December 15. God s Gifts

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Augusta Welch
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1 December 15 God s Gifts For God so loved the world that he gave His one and only son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16 Before one of our trips to Florida last year our son said to our three year-old granddaughter, Oma and Opa are coming to see you. Emma s big blue eyes sparkled in excited anticipation. She clapped her hands and responded in an exaggerated whisper, Emma get presents! I experience a three-year-old s joy as I mentally clap my hands in excited gratitude contemplating Jesus birth as Christmas approaches. What a present God gives us on that day the gift of salvation is born. Not only do I receive the gift of my salvation through Jesus birth, the gift is available to all my beloved family members, friends, acquaintances, even my enemies and the millions of human beings the world over. It s a gift that doesn t require unwrapping. All anyone has to do is accept it. Because I am a blessed believer and love my neighbors, the salvation gift to all people multiplies my cache of presents at Christmastime. I multiply my gift of salvation by the millions who are saved and thank our God for the gifts of the millions of brothers and sisters He gives me. And so at Christmas time I grin and say, Kay Lea get presents. Kay Lea Scott

2 December 16 The Christmas Journey Luke 2:6-7, Matt. 25:40, Ps. 121:1-2, 2 Tim. 1:7, Matt. 17:20 We were on our way to Illinois for Christmas, leaving Texas warm temperatures, to visit our families. The rains had caused flooding for the Mississippi and Missouri rivers in the fall, but surely the problem was fixed by now. We had decided to drive, since the car was loaded with presents. However, when we approached Illinois, late that evening, we were shocked by all the flooding. The bridges were passable, but many roads were still closed. We knew we d better stop at a motel so that the rest of our trip could be done in the daylight. Evidently, everyone else on the road made that same decision. Every motel was full! It now was 1:00 AM and we prayed about what to do. We felt helpless, in a strange land, just as Mary and Joseph must have felt, long ago. We sensed a nudge from the Holy Spirit to call Bunny and Spence, Bill s former boss, who had retired to live in Carlinville, Illinois. What an awful hour to call! However, much like the innkeeper for our Savior, Spence gave us directions to their house, insisting that we stay with them. Tears of joy and thankfulness leaked from our eyes, as we recognized God s covering of us. We had only hoped to be directed to a hotel nearby. Instead, our friends welcomed us with the love of Jesus. We found our way the next day, as we rejoiced in God s provision. Our help came from the Lord, who made Heaven and Earth. Our faith may have been as tiny as a mustard seed, in the middle of the night, but God moved the necessary mountains in our way..for nothing is impossible with God! Bill and Betsy Torman

3 December 17 THEREFORE, REJOICE! In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God..And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. (John 1:1-2,14) Therefore, rejoice! The visit by the angel Gabriel, Mary s visit with her cousin Elizabeth, the birth of her son Jesus, the visit by the shepherds, the angel chorus, the visit by the Wise Men, Jesus at 12 years of age in the Temple with the teachers of the law. Mary treasured all these things and pondered them in her heart. How can this be? Mary had asked in the beginning, but she believed and trusted in God, and was a willing servant of the Lord. During this Advent Season, may we rekindle a sense of anticipation, reflection and wonder as we ponder in our hearts anew the meanings and truths that our Lord gives to us and makes possible for us to receive. We, too, ask How can this be? We know that it is only through God s love and grace that He gave His life that we might live. May we believe and trust God, as Mary did, as we prepare for a significant celebration of Christmas by recalling with fresh astonishment the action of God in the Incarnation. Let us also be willing servants of the Lord. Therefore, rejoice! Prayer: Father, we thank You for the gift of Your Son, Jesus Christ. We thank You that He provides for us through His great sacrifice on the cross and through His resurrection the privilege of being able to rejoice in Him in whatever circumstance we find ourselves. We give You praise and honor and glory for this Love Who came down at Christmas. Amen Mildred Jackson

