Scripture: John 1:16-17

Key Words: giving, grace, gift

Big Idea: Grace is the greatest gift that we have ever received and we get to unwrap it each and every day.

Christmas has become synonymous with gifts.  Bright packages tied with bows cover the floors around shimmering trees — in stores, in commercials, and in our own homes.  Suspense, excitement, wonder fill our hearts as we anticipate what treasures might be lurking beneath the festive paper.

 Take a minute and think about your favorite gift you’ve ever received. 

Gifts come in all shapes and sizes, but they all share one thing in common: a true gift is given without being earned.  A true gift is given out of love for the recipient.  The tradition of giving gifts at Christmas can be one of the simplest ways to remind one another of the incredible gift that God gives us: GRACE.

Grace is unmerited favor.  In simpler terms, grace is getting something really great without deserving it.  Grace isn’t a reward. Grace isn’t a trip to the treasure box for good behavior.  Grace is a gift.

Take a minute to read Ephesians 2:4-10.  Note every time you read the word “grace.”

⁴ But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, ⁵ even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— ⁶ and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, ⁷ so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. ⁸ For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, ⁹ not a result of works, so that no one may boast. ¹⁰ For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Let’s unwrap this a little:

Romans 3:23 says we are all sinners.

What does it mean to be a sinner?

Romans 6:23 says that the wages of sin is death, BUT it also says that the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Christ Jesus, the tiny baby born on the first Christmas, is the free gift of God.  Baby Jesus is God’s grace to us!!!

So, this Christmas and beyond, when we are wrapping a gift for someone else or unwrapping a gift for ourselves, let’s remember the incredible gift of grace that we have been given.  Let’s give gifts freely, regardless of what the person has done for us, because God has given us life instead of what we deserved.

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me! I once was lost but now am found, was blind but now I see!

‘Twas grace that taught my heart to fear and grace my fears relieved. How precious did that grace appear the hour I first believed!

Through many dangers, toils, and snares I have already come. ‘Tis grace hath brought me save thus far and grace will lead me home!

The Lord has promised good to me, His Word my hope secures. He will my shield and portion be as long as life endures!

When we’ve been there ten thousand years, bright shining as the sun, we’ve no less days to sing God’s praise than when we first begun!

Scripture: James 1:17

Key Words: giving, gifts, grace

Big Idea:  We can give because the Father has given to us.

What are some traditions that you have on Christmas Morning? What are some memories that you have of Christmas past?

Growing up, the Christmas season was full of traditions in our family. Some of my favorite memories are of the traditions we enjoyed on Christmas morning. My sister and I were not allowed to see the tree until my dad had the lights on and a fire going in the fireplace.  We could hardly wait until he gave the all-clear!  Brimming with excitement, we would bound into the living room, ooh-ing and ahh-ing over the stockings against the fireplace and the bright colored packages stacked under the tree.

Before we could open the gifts, we had one tradition that never changed.  Together with my mom and dad we would gather on our couch and listen as my dad read from the Bible.  Of course, he would always turn to Luke 2 and read the Christmas story.  We would listen to the familiar words and try our best to hold in our excitement.  And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus…

After Luke 2 my dad would always turn to Matthew 7. Reading a portion of the Sermon on the Mount may seem an odd choice for Christmas morning, but my father’s tradition of reading this passage has stuck with me more than any other. It is one of the traditions that we keep with our own children.

Read Matthew 7:11. Now look at your tree if you have gifts underneath, or close your eyes and think of gifts that you have received in the past.  Take a minute to reflect on some of your favorite gifts.  Now, all those gifts are but a small reflection of the gifts that our heavenly Father has given to us!  My dad read from Matthew 7 because he wanted to teach us that he and my mom gave to us on Christmas because they loved us — but their love and gifts were but a reflection of the love and gifts we receive from our Heavenly Father. They gave to us to point us to the greatest gift giver of all — God himself.

 Name some gifts that God has given you.  (Look around at creation, your family, your friends, etc.)

 This God who is the Creator of all these good gifts, gives you something even greater.  He has given us himself.  He came to earth and walked among us so that we could have life, so that we could have a relationship with Him!  Did you know the gift of a relationship with God is a gift we get to open every day?! Every day can be like Christmas morning for a Christian! Every day we get to wake up and unwrap a new day to know and walk with our Lord!

