
And so it is… Almost Christmas!
* Today I want to suggest that you use this blog and read it together with your family as an evening devotion. Why? Well… Start by opening your Bible and read Luke 2:1-20. (Now read the following…)
* We get involved in so many things during this time of the year… It is hard to remember what it is all about… We need constant reminders.
* A television interviewer was walking streets of Tokyo at Christmas time. Much as in America, Christmas shopping is a big commercial success in Japan. The interviewer stopped one young woman on the sidewalk, and asked, "What is the meaning of Christmas?" Laughing, she responded, "I don't know. Is that the day that Jesus died?" There was some truth in her answer, but don’t let that happen to you and your family.
* Did you notice… The giving of gifts is not something people invented. God started the giving spree when he gave a gift beyond words, the unspeakable gift of His Son. Did you ever receive a more wonderful gift? I have not.
* It was a certainly a simple scene that first Christmas… Close your eyes and imagine for a 10 seconds how it would have looked like…
* It was a rough room, a very poor young couple and nothing but a feeding trough to put the child in. It was probably quite cold and with family far away there was little help. Not exactly a comfortable and peaceful event as we often show in Christmas pageants… And yet this rustic scene marked the greatest event in the history of mankind. (By the way, come to the family Christmas pageant this coming Wednesday evening in the Family Life Center at St. John’s.
* God's Son became human and came to earth to save us. Since Adam and Eve God had promised to send a Messiah, one who would save His people. He could have easily burst on the scene as a full grown man, a seven foot warrior with fiery eyes and arms of steel. This was what many people were looking for, but it wasn't how God did it. He arrived in the arms of a young girl. He was, as another of our authors put it, "a very small package, wrapped in rags, given from the heart of God. The perfect gift."
* God gave His only Son to die in our place so that we, in all our brokenness, could know forgiveness. He came so that we could know what love feels like, real love – love that never leaves, love that never disappoints, love that never fails. He sent His Son into a lost & corrupted world to bring us hope and a future.
* I have to share a little joke… A few days before Christmas, two young brothers were spending the night at their grandparent's house. When it was time to go to bed, and anxious to do the right thing, they both knelt down to say their prayers. Suddenly, the younger one began to do so in a very loud voice. "Dear Lord, please ask Santa Claus to bring me a play-station, a mountain-bike and a telescope." His older brother leaned over and nudged his brother and said, "Why are you shouting your prayers? God isn't deaf." "I know" he replied, "But Grandma is!"
* How are you doing this Christmas season? Are you having a hard time finding hope in the world? Are you having a hard time finding peace? It doesn't have to be that way. You can have peace and find hope and know forgiveness in Jesus Christ.
* C. S. Lewis said, “The Son of God became a man to enable men to become the sons of God.” That is what we are – children of God through the miracle of Bethlehem.
* So, this is Christmas… it is not about the tinsel, or the giving & receiving, even though gifts are a demonstration of love… it is even about the Christmas carols, but the humble heart that receives anew the wondrous gift, the Christ – that is what you and I need. It is almost Christmas…
Prayer - Lord Jesus, thank You for coming to our broken world and broken lives as a baby in Bethlehem. Thank You for Thank You for dying on the cross for my sins. Holy Spirit, open the door of my life to Jesus. Baby Jesus, be my Savior, be my Lord, take control of my life. Thank You for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Bring peace to my world this Christmas. Make me the kind of person You want me to be, amen.
Rev. Don Sonntag
* Today I want to suggest that you use this blog and read it together with your family as an evening devotion. Why? Well… Start by opening your Bible and read Luke 2:1-20. (Now read the following…)
* We get involved in so many things during this time of the year… It is hard to remember what it is all about… We need constant reminders.
* A television interviewer was walking streets of Tokyo at Christmas time. Much as in America, Christmas shopping is a big commercial success in Japan. The interviewer stopped one young woman on the sidewalk, and asked, "What is the meaning of Christmas?" Laughing, she responded, "I don't know. Is that the day that Jesus died?" There was some truth in her answer, but don’t let that happen to you and your family.
* Did you notice… The giving of gifts is not something people invented. God started the giving spree when he gave a gift beyond words, the unspeakable gift of His Son. Did you ever receive a more wonderful gift? I have not.
* It was a certainly a simple scene that first Christmas… Close your eyes and imagine for a 10 seconds how it would have looked like…
* It was a rough room, a very poor young couple and nothing but a feeding trough to put the child in. It was probably quite cold and with family far away there was little help. Not exactly a comfortable and peaceful event as we often show in Christmas pageants… And yet this rustic scene marked the greatest event in the history of mankind. (By the way, come to the family Christmas pageant this coming Wednesday evening in the Family Life Center at St. John’s.
* God's Son became human and came to earth to save us. Since Adam and Eve God had promised to send a Messiah, one who would save His people. He could have easily burst on the scene as a full grown man, a seven foot warrior with fiery eyes and arms of steel. This was what many people were looking for, but it wasn't how God did it. He arrived in the arms of a young girl. He was, as another of our authors put it, "a very small package, wrapped in rags, given from the heart of God. The perfect gift."
* God gave His only Son to die in our place so that we, in all our brokenness, could know forgiveness. He came so that we could know what love feels like, real love – love that never leaves, love that never disappoints, love that never fails. He sent His Son into a lost & corrupted world to bring us hope and a future.
* I have to share a little joke… A few days before Christmas, two young brothers were spending the night at their grandparent's house. When it was time to go to bed, and anxious to do the right thing, they both knelt down to say their prayers. Suddenly, the younger one began to do so in a very loud voice. "Dear Lord, please ask Santa Claus to bring me a play-station, a mountain-bike and a telescope." His older brother leaned over and nudged his brother and said, "Why are you shouting your prayers? God isn't deaf." "I know" he replied, "But Grandma is!"
* How are you doing this Christmas season? Are you having a hard time finding hope in the world? Are you having a hard time finding peace? It doesn't have to be that way. You can have peace and find hope and know forgiveness in Jesus Christ.
* C. S. Lewis said, “The Son of God became a man to enable men to become the sons of God.” That is what we are – children of God through the miracle of Bethlehem.
* So, this is Christmas… it is not about the tinsel, or the giving & receiving, even though gifts are a demonstration of love… it is even about the Christmas carols, but the humble heart that receives anew the wondrous gift, the Christ – that is what you and I need. It is almost Christmas…
Prayer - Lord Jesus, thank You for coming to our broken world and broken lives as a baby in Bethlehem. Thank You for Thank You for dying on the cross for my sins. Holy Spirit, open the door of my life to Jesus. Baby Jesus, be my Savior, be my Lord, take control of my life. Thank You for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Bring peace to my world this Christmas. Make me the kind of person You want me to be, amen.
Rev. Don Sonntag