December 23, 2024 • 12 mins
Christmas is a celebration of God’s greatest gift—Jesus, Immanuel, God with us—and a reminder of His deep love and favor toward you. Through the stories of Elisabeth and Mary, host Jodie Chiricosta reveals how God’s favor transforms lives, brings hope, and fulfills His incredible plans, even in the midst of chaos.
This special holiday episode will inspire you to embrace God’s love, walk in His peace, and trust His purpose for your life. Celebrate the season knowing that you, too, are highly favored by God!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Hey friends, tis the wonderful holiday season when we get to celebrate the birth of our
(00:04):
Lord Jesus Christ.
Welcome to the Christmas edition of Her God Story podcast, where you will always hear
a good story to encourage and inspire you in your walk with God.
I'm your host, Jodie Chiricosta, ministry leader at Somebody Cares American International
author and traveler on this journey of faith.
The holidays and Christmas in particular for me is a wonderful time to be together with
(00:27):
those we love.
We reach out to and give gifts to our favorite people, letting them know we love and accept
them.
We show our goodwill towards them.
Goodwill, favor, those are at the heart of Christmas.
The night Jesus was born, a multitude of heavenly hosts appeared to shepherds on the hillside
(00:47):
outside Bethlehem.
They were sent specifically to let us know of God's good intentions toward us.
The New King James Version of Luke 2.14 recounts their proclamation, glory to God in the highest
and on earth peace, goodwill toward men.
The NIV reads, glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to those on whom his favor
(01:12):
rests.
How did this goodwill and favor manifest?
It was the birth of Jesus, of course, Emmanuel, God with us.
Now if you picture God as an authoritarian figure who is looking for reasons to smite
you, Emmanuel, God with us, would not be such good news.
(01:34):
But that is not who God is at all.
He is love personified.
And he has come to set everything right.
That word, favor, likely brings something to your mind.
Maybe someone owes you a favor.
Of course, the definition of favor negates the owing part.
But what does favor really mean?
(01:55):
Dictionary.com has a few definitions.
1.
Something done or granted out of goodwill rather than justice or for renumeration, a kind act
so someone cannot truly owe you a favor.
2.
Friendly or well-disposed regard.
3.
The state of being approved or held in high regard.
(02:16):
4.
Excessive kindness.
Oh, I love that one.
5.
A gift bestowed as a token of goodwill, kind regard, and love.
And there are a few others, but you get the point.
When the angels declared that God's favor rests on us, that was huge.
Enormous.
Earth-shattering news that changed everything.
(02:38):
God's favor was sending Jesus the Prince of Peace to take away our sin, our guilt, our
shame, and to invite us into His family as His heirs.
John 3.17 explains that God did not send Jesus to condemn us, but to save us.
In that day, and still today, the world was a mess, not worthy of such goodwill.
(03:02):
And that is what makes His favor so remarkable.
Let's take a look at what the favor and goodwill of God meant in the lives of some women in
the Bible.
In Luke 1, we read about Elizabeth, who was described as very old.
She was also childless, which was a source of great disgrace in that day.
(03:25):
And then a miracle.
The angel Gabriel told her husband Zechariah that Elizabeth would bear him a son.
Not only that, but their son would be a joy and delight to them and be great in the sight
of the Lord.
Zechariah doubted this startling news and questioned the angel's message.
(03:45):
So he lost his ability to speak for a time.
Maybe that was so he could not plant doubt in Elizabeth's heart too.
Not long after that encounter, Elizabeth became pregnant.
For five months, she remained in seclusion.
Why?
I don't know.
Maybe she was afraid of losing the baby.
Maybe she was guarding herself against the mockery of others.
(04:06):
Maybe she was just treasuring this experience that she had longed for all her life.
Whatever the case, she knew God had looked on her with favor and blessed her beyond her
wildest dreams.
In Luke 1.25, a new international version, she declares, The Lord has done this for me.
In these days, he has shown his favor and taken away my disgrace among the people.