4 December 18 Mary or Martha, Which One Are You? Luke 10:38-40 Mary and Martha?, you ask. This is advent, the time of our Savior s birth. What do they have to do with Advent? Jump ahead with me thirty years and let s visit the home of Mary and Martha. They were close friends of Jesus, sisters of Lazarus. When he came to visit, Martha was all in a tizzy preparing for the guests who were also in their home. This was Jewish custom. Hospitality was of utmost importance in a Jewish home. So while Martha scurried about the kitchen preparing a meal, Mary sat at the feet of Jesus listening to His teachings. Is it so different during the Advent season of our own lives? Do you hustle about with shopping and or do you take time to listen for the coming of the Messiah? Are you spending too much time in the kitchen or do you sit and listen to Christmas carols, or read the Christmas story from Luke? Advent is a time of preparation, but is it time for the type of preparation you are doing? Hours in the stores fighting the crowds, hours in the kitchen baking and cooking for Christmas dinner, time decorating, and wrapping gifts. These activities take our time, just as they took Martha s time when preparing for her guests. She was preparing for the greatest guest of all time, Jesus Christ, yet she failed to realize what Mary knew all along. The most important thing is to listen to Jesus. The details will take care of themselves, if we turn our hearts and minds to Jesus, our Savior. Glenna Bodeker Advent action: Have a second cup of coffee or tea and spend some time visiting with Jesus this morning.

5 December 19 CELEBRATING HIS BIRTH - AWAITING HIS RETURN ISAIAH 9:6-7 It is difficult for us to imagine the excitement and anticipation of the birth of a king, but throughout history, royal births have created that type of attention. The closest that we might identify with this concept was the birth of a son to President-elect and Mrs. Kennedy in 1960, or to the British royal family, but still we have a hard time making the connection with the concept of a royal birth. The Israelites would see kings born into the royal line and find that with each there would be a hope that this new king would be the solution to the nation s difficulties. As history records, that was seldom the case. Isaiah speaks of a new king, For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; and the government will rest on His shoulders - a promise of a king that will free the people and will rule on the throne of David, and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness from then on and evermore. What a future! No more Roman rule and freedom from the oppression of the day. God was at work, telling them that this kingdom they so longed for was to come, but His plan was not what they were expecting. Instead, this king would be born to an ordinary couple, but with a royal lineage, in an out-of-the-way place, and in the most common of circumstances. No one would notice that a king had been born, and that God s hand was at work. However there were some who knew that a great thing had occurred, shepherds came to worship, Magi came with gifts, but for the most part, this royal birth went unnoticed. How easy it is for us to overlook the magnitude of the simple things that God does. We take for granted the daily gifts that He provides, and we just go on about our business with little acknowledgment of His care for us. King Jesus grew up in obscurity and went about His daily life with little notice from the world, until John made his declaration - Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, recognizing that truly the King was among them. Even then the world did not acknowledge Him and the religious community saw only problems if they were to recognize Him. Many who should have known rejected the truth and tried instead to discredit Him. God s purposes are not subject to man s desires, and no matter how much He was ignored or denied, the people that He encountered knew that He was different. No one can truly encounter the Savior and not be changed. Only a hardened heart is not transformed by His presence. This season we are celebrating His birth, following His leadership, accepting His forgiveness and anticipating His return. As the lyrics of the song say, the King is coming, the King is coming, thank God He s coming for me. Larry Turner Advent action: Thank God today for the magnitude of the simple things He has done in your life. Honor Him as your King.

December 20 Church of the Nativity On our second trip to Israel, Liz and I had the opportunity to visit the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, which marks the place of Christ's birth.