Scripture: John 11:25-27

Key Words: trusting, believe,

Big Idea:  We are united with our brothers and sisters in Christ because of our believe in Christ Jesus.

What are some of your favorite Christmas movies? One of our family’s favorite Christmas movies is Miracle On 34^th Street.  It is traditionally the first movie we watch in the Advent season.  After we decorate our tree and unpack all our decoration boxes, we have a family move night by the light of the tree and a fire crackling in the fireplace.

Miracle on 34^th Street tells the story of a girl named Susan who does not believe in Santa Claus.  Susan’s mother works at a department store in New York City where she is responsible for holiday productions, like parades, and for hiring a Santa for the store Christmas display.  We meet a character named Kris Kringle.  He is a jolly man with a white beard and a friendly disposition.  As the story progresses, Susan begins to question whether there might be a Santa and if her new friend, Kris, is actually him.  And it’s not just Susan – a lot of people begin to question this and Mr. Kringle ends up having to go to court.  I don’t want to give too much away if you haven’t seen the movie yet, but one of my favorite parts is when people all over the city start to take a stand for Kris.  At the store, in the community, and throughout the entire city, you see people hanging up signs and wearing shirts or buttons that simply say, “I believe.”  One particular scene shows a street full of people from all walks of life cheering together because they all ‘believe’.  Miracle on 34^th Street is a great movie for many reasons, but one is because shows how different people who believe in the same thing can come together with joy exclaiming “I believe!”

Maybe that is part of what makes the Christmas season so unique.  People we don’t know seem to be doing the same things: hustling, bustling, listening to the same music.  We greet neighbors with phrases like “Merry Christmas”, and line up with strangers to take a picture with the jolly old elf.  There is a sense of unity as we all believe in the ‘magic’ of Christmas together.  But the truth is, it doesn’t last.  The decorations are eventually put away, the music changes, life goes back to the way it is the rest of the year.

But here’s the good news: as followers of Christ, we actually get to participate in the true ‘magic’ of Christmas throughout the year. Every week we get to come together with a people from different homes, different backgrounds, and different experiences and we all get to exclaim what we believe together.  We sing, we pray, we confess, we listen.  We are united in what we believe even more than those movie crowds on the streets of New York were united in believing in Santa Claus.  What do we believe?

We have someone even more amazing than Santa Claus to believe in. We have the Father God who is faithful and full of mercy and grace.  We have a Redeemer who made himself nothing and was born as a man that could cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  We have a Holy Spirit who bears witness to us about our Redeemer.  We have truth that will not be packed away with decorations or change like the songs on the radio.  We can trust in our Lord in every season. WE BELIEVE!

The Apostles’ Creed is a great summary of what we believe. Read it together as a family:

I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth

And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord,

Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit; born of the virgin Mary;

suffered under Pontius Pilate; was crucified, dead, and buried.

He descended into hell.*

The third day He rose again from the dead.

He ascended into heaven and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit;
the holy catholic** church;
the communion of saints;
the forgiveness of sins;
the resurrection of the body;
and the life everlasting.

Amen.

* this phrase represents that Jesus endured the full wrath of God against our sin on the cross, declaring “It is finished.”

** the word “catholic” here does not refer to the Roman Catholic Church, but to the universal, invisible Church of Jesus Christ — all true believers from all times and all places.

 

Scripture: Luke 1:46-55 and 68-75

Key Words: trusting, obeying,

Big Idea: Zechariah had a hard time trusting, while Mary found it easier.  God was faithful even still.

Songs are a great way to say how we feel.  Advent really showcases this.  There are so many wonderful Christmas songs: fast ones, slow ones, funny ones, sad ones (Christmas Shoes anyone?). There are songs about hippopotamuses and songs about snow; songs about jingle bells and songs about reindeer.

 What are some of your favorite Christmas Songs? Sing one or two with your family.

