Luke 2:8-20 (NIV)

8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven,

and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

Reflect:

For the shepherds who were watching over the sheep on the margins of town, known as marginal in all ways, God came to them with good news of great joy. How should we understand this news of great joy? This ‘great joy’ was something very special, something very unique. There was no joy like this ever before because there was never an event like Christ coming to earth. This event was more than a once-in-a-lifetime experience, it was a once-in-all-of-history moment for the shepherds and for humanity. After their encounter with the Messiah the shepherds were unable to contain their joy. Their joy would turn to praise and adoration of God as they reflected on all that they had experienced.

Respond:

Like it was for the shepherds, there is not an event in our lives that brings greater joy than encountering God. In this Christmas season, as we reflect on this once-in-all-of-history moment, as those who have encountered and experienced God, may the joy in our hearts overflow! This joy is not for the Christmas season alone. We can experience real joy as we encounter God again and again. As people who have experienced his favor, let’s respond today by living lives of praise and adoration to God. As those who have experienced the hope and joy of God, may we be like the shepherds and not hold back.

1. WT 2012 Faculty can still view and email course roster through SA.
2. Creation of SP 2012 Bb course shells delayed pending resolution of current issue.

We congratulate the 114 students who graduated from our programs in December 2011. Three students received Ph.D. degrees in Computer Science, 58 received M.S. degrees in Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Engineering Management and Systems Engineering, and 53 got B.S. degrees in Computer Engineering and Computer Science. We wish all of our new alumni happiness and success as they moved on to new challenges in 2012. Please stay in touch by keeping your contact information current on the UMBC Alumni Association site.

Luke 2:1-7 NIV

1 In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2(This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 And everyone went to their own town to register.

4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.

Isaiah 9:2, 6, 7 NIV

2 The people walking in darkness

have seen a great light;

on those living in the land of deep darkness

a light has dawned.

6 For to us a child is born,

to us a son is given,

and the government will be on his shoulders.

And he will be called

Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

7 Of the greatness of his government and peace

there will be no end.

He will reign on David’s throne

and over his kingdom,

establishing and upholding it

with justice and righteousness

from that time on and forever.

The zeal of the LORD Almighty

will accomplish this.

Reflect:

For Mary and Joseph, all that had been promised came true as they welcomed the birth of baby Jesus. God fulfilled His word given to them. But even much more than just Mary and Joseph, the arrival of Jesus fulfilled God’s promises to His people, recorded by Isaiah six hundred years prior! In this history-changing moment, a new reality of God involved and with His people was beginning.  This is what the people of God were longing, dreaming, and hoping for since the days of Isaiah’s prophecies. The fulfillment of God’s promises through Jesus Christ was truly a light dawning during a time of deep darkness and silence.

Respond:

As verse 7 in Isaiah 6 ends, it was truly “the zeal of the Lord Almighty” which accomplished and fulfilled all that was promised. In God’s fierce loyalty and care, He has come and He has made Himself known to us as Emmanuel, God with us.  The response of God’s people was and is an unshakable trust and faith in God, a new and powerful way to live.  Today we can pray for our lives to be even more shaped by this response so we can live out of this unshakable trust and faith.  May our faith in Christ deepen like never before!

The Third International Workshop on the role of the Semantic Web in Provenance Management will be held in conjunction with the Ninth Extended Semantic Web Conference (ESWC-2012) on May 27 or 28 in Heraklion, Greece. The workshop’s objectives are to explore opportunities offered by the Semantic Web technologies in the context of the management and exploitation of provenance and document the role of provenance in real-world Semantic Web applications.

The one day workshop will include presentations of full research papers, short position papers, a panel on the W3C provenance working group proposals, and demonstrations of prototypes and working systems. Submit papers and demonstration proposals by 4 March 2012.