6 December 20 Church of the Nativity On our second trip to Israel, Liz and I had the opportunity to visit the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, which marks the place of Christ's birth. Needless to say, this was an absolutely moving and inspirational experience. According to Luke 2: 7, And she gave birth to her first-born son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for him in the inn. Now, a manger is simply a box or trough in a stable from which livestock eat. Mangers were traditionally made of carved stone or wood. None of the gospel accounts mention a cave, but about a century later, both Justin Martyr and the Protoevangelium of James indicated that Jesus was born in a cave. This is reasonable since the Greek can also be translated as, "she laid Him in a manger because they had no space in the room and many houses in that area were built in front of a cave. The cave would have traditionally been used for stabling of livestock thus the manger. Clearly, God chose to have our Lord brought into this world in the most humble and unassuming of environments. In 326, Constantine and his mother (St. Helena) commissioned a church to be built over the cave. That church was destroyed by Justinian in 530 AD, who built the much larger church that remains today. The church was spared by the Persians during their invasion in 614 AD. According to legend, the Persians were impressed by a representation of the Magi fellow Persians that decorated the building. The Church of the Nativity also survived the Crusades, the Mamluk and Ottoman periods, an earthquake in 1834, and a fire in In 1847, a silver star used to mark the exact site of the Nativity was stolen. The theft contributed to an international crisis over the Holy Places that ultimately led to the Crimean War. In 1852, the Roman Catholic, Armenian, and Greek Orthodox churches assumed shared custody of the Church of the Nativity. The focal point of the Church of the Nativity is the Grotto of the Nativity, a rectangular cavern beneath the church which is accessed by walking down a flight of steps. A silver star in the floor once again marks the very spot where Christ is believed to have been born. The star's Latin inscription reads, "Here of the Virgin Mary Jesus Christ was born 1717." On the opposite side of the Grotto from the Birthplace Shrine is the Chapel of the Manger. The photograph below shows the Grotto of the Nativity. The Birthplace Shrine is on the left and the Chapel of the Manger is on the right. Mike Umble

December 21 The Unselfish Gift The Advent season is my favorite season because it is a time when people stop thinking of their needs and focus on what they can do for others.

7 December 21 The Unselfish Gift The Advent season is my favorite season because it is a time when people stop thinking of their needs and focus on what they can do for others. We realize that God has given us his greatest gift his only begotten Son. As Christians, we try to emulate his example and give gifts to others. It is a marvelous time because people do so many amazing things for others and even the news media focuses on these unselfish acts of kindness. Books and movies tell us delightful stories that tug at our heartstrings. I d like to share one of those stories that I experienced as a first grade teacher. One year I had a little boy in my class that I will call John. John was born with spina bifida. He wore braces on both legs and had to use crutches to walk. He also had a learning disability. In spite of his handicaps, John was a happy child who was always smiling. He was well liked by his classmates. They never made fun of him, but instead they included him in their activities and they protected him. At Christmas time some of the children brought presents for their teacher. I tried to encourage them that this was not necessary, but the children enjoyed giving and they enjoyed watching me open my gifts. I always had my students gather around my desk so they could see what I had received. They seemed to really enjoy seeing what I got. I thought this was special because it wasn t just about what they were going to receive. As I was opening my presents and thanking the children, I noticed John, who was right next to me, had big tears rolling down his cheeks. I asked him why he was crying. He said he was sad because he had no gift for me. It broke my heart. I tried to explain that I didn t need a gift from him and that he was very special to me. While I was talking to John and trying to comfort him another boy in the class saw what was going on and went to his desk. He found something that he had made in art class and brought it to John to give to me as a gift. John gave me the piece of art and I thanked him for such a wonderful gift because it truly was precious to me and priceless. John was now a happy child. I also thanked the child who unselfishly saw John s unhappiness and very thoughtfully gave a gift out of love to him. I found it quite remarkable that a six year-old child could feel such sympathy for another child and find a solution. Children make this season especially amazing and we can learn from them that the gift is not as important as the reason we are giving. I have always treasured this memory of these two precious children. Therefore, as God s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Colossians 3:12 Patti Moreland Prayer: O God of love, open our eyes to see when others are hurting. Open our hearts to reach out to them in Your love. Amen

Jesus is Here (4 th Sunday of Advent)

Jesus is Here (4 th Sunday of Advent) John opens his gospel account with the introduction to Jesus as having been with God and being God from the very beginning of creation. The Hebrew Bible (Old Testament)