 In Luke 1 we find two different songs.  We find the song of Mary in verses 46-55. This is sometimes called “The Magnificat.”  Mary finds out she will be the mother of God’s Son. In verses 26-35, she is visited by the angel Gabriel who tells her she has been chosen by God to have the baby Jesus.  Even though this seemed impossible, her response is, “Behold, I am the servant, of the Lord. Let it be to me according to your word.”  She trusts without hesitation. A few verses later, we see her praising the Lord for all he has done.  She says her soul magnifies the Lord, and calls his name holy.  She remembers things the Lord has done, and references his promises to Abraham.

Mary trusted in her Lord. I’m sure she never dreamed she would be the mother of God’s own Son, that she would be asked do something as uncomfortable or unexpected as this, yet here we find her rejoicing and magnifying her Lord. Mary trusted and rejoiced.

In verse 68 and following, we find another song.  This time the singer is Zechariah.  Zechariah was a relative of Mary.  In the beginning of Luke 1, we see that he was an older man who had no children, even though he and his wife Elisabeth longed for them. He was a priest, and while performing his duties, the angel Gabriel appears. Gabriel tells him he is going to have a son!  Zechariah’s response is different from Mary’s.  Instead of trust and worship, Zechariah answers with doubt and questions.  Where Mary seemed to find it easy to trust, Zechariah finds it hard.

 Which do you identify with?  Is it easy to trust or hard to trust?

The story doesn’t stop there.  Because of his lack of trust, Zechariah temporarily loses his ability to speak (Luke 1:19). Zechariah’s failure to trust brought consequences. The good news is that Zechariah’s failure to trust did not mean the failure of God’s plan.  God gave Zechariah that son just as he said he would, and this time Zechariah showed his trust in God by naming the child John, as he had been commanded.  At that very moment “his tongue was loosed, and [he] spoke, blessing God.”  This is where we find his song, in verses 68-75. Zechariah’s song, like Mary’s, recounts what God has done and speaks to what He will do through this child of promise. Zechariah did not trust and had to face the consequences before he was able to sing, but God in his grace still gave him a song to sing.

Just as we sing songs at Christmastime, we can sing songs throughout the year.  Songs of who God is and what he has done. Because of Jesus, we all have a song to sing.  Whether trust comes easier to you, as it did for Mary, or whether it’s a more challenging process for you, as it was for Zechariah, who God is, what He has done, what He promises to do will never change.

Like Mary and Zechariah, let’s respond to God’s goodness throughout the year and rejoice for the great things he has done. Let us bless the name of the Lord for he has visited and redeemed his people!

What are some things about which you can sing and give thanks to God?

Scripture: Matthew 1:18-25

Key Words: trusting, longing

Big Idea:  Joseph trusted and obeyed God even when things didn’t go the way he expected.

We love Advent traditions at our house.  We always wait until Thanksgiving to blare our Christmas music.  The kids get so excited when it’s finally time to go into the storage room and get out the various green and red boxes filled with all our Christmas stuff.  They can’t wait to unpack the stockings, the ornaments, the books, and their favorite…the nativity.  We have several.  A nice decorative one, a painted wooden one, a magnetic one for the refrigerator, and everyone’s favorite – a “Little People” Nativity we got about 10 years ago.  The kids love to help set them up, and play with them throughout the Christmas season. The nativity is probably a familiar sight in many of our homes.  Whether wooden, magnetic, painted, or plastic – big or small – we see nativities everywhere during December.  Where do you put your nativity?  Who do you see in your nativity?

We have one nativity that shows only Mary, Joseph, and Baby Jesus. Another shows animals and shepherds as well.  Of course, all of these are characters we find in the Bible.  Our tradition is to talk about all of them at various times during Advent.  Today we are going to spend some time with Joseph. What do you know about Joseph? 

 Last week, if you read through the long list of names in Matthew 1, you found Joseph down at the bottom in verse 16.  Joseph was one of Abraham’s descendants.  He had the privilege of seeing God deliver on His promise to Joseph’s great, great, great, great, great, great (etc) grandfather.

Now, Joseph had his life pretty well mapped out.  He had a career as a carpenter and was engaged to be married to a nice girl in town named Mary.  When Mary was found to be with child, Joseph’s world was changed.  Have you ever had your plans not go the way you expected?

