in swaddling clothes while

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angels filled the heavens with song. Shepherds

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and wise men came bearing praise and elaborate

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gifts. and Mary treasured all these things quietly

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in her heart. Her faith opened the door for the

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incarnation, the moment when heaven touched earth

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and God took on flesh to dwell among us. Mary's

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story is the culmination of every longing cry,

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oh come, oh come, Emmanuel. The yearning of Sarah,

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the striving of Rebecca, the rejection of Leah.

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The injustice of Tamar, the faith of Rahab, the

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loyalty of Ruth, the shame and sorrow of Bathsheba,

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all find their remedy and fulfillment in Mary's

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child, Jesus. Christmas proclaims God has come.

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Emmanuel is with us. All these stories reveal

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who God is and how he works. God saves by faith,

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as he did for Rahab. God redeems with love. as

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he did for Ruth. God restores hope in shame and

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grief, as he did for Bathsheba. And God fulfills

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his word in Christ through Mary. They all converge

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in Bethlehem where the longing of the generations

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was finally answered. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

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has come. He came for Rahab the outsider who

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believed. He came for Ruth the loyal foreigner

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redeemed by love. He came for Bathsheba whose

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sorrow was transformed into hope. He came for

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Mary, whose faith welcomed the Savior into the

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world. And friend, He has come for you too. Emmanuel,

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God with us, is here. Let me pray for you. Lord

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Jesus, thank you so much for Emmanuel, God with

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us. Thank you for giving us the stories of women

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who walked this earth in pain and sorrow and

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how you restored them all. You show us what faith,

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loyalty, redemption, and surrender look like.

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Thank you for using their lives to remind us

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that you are always at work saving, restoring,

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and fulfilling your promises. Lord, I pray for

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every friend listening right now. You know their

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hearts, their hurts, their hopes. Would you meet

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them right now where they are? Redeem what's

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been broken? Restore what's been lost? Breathe

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new life into every place that feels weary or

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waiting? Father, let this Christmas be more than

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just a season. Let it be a fresh reminder that

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you are near. Fill each heart with the peace

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and joy that only your presence can bring. In

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your precious name, Jesus, we pray, amen. Friend,

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this Christmas may you experience the joy of

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Emmanuel God with us. May his peace guard your

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heart and his love redeem your story and his

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presence go with you into the new year. Rejoice!

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Emmanuel has come, and he is with you. Thank

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you for joining me for this Christmas series

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of Her God's Story. If these episodes have blessed

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you, please share them with someone who needs

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encouragement this Christmas. And as you prepare

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your heart for the season, don't forget to download

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your free companion devotional, Emmanuel, God

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With Us in Her Story, as well as an Emmanuel,

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God With Us in His Story devotional, both at

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hergodstory .org. They will guide you day by

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day through the stories of these men or women

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who are in the lineage of Christ to help you

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prepare for the celebration of His birth. And

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remember, you're not walking alone. If you need

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prayer, you can call us anytime on our 24 -7

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Somebody Cares prayer line at 855 -459 -CARE

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or email us at prayer at somebodycares .org.

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At Christmas, we also reflect God's love by caring

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for the vulnerable. Through our Widow and Orphan

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Fund, Somebody Cares provides help for widows

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and orphans in crisis around the world. When

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we give, we join God in weaving redemption into

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someone else's story. You can learn more at hergodstory

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.org. And as this year comes to a close, I invite

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you to join us again in January for brand new

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Her God Story episodes. New stories of faith,

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redemption, and God's amazing grace in everyday

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lives. From all of us at Her God Story and Somebody

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Cares, Merry Christmas. May the joy of Immanuel,

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God with us, fill your heart and home this season

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and in the year ahead. And remember, God is still

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writing your story. From all of us at Her God

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Story and Somebody Cares, Merry Christmas. May

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the joy of Immanuel, God with us, fill your heart

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and home this season and in the year ahead.