After Mark stated that Jesus is the Messiah and the Son of God in v.1. he then goes on to prove the authority Jesus has as the Messiah. He has authority over people, authority over demons, authority over sickness, including leprosy.

As Jesus continues to teach His disciples, He wants them to be prepared for His return. In this parable, Jesus instructs His disciples about the importance of working while we wait and being found faithful in using what God has given to us to grow His kingdom.

In this passage, Jesus saw Simon and Andrew for not what they were, but for what they were going to be. God sees us, not just as we are, but He sees our potential of having the image of Jesus in us as we surrender our lives to Him in all that we do.

As we conclude the Christmas series on "The Gift of the Manger and the Cross", we finish with Simeon in Luke 2. He was a man who was filled with the Holy Spirit and walked with God. When he saw Jesus, he couldn't help but lift a song of praise as he held the one who would bring salvation to all people. On this Christmas Day, let us also celebrate the salvation that Jesus has brought to us.

As we come to Christmas, we are looking at two gifts that God has given to the world, the gift of the Manger and the gift of the Cross. Today, as we think about the manger, we see the angels telling shepherds that they bring good news that will cause great joy, and that news is about the Saviour being born and they will find him in a manger. What a great gift to this world!