(04:32):
The word favor in that verse means to take note of and to regard how sweet and kind the
Lord is.
He took note of Elizabeth who had lived in shame almost her entire life.
And he takes note of us and regards us with his love too.
He knows those things that affect us.
(04:54):
He knows any disgrace we may carry.
And so he sends his favor to us to give us peace, to make us royalty.
As it says in 1 Peter 2.9, You are favored by God, dear friend.
God has taken note of you.
He knows you.
He created you.
And he loves you.
Bask in that knowledge.
(05:15):
It will change your perspective and your life.
The angel Gabriel, the one that visited Zachariah, also visited Mary a few months later.
Now Mary was a young teenager from a poor village in an oppressed land.
Looking at her situation from a human perspective, she did not have much to offer the world.
If things played out as everyone expected, she would scratch out a living with her husband
(05:39):
in relative obscurity.
So when Gabriel arrived, it was more than just historic.
Zachariah was at least a priest and at the temple when Gabriel spoke to him, Mary, young
Mary, was in Nazareth.
Probably learning to cook and clean and keep a proper Jewish home.
But then Mary, seemingly inconsequential Mary, heard these words.
(06:04):
Greetings, you who are highly favored.
The Lord is with you.
Don't be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.
Now in these verses, Luke 1, 28, and 30, favor means, in dude with special honor, God extending
himself to bestow grace, love, and acceptance.
(06:26):
Then Gabriel goes on to explain that Mary will give birth to a king, the son of the
most high.
Can you imagine the overwhelming love and awe Mary must have experienced?
To know the God of all the universe saw her, set his goodwill in favor, his grace and love
on her, and chose her for a very special plan must have set her heart soaring.
(06:52):
She was no longer inconsequential, even though others may not have known how important she
was to God.
And even though the world she lived in was chaotic and oppressive, there was no denying
the amazing role she had in God's master plan.
If you feel like your life is inconsequential, that you're overlooked or undervalued, know
(07:12):
that you too are favored of the Lord.
If you feel like the chaos in our world has derailed any hope of a future for you, know
that God has taken note of you.
Jeremiah 29-11 tells us that God has plans to prosper us and give us a future and hope.
Receive his favor.
Walk in his favor, and he will reveal his special plan for you as you set your heart
(07:36):
to follow him.
Back to Mary.
Like Zachariah, she too had questions for Gabriel, but she did not doubt his words she
sought to understand.
In their conversation, Gabriel told Mary that her relative Elizabeth also was pregnant.
So a few days later, Mary hurried off to see.
Her journey would have taken four or five days at least, but she had to see Elizabeth
(07:59):
and tell her all Gabriel had said.
She knew Elizabeth would understand and understand she did.
As soon as Mary saw Elizabeth and greeted her, Elizabeth knew Mary would be the mother
of their long-awaited Messiah, their Deliverer, and ours.
Luke 1.42-45 reads, In a loud voice Elizabeth exclaimed,
(08:24):
Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear.
But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord would come to me, as soon as the sound
of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.
Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises in her.
(08:45):
Elizabeth was twice favored by the Lord first when he took away her disgrace by giving
her a son, and again when he revealed his plan of a manual to her through Mary's visit,
she was likely the second person to know God's Messiah was coming.
God used her to encourage Mary for the road ahead, and God's favor on Elizabeth and Mary
(09:09):
was not just a brief visit from an angel.
His favor and goodwill carried them the rest of their lives, and that favor was extended
to the whole world when Jesus was actually born.
You dear friend, our favorite of the Lord, how do I know?
Well, God has you listening to this episode, that alone tells me that God favors you and
wants you to know it.
(09:30):
But there's more.
Ephesians 1-6 tells us that God has freely given us his favor, his grace, which is the
very thing that the angels proclaimed the night Jesus was born.
As you celebrate this Emmanuel, God with us, and enter the New Year, God wants you to know
that you too are highly, highly, highly favored by him.
(09:53):
He has taken notice of you.
He has set his grace and love on you.
