nd see this thing ver to Bethlehem a Let us go o ember th of Dec Have you ever walked through the mon votional: hristmas de What s in this C

Transcription

1 1

2 aid to hrds s has p h s, th hat havn this thing t o t n i m from th lhm and s k 2:15) y a w a nt th s. (Lu all aking n ngls w go ovr to B known to u a m r h t d Whn hr, Lt us cmbfl rlivd wthon has ma d D r t o f L o o n nth vitis only to uld rprsn cd on a d, which th o m n th all th acti f Christ sho h of fast-pa. happ ough 6 t o n d thr articipating iians, th birth can b a monn Dcmbr 2 k l a p vr Cwhristmas andlon. For Chrisyt ar. Instad, aitsigh of rlif o u to o y a way s a Hav arations for rtainly not a tims of th s to brath c Day. sour l u p his r tmas th pr r? You r c and pacfu that caus tiliz t ng on Chris u v s o d o t n l l o l it s a inati you brati oy-fil o invit o, and culm most j oy-lss cl t t n h t a f o dj up t, w w is an ason ks lading s t activit n is adv nd w into th n th days a r t n i As you lly s Jsus al: u f otion v r o d our ff m s with y s & sta istma r r o g h t ) a s C g a m his ly n our p n ch.co s i n t osful hildr t yourchur s from p c l r a u & n What p y o l i ot bl a fami ou to ~ Dv rag y r your ckts availa u o f o s c n i onth a p ivit th m ir and group t ~ Act rat activity a p s n i n i culm all ns to (spa tion to aditio and your sm r a t you r s b a l c is that r istm ds, r n h y p i a C r r o f ~ His Our h ip & p, your hrist. nd through worsh family C y s a u D s s a of J g in a hristm prson God is doin ~ AC h t hat lif in d m to th and s w a c l ing an h p t n s s o o i g h s t this m n th s to s wh alk through h othr. o i o s h a c m ould Christ ntionally w ngsid ac you w Christmas. o l s t a u n i a k l l c is a wil rnt b ping Him th s w w a ff i h d c r chu ay b orshi mas m y through w rch t s i r h l rk Chu is C t a h a t P m y i t a g oll W pr c Jsus in rs of C n i d r l E p x Staff & ~ Th 2

3 How to Us this Christmas Dvotional Th first two wks of this dvotional contain rsourcs and activitis you can us at your discrtion during th wk. Starting th third wk, thr is a dvotional vry day. Evrything will culminat on Christmas day with a worship xprinc for you to us in th contxt of your family, your small group, or a gathring of clos frinds. Wk of Dcmbr 4-Dcmbr 10: Part on of a thr-part rsourc on rlationships and ngaging with family and frinds who may s Christ and Christmas diffrntly Christmas traditions Childrn s activitis Slctd songs & hymns Opportunitis to srv throughout th month of Dcmbr You may us ths rsourcs and activitis at any point during th wk. Wk of Dcmbr 11-Dcmbr 17: Part two of th rlationships rsourc focusd on th advnt of nw rlationships Christmas traditions Childrn s activitis Slctd songs & hymns You may us ths rsourcs and activitis at any point during th wk. Wk of Dcmbr 18-24: Part thr of rlationships rsourc Daily dvotionals, including radings & activitis for ach day Christmas traditions Childrn s activitis Wk of Dcmbr 25: A worship xprinc for Dc. 25 Collg Park Christmas srvics ar Saturday, Dc. 24 at 2 p.m., 4 p.m., and 6 p.m. Thr is a dvotional tim on Dc. 25 at 9 a.m. in th chapl. 3

4 Christmas Rsourcs for Adults Byond this Christmas dvotional, hr ar som othr rsourcs that w hav: Th Twlv Words of Christmas God Is In Th Mangr Ditrich Bonhoffr s Christmas Srmons Unxpctd Christmas & Choosing Christmas Various Christmas Srmons Look Who s Coming To Christmas Why Th Nativity, Th 12 Ways of Christmas Th Star of Bthlhm Martin Luthr s Christmas Book Com, Thou Long Expctd Jsus Loui Giglio (DVD) Ditrich Bonhoffr (book) Ditrich Bonhoffr (book) Andy Stanly/North Point Rsourcs (audio & DVD rsourcs). John Pipr (audio rsourcs). Jams McDonald (srmon) David Jrmiah (book) DVD Martin Luthr (book) Pipr, Duncan, Schaffr, Spurgon, Alcorn, Earckson-Tada (book) Availabl through stor.northpoint.org Availabl through dsiringgod.org Christmas Rsourcs for Parnts & Childrn Duncan s Journy On Wintry Night Th Innkpr Th Not So Wis Man Th Lgnd of th Candy Can Mary s First Christmas Jotham s Journy, Bartholomw s Passag & Tabitha s Travls: Storis for Advnt Bcky Emrick (book) Ruth Bll Graham (book) John Pipr (book) Andrw Rowland (book) Lori Walburg (book) Waltr Wangrin, Jr. (book) Arnold Ytrid (book) 4

