25 Days of Christmas - Day 24

Today is Christmas Eve.  People everywhere are preparing to spend time with family and friends for parties and dinners.  Some are taking in some LAST minute shopping opportunities at the mall, shopping center, or their local Wal-Mart.  All around us, there is the rush and business of the holiday season.  I want to encourage you to stop and take a break in the midst of it all to focus on the reason that we celebrate in the first place...the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

At Bridges of Hope Fellowship, we're helping people to take that break in the midst of the rush.  We're offering two Christmas Eve Services to help people to refocus on the meaning for the season.  Join us tonight at 5 or 7 p.m. (CST) for a traditional carol candlelight Christmas Eve celebration.  We're located at 4023 Smithville Hwy. in McMinnville, TN.  I hope you'll bring your family out and maybe even start a new Christmas family tradition!  For more information or directions, visit us online at www.GetHope.info

I'd like to look at one of my all time favorite Christmas carols today, if would could.  It's "Silent Night."

Silent Night

Glories stream from heaven afar. Heavenly hosts sing Hallelujah!

Christ the Savior is born! Christ the Savior is born!

The days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land. In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. This is the name by which he will be called: The LORD Our Righteous Savior.”    Jeremiah 23:5-6 NIV

When I was a child, we were poor. We rarely bought anything other than necessities throughout the year. About two months before Christmas, my parents asked me to write a list of all the things I wanted. I would pour through catalogs, to stores (before the internet) and dream about all the things I could possibly enjoy for the coming year. After my list was complete, I waited anxiously anticipating the gifts under the tree. The waiting felt like years, but it was worth the wait. Christmas morning was the best day! I spent the rest of the year enjoying my new toys!

God’s children, for hundreds of years, had anticipated the arrival of their Savior. Parents told their children of the coming King: The one who would save them all. Their kids told their kids. Everyone was anxiously awaiting the One they had heard about. The arrival of Jesus, their Savior, was a holy night. The heavens rejoiced. Angels sang. Shepherds quaked at the sight. At Christmas, we remember this day that heaven came to earth! The day God fulfilled His promise! The day God became man to redeem his children from a broken world. Your savior is here. He is present! You don’t have to anticipate something you already have. Celebrate. Enjoy the gift you have received!

In what areas of your life are you waiting and anticipating God’s presence?

25 Days of Christmas - Day 8

Away In A Manger

Away in a manger, no crib for His bed;

the little Lord Jesus laid down His sweet head

While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 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.  Luke 2:6-7 NIV

The King of Kings and Lord of Lords is born in a manger with not so much as a bed to lie on. The humble beginnings of our Lord’s life remind us that we are to be humble and thankful for what we have been blessed with. The true meaning of Christmas is reflected so poetically in the story of Jesus’ birth that we cannot help but find ourselves grateful for all that was given to us on that day.

The song describes how even when Jesus wakes, he does not cry out or make a sound. This day was a day of rejoicing, and the baby lying awake on the hay was no ordinary child, He was the Savior of men! The last verse of the song asks the Lord to stay beside us, to lead us, and to eventually take us to Heaven to live with Him. How often is that our prayer? Stay beside me Lord as I make my way through this earthly life.

How glorious and beautiful is the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. We celebrate His birth and the life that was given to us by Him through His life, death, and resurrection.

In your opinion, how does this carol reflect the love of Christ?

What does this carol show you about our Lord at the beginning of His life here on earth?

Why do you think God chose for his son to be born in a manger instead of a birth fitting of royalty?