And he does have a wonderful plan for you.
Do not doubt.
Thank him for it and see what he will do.
Let me pray for you.
Father, thank you for setting your favor on us.
Thank you for sending Jesus Emmanuel to be with us.
(10:17):
Thank you for giving us peace, even though our world seems out of control.
We know that you hold us in your hands, and according to Colossians 1-17, you hold all
things together.
And boy, we need that right now.
Hold everything together, Lord.
For that, we're truly grateful.
Father, I ask that you would reveal yourself to my dear listeners, even now.
(10:39):
Let each one of them know that you're with them, that you have taken note of them, and
that your grace is sufficient for every situation because you love and favor them.
In this coming year, I ask a special measure of grace and favor on each one.
Lead them in paths of righteousness for your name's sake and prosper them.
According to your plan, prosper them in spirit, in soul, and in body.
(11:04):
You're able to do all these things because you alone are God.
We know that you're good.
We know that you're powerful.
We know that you are love.
And we're your children because of your good pleasure.
So we know that you hear and will answer this prayer.
And we pray this in Jesus' name.
Amen.
You know, dear friends, there are widows as well as orphans all over the world who need
(11:28):
to experience God's favor and tangible expression of His love, His goodwill, right now.
Many have special needs that we as a company of women can meet together.
Will you?
Consider joining us with a special gift to help.
Just go to hergodstory.org and click on the Widow and Orphan tab at the top of the page.
And thank you for tuning in.
In our show notes at hergodstory.org, you'll find scriptures and other information we talked
(11:51):
about.
You can also get a six-week devotional on Women of the Bible to download for free.
It's a great way to start the new year.
Or you may want to purchase the 12-week devotional for just $12, knowing that all the proceeds
go to support our Widow and Orphan fund.
We'd love to pray with you on our 24-7 prayer and text line.
So give us a call anytime at 855-459-CARE or E-U-L-S at prayer at somebodycares.org.
(12:18):
And now dear friends, I bless you from Luke 2, 14, glory to God in the highest heaven
and on earth, peace to you, dear friend, on whom God's favor rests.
Merry Christmas and blessed new year.
Her God Story is a ministry of Somebody Cares America and International.
(12:39):
To find out more about or support the ministry, go to somebodycares.org.
Hey friends, tis the wonderful holiday season when we get to celebrate the birth of our
(00:04):
Lord Jesus Christ.
Welcome to the Christmas edition of Her God Story podcast, where you will always hear
a good story to encourage and inspire you in your walk with God.
I'm your host, Jodie Chiricosta, ministry leader at Somebody Cares American International
author and traveler on this journey of faith.
The holidays and Christmas in particular for me is a wonderful time to be together with
(00:27):
those we love.
We reach out to and give gifts to our favorite people, letting them know we love and accept
them.
We show our goodwill towards them.
Goodwill, favor, those are at the heart of Christmas.
The night Jesus was born, a multitude of heavenly hosts appeared to shepherds on the hillside
(00:47):
outside Bethlehem.
They were sent specifically to let us know of God's good intentions toward us.
The New King James Version of Luke 2.14 recounts their proclamation, glory to God in the highest
and on earth peace, goodwill toward men.
The NIV reads, glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to those on whom his favor
(01:12):
rests.
How did this goodwill and favor manifest?
It was the birth of Jesus, of course, Emmanuel, God with us.
Now if you picture God as an authoritarian figure who is looking for reasons to smite
you, Emmanuel, God with us, would not be such good news.
(01:34):
But that is not who God is at all.
He is love personified.
And he has come to set everything right.
That word, favor, likely brings something to your mind.
Maybe someone owes you a favor.
Of course, the definition of favor negates the owing part.
But what does favor really mean?
(01:55):
Dictionary.com has a few definitions.
1.
Something done or granted out of goodwill rather than justice or for renumeration, a kind act
so someone cannot truly owe you a favor.
2.
Friendly or well-disposed regard.
3.
The state of being approved or held in high regard.