5 My family oftn holds a scavngr hunt for on prson in th family (it has most oftn bn Mom). This is always kpt as a scrt from that prson, and it is usually don last bcaus it involvs th final (big) gift of that prson. Clus ar cratd by us family mmbrs and put all ovr th hous so that th prson has to figur out ach nxt location bfor gtting to th nd. Th clus ar oftn ridiculous riddls writtn as poms that point to anothr location in th hous. Th gift rcivr is always surprisd and xcitd to mak it to th nd whr h or sh rcivs thir gift and th whol family njoys giving him or hr attntion and this spcial prsnt. ~ Bob Martin Conncting with your family during th Christmas sason oftn has to b vry intntional. Thr ar many things that compt for your tim. Includd in this rsourc ar traditions that ar tim-tstd by th staff and ldrs of Collg Park. Why not try somthing nw this yar? Explor som of ths and bgin your own family traditions. As a family w hav startd clbrating Advnt by walking through a book calld Jotham s Journy. Thr ar actually thr in th sris, so you can rotat ach yar and th topic dosn t grow cold. Thy hav instructions on how you can do th candls and history of advnt. It rally hlps us and th kids kp th cntrality of Christ as th point of Christmas and not th gifts and such. ~ Jack & Andi Hogan ~ Jim & Lori Nosstt This yar w ar bginning a nw tradition. W want to blss our nighbors and thos that srv our family. So, w v schduld a Bak Day. W ll includ th kids and spnd all day baking som goodis that w can giv to our nighbors and othrs. W r going to includ an invitation to Christmas Ev srvics and a prayr rqust card whr th rcipint can writ down somthing w can pray for as a family. You can includ anything with this gift. W r planning to hand dlivr thm. Think of othrs (mail prson, thos who pick up your garbag, officrs of your nighborhood association, tachrs, dry clanr, bus drivr, coach, piano tachr, tc.). Thr ar many around us that would b blssd by hommad brad or cookis with a prsonal touch. Othr idas: Offr to hlp som of th ldrly in your nighborhood with Christmas dcorations Giv a nighbor a hommad gift card, good for fr snow shovling this sason Tak a hommad mal to somon nw in th nighborhood and includ an invitation to church ~ Gary & Pg Mks 5 My family mmorizs Chaptr 2 of th Gospl of Luk ach yar lading up to Christmas, complt with motions, and prsnts it for our xtndd family. A fw yars ago, I mt with a group of moms and w mad ornamnts that go through th Jss Tr as a typ of advnt calndar lading up to Christmas. It gos through th linag of Jsus, so it s a history lsson and a countdown in on! You can rad mor about it hr:mrickhom.blogspot.com/2009/11/ jss-tr-ornamnt-xchang.html. ~ L & Bcky Emrick

6 Com and S by Jo Bartmus THE WEEK of DECEMBER 4 As w mov forward from Thanksgiving and ntr th month of Dcmbr, thr is anticipation and a sns that Christmas will b hr bfor w know it. This is a sason filld with rich traditions and clbrations that ar both scular and sacrd in natur. Som might call it th Spirit of Christmas, and it ncompasss much of what w do and xprinc in th wks btwn Thanksgiving and Dcmbr 25. Christmas is coming, th goos is gtting fat, plas to put a pnny in th old man s hat... I don t know about you, but I njoy som of th traditional songs and crmonis at this tim of th yar, som mor wll-known traditions and vn som that ar mor obscur. Thr is nothing wrong with njoying, and vn dlighting in, som of ths sasonal clbrations. But it sms only right that this tim should b a tim of hop, rflction, and spiritual growth, as w clbrat a truly Christian vnt: th Advnt of our Savior, Jsus Christ. As th staff tam at Collg Park, w dsir to com to this tim of th yar and rflct on som ral significant ralitis of our faith. Aftr all, Christmas is th incarnation of th gospl and whr th Crator of th Univrs took on human form, bcoming lik us, so that w might b brought back to Him. I sincrly hop that dos not sound boring or Scroog-ish to you. I hav found that rflcting on th dpth and sacrdnss of this sason can b vry fun, hopful, and invigorating for dpth and intimacy with Jsus. And, w want to do it togthr as a community. Togthr is a grat word for this sason. God cam to b with us (togthr), so lt s com and worship Him togthr in this sason. Lt s b lik th shphrds who agrd togthr to s this thing which has com to pass which th Lord has mad known unto us. Ths dvotionals ar intndd to hlp all of us to b bttr worshiprs. So join with us as w com and s! It is with this dsir in mind that w hav put togthr this dvotional to hlp us, as a faith family, journy togthr into and through th Christmas sason. With so many activitis, fstivitis, traditions, and xpctations on th holidays, it s asy to s how w can gt lost in th holiday shuffl. Yt, as Christ-followrs w hav an opportunity, togthr as th community of faith, to orint our harts and our minds contrarily that w may s this thing diffrntly from thos around us. Collg Park is a uniqu church, in that w ar a body of blivrs that is mad up of individuals from divrs dnominational backgrounds. For som of us, our xprinc in church was mor casual and smd to b disjointd, lacking connctdnss. For othrs, it was vry rptitiv and structurd, with a st ordr to th worship srvics and vry distinct thms and sasons to th calndar of worship. Intrstingly nough, som of ths sasons that th church still follows today wr stablishd by th arly church ladrs as a way to worship God and to rmmbr his lif, dath, and rsurrction. Th bauty that can com from undrstanding and clbrating ths sasons in th lif of th church coms in knowing and undrstanding how our prparation for ach clbration will ultimatly impact how w s and xprinc th joy of Christ s birth, dath, rsurrction, ascnsion and vn our anticipation of His rturn. With this in mind, w want to prpar, togthr, our harts and minds for worshipping th King this Christmas sason. Advnt, th sason of anticipation lading up to Christmas, considrs th arrival or coming of th long-xpctd Jsus. This is th sason of com and s. Th goal of advnt is to build up xpctations and xcitmnt that will finally culminat in th clbration of th coming of God to man: joy to th world th Lord has com. Th ida of advnt 6 Lt s b lik th shphrds who agrd togthr to s this thing which has com to pass which th Lord has mad known to us...