Matthew tells us that Joseph intended to end his relationship with Mary, but all that changed when an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream.  The angel told Joseph that he shouldn’t fear, this was all part of the God’s rescue plan, the very plan that Joseph and generations of his family had been looking for! And do you know what Joseph did?  The Bible says he woke up and “did as the angel of the Lord commanded him.” Do you think this was easy or hard for Joseph?  Is it easy or hard for you to do things that are different than you expected?

Joseph was being told to do something that was uncomfortable and unexpected.  The Lord didn’t tell him every detail of how this unexpected life change would pan out.  He simply said, “Do not fear, I’m working out my plan.” Joseph woke up and did as he was commanded. He trusted the Lord.

Romans 8:28 tells us that all things work together for good, for those who love God and are called according to his purpose.  If we belong to Jesus by faith, we are called according to his purpose, and the Lord’s plan – as uncomfortable or unexpected as it may be – will work for our good.  It is important to understand that the “good” promised here refers to our good in the kingdom of God, not earthly comfort or ease. Joseph took Mary as his wife and named the baby she had Jesus, as commanded, but the road was not easy.

What are some hard or scary things the Lord has asked or is asking you to do? 

While we may not be asked something as drastic as Joseph was, the Lord will ask us to do some things that are uncomfortable and even unexpected. Sometimes it is to change our plans, to talk to someone about Jesus, or even to let go of something important to us.  Whatever it is, Joseph – that quiet character we see in every nativity scene at Christmas – reminds us how to respond: trust and obey.

[To keep Christmas all the year in 2018, commit Romans 8:28 to memory] 

Scripture: Genesis 12:1-3

Key Words: longing, waiting, promise

Big Idea: God made a promise to Abraham many years ago.  Christmas is God’s fulfillment of God’s promises

There’s a song my kids love to sing called “Matthew’s Begats.”  It has a catchy rhythm and they love to sing it – loudly — during the month of December.  This song is full of unusual names like Rehoboam, Zerrubabel, and Jehosophat.  You might wonder why a song like this would be played during the Advent season. Is it a list of reindeer? Is it the naughty and nice list? Nope! These names are on a list, but we aren’t talking about Santa’s list. This list of names can actually be found in Matthew 1.  It is a list of generations of people, starting with Abraham, who we read about in Genesis.

God made a promise to Abraham.  What was that promise?

God promised Abraham that he would be a father, and not just any father.  He would be a father to as many people as there are stars in the sky (Genesis 15:5)! God promised that through Abraham he was going to do something great, something that would bless all the families of the earth.  But Abraham had to wait.  And Abraham’s child, Isaac, had to wait.  And Abraham’s grandchild, Jacob, had to wait. And Abraham’s children’s children’s children had to wait. And so on… all the way until Abraham’s great, great, great, great, great, great, (and then some) grandson, Matthan, had a son named Jacob, who was the father of Joseph, who married a woman named Mary, who was the mother of Jesus!! So the song “Matthew’s Begats” comes from Matthew 1 and is actually a long list of people who were waiting for God’s promise to Abraham to finally be fulfilled.

What does it mean to wait? Do you like to wait? Waiting is actually a big part of Christmas. What are some ways we wait at Christmas?
We wait in lines at the store. We may wait in line to see Santa. We wait for Christmas morning to get here. We don’t just wait, though. We long.  We desire, we really, really want to open that Christmas present.  We know Christmas is coming and we can hardly contain our desire for it to arrive.

As people who love Jesus, we should have that same kind of excitement and longing all year.. God promised Jesus and Jesus came!

What else has God promised?

 He promises to always be with us (Isaiah 41:10)

He promises that nothing can separate us from his love (Romans 8:38-39)

He promises that he will forgive our sins when we confess them (1 John 1:9)

He promises that he works all things together for our good (Romans 8:28)

He promises that he will give us eternal life (John 3:16)

And so much more!

God kept his promise to Abraham, even though people had to wait. God has promised his people many things and, as God’s people, we can be excited as we wait for His promises to be fulfilled. Just like the excitement we feel as we wait and long for Christmas morning.

Check out the video of the song mentioned in this devotion: Matthew’s Begats by Andrew Peterson