(02:16):
4.
Excessive kindness.
Oh, I love that one.
5.
A gift bestowed as a token of goodwill, kind regard, and love.
And there are a few others, but you get the point.
When the angels declared that God's favor rests on us, that was huge.
Enormous.
Earth-shattering news that changed everything.
(02:38):
God's favor was sending Jesus the Prince of Peace to take away our sin, our guilt, our
shame, and to invite us into His family as His heirs.
John 3.17 explains that God did not send Jesus to condemn us, but to save us.
In that day, and still today, the world was a mess, not worthy of such goodwill.
(03:02):
And that is what makes His favor so remarkable.
Let's take a look at what the favor and goodwill of God meant in the lives of some women in
the Bible.
In Luke 1, we read about Elizabeth, who was described as very old.
She was also childless, which was a source of great disgrace in that day.
(03:25):
And then a miracle.
The angel Gabriel told her husband Zechariah that Elizabeth would bear him a son.
Not only that, but their son would be a joy and delight to them and be great in the sight
of the Lord.
Zechariah doubted this startling news and questioned the angel's message.
(03:45):
So he lost his ability to speak for a time.
Maybe that was so he could not plant doubt in Elizabeth's heart too.
Not long after that encounter, Elizabeth became pregnant.
For five months, she remained in seclusion.
Why?
I don't know.
Maybe she was afraid of losing the baby.
Maybe she was guarding herself against the mockery of others.
(04:06):
Maybe she was just treasuring this experience that she had longed for all her life.
Whatever the case, she knew God had looked on her with favor and blessed her beyond her
wildest dreams.
In Luke 1.25, a new international version, she declares, The Lord has done this for me.
In these days, he has shown his favor and taken away my disgrace among the people.
(04:32):
The word favor in that verse means to take note of and to regard how sweet and kind the
Lord is.
He took note of Elizabeth who had lived in shame almost her entire life.
And he takes note of us and regards us with his love too.
He knows those things that affect us.
(04:54):
He knows any disgrace we may carry.
And so he sends his favor to us to give us peace, to make us royalty.
As it says in 1 Peter 2.9, You are favored by God, dear friend.
God has taken note of you.
He knows you.
He created you.
And he loves you.
Bask in that knowledge.
(05:15):
It will change your perspective and your life.
The angel Gabriel, the one that visited Zachariah, also visited Mary a few months later.
Now Mary was a young teenager from a poor village in an oppressed land.
Looking at her situation from a human perspective, she did not have much to offer the world.
If things played out as everyone expected, she would scratch out a living with her husband
(05:39):
in relative obscurity.
So when Gabriel arrived, it was more than just historic.
Zachariah was at least a priest and at the temple when Gabriel spoke to him, Mary, young
Mary, was in Nazareth.
Probably learning to cook and clean and keep a proper Jewish home.
But then Mary, seemingly inconsequential Mary, heard these words.
(06:04):
Greetings, you who are highly favored.
The Lord is with you.
Don't be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.
Now in these verses, Luke 1, 28, and 30, favor means, in dude with special honor, God extending
himself to bestow grace, love, and acceptance.
(06:26):
Then Gabriel goes on to explain that Mary will give birth to a king, the son of the
most high.
Can you imagine the overwhelming love and awe Mary must have experienced?
To know the God of all the universe saw her, set his goodwill in favor, his grace and love
on her, and chose her for a very special plan must have set her heart soaring.
(06:52):
She was no longer inconsequential, even though others may not have known how important she
was to God.
And even though the world she lived in was chaotic and oppressive, there was no denying
the amazing role she had in God's master plan.
If you feel like your life is inconsequential, that you're overlooked or undervalued, know
(07:12):
that you too are favored of the Lord.
If you feel like the chaos in our world has derailed any hope of a future for you, know
that God has taken note of you.
Jeremiah 29-11 tells us that God has plans to prosper us and give us a future and hope.
Receive his favor.
Walk in his favor, and he will reveal his special plan for you as you set your heart
(07:36):
to follow him.
Back to Mary.
Like Zachariah, she too had questions for Gabriel, but she did not doubt his words she
sought to understand.
In their conversation, Gabriel told Mary that her relative Elizabeth also was pregnant.
So a few days later, Mary hurried off to see.
Her journey would have taken four or five days at least, but she had to see Elizabeth
(07:59):
and tell her all Gabriel had said.
She knew Elizabeth would understand and understand she did.
As soon as Mary saw Elizabeth and greeted her, Elizabeth knew Mary would be the mother
of their long-awaited Messiah, their Deliverer, and ours.
Luke 1.42-45 reads, In a loud voice Elizabeth exclaimed,
(08:24):
Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear.
But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord would come to me, as soon as the sound
of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.
Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises in her.
(08:45):
Elizabeth was twice favored by the Lord first when he took away her disgrace by giving
her a son, and again when he revealed his plan of a manual to her through Mary's visit,
she was likely the second person to know God's Messiah was coming.
God used her to encourage Mary for the road ahead, and God's favor on Elizabeth and Mary
(09:09):
was not just a brief visit from an angel.
His favor and goodwill carried them the rest of their lives, and that favor was extended
to the whole world when Jesus was actually born.
You dear friend, our favorite of the Lord, how do I know?
Well, God has you listening to this episode, that alone tells me that God favors you and
wants you to know it.
(09:30):
But there's more.
Ephesians 1-6 tells us that God has freely given us his favor, his grace, which is the
very thing that the angels proclaimed the night Jesus was born.
As you celebrate this Emmanuel, God with us, and enter the New Year, God wants you to know
that you too are highly, highly, highly favored by him.
(09:53):
He has taken notice of you.
He has set his grace and love on you.
And he does have a wonderful plan for you.
Do not doubt.
Thank him for it and see what he will do.
Let me pray for you.
Father, thank you for setting your favor on us.
Thank you for sending Jesus Emmanuel to be with us.
(10:17):
Thank you for giving us peace, even though our world seems out of control.
We know that you hold us in your hands, and according to Colossians 1-17, you hold all
things together.
And boy, we need that right now.
Hold everything together, Lord.
For that, we're truly grateful.
Father, I ask that you would reveal yourself to my dear listeners, even now.
(10:39):
Let each one of them know that you're with them, that you have taken note of them, and
that your grace is sufficient for every situation because you love and favor them.
In this coming year, I ask a special measure of grace and favor on each one.
Lead them in paths of righteousness for your name's sake and prosper them.
According to your plan, prosper them in spirit, in soul, and in body.
(11:04):
You're able to do all these things because you alone are God.
We know that you're good.
We know that you're powerful.
We know that you are love.
And we're your children because of your good pleasure.
So we know that you hear and will answer this prayer.
And we pray this in Jesus' name.
Amen.
You know, dear friends, there are widows as well as orphans all over the world who need
(11:28):
to experience God's favor and tangible expression of His love, His goodwill, right now.
Many have special needs that we as a company of women can meet together.
Will you?
Consider joining us with a special gift to help.
Just go to hergodstory.org and click on the Widow and Orphan tab at the top of the page.
And thank you for tuning in.
In our show notes at hergodstory.org, you'll find scriptures and other information we talked
(11:51):
about.
You can also get a six-week devotional on Women of the Bible to download for free.
It's a great way to start the new year.
Or you may want to purchase the 12-week devotional for just $12, knowing that all the proceeds
go to support our Widow and Orphan fund.
We'd love to pray with you on our 24-7 prayer and text line.
So give us a call anytime at 855-459-CARE or E-U-L-S at prayer at somebodycares.org.
(12:18):
And now dear friends, I bless you from Luke 2, 14, glory to God in the highest heaven
and on earth, peace to you, dear friend, on whom God's favor rests.
Merry Christmas and blessed new year.
Her God Story is a ministry of Somebody Cares America and International.
(12:39):
To find out more about or support the ministry, go to somebodycares.org.
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