7 is bst sn in Luk 2:22-38, whr w s Simon and Anna both living in anticipation of th coming Mssiah. As w anticipat th birth of Christ, I thought it might b a good activity for all of us to ask ach othr two qustions vry day in Dcmbr. Qustion 1: Qustion 2: Prtnd lik you ar aliv bfor Jsus was born and ask: Has Jsus com? Thr would b 24 days of No as th answr, and thn on Christmas morning th answr would b Ys, H has com! Has Jsus com th scond tim yt? Th answr would b No, but H may com today or tomorrow. That would hlp us all to s that w should rjoic in His first coming, and that w ar in a waiting tim now anticipating th nxt grat advnt of Jsus. Finally, Christmas will arriv, and w will clbrat His first coming. On th church calndar, th clbration of Christ s arrival lasts svral days (which would xhaust most of us). W nd to wait until Christmas to sing Joy to th World (a first and scond advnt song), Angls W hav Hard on High, Hark th Hrald Angls Sing, tc., that tll of th birth and coming of Jsus. Advnt is th sason of prparation for Christmas, not th clbration of it. So, God lovd th world and snt his only Son that whovr blivs in him would not prish but hav vrlasting lif. Thanks for joining with us to obsrv, clbrat and worship our Savior who has com to b with His popl. Tak tim this yar to com and s this thing that has happnd! 7

8 THE WEEK of DECEMBER 4 Sing this hymn togthr with your family Com Thou Long-Expctd Jsus Vrs 1 Com Thou long-xpctd Jsus Born to st Thy popl fr From our fars and sins rlas us Lt us find our rst in Th Isral s strngth and consolation Hop of all th arth Thou art Dar dsir of vry nation Joy of vry longing hart Vrs 2 Born Thy popl to dlivr Born a child and yt a King Born to rign in us forvr Now Thy gracious kingdom bring By Thin own trnal Spirit Rul in all our harts alon By Thin all-sufficint mrit Rais us to Thy glorious thron CCLI Song No Public Domain Charls Wsly Rowland Hugh Prichard For us solly with th SongSlct Trms of Us. All rights Rsrvd. 8

9 Com S This Thing by Dav Crichlow THE WEEK of DECEMBER 4 Th Advnt of Nw Rlationships (Part 1) W all hav rcivd, or prhaps vn givn a Christmas card with th prfct holiday scn: an untouchd blankt of nw snow, a hous with candls in th windows, a wrath on th door, a fir in th firplac, a hors-drawn sligh passing by. W imagin that if w prd into th framd windows, w would s frinds and family sharing joyful convrsation around a frshly bakd turky or sitting by th firplac, njoying th warmth of dp and rich rlationships. W want to s ourslvs in th pictur. Th painful rality is that fw, if any of us, vr rally xprinc that lusiv prfct Christmas. W may bgin th sason with frsh hop that this yar will b diffrnt. But thn, just making th plans for holiday gt-togthrs lads to conflict! For many, not only is Christmas not an idyllic tim of yar, it is on of th most difficult sasons. Drams of rlaxation and warm family gathrings ar oftn dashd by th rality of difficult rlationships. W may fl trappd to spnd tim with family mmbrs, frinds or nighbors that w would b just as happy to avoid. Mayb it is th uncl who drinks too much and says inappropriat things, or prhaps th sistr who proudly brings hr nwst liv-in boyfrind to th family gathring, or mayb th obnoxious cousins who always want thir way, or th ovrbaring in-laws who w fl ar dmanding and inflxibl. W might vn find ourslvs mumbling I hat this tim of yar whn w rally man I hat ths popl. Dosn t it just fl wrong? It just shouldn t b this way. Dosn t th Scriptur tll us that Christ s birth was th promis of pac on arth? And suddnly thr appard with th angl a multitud of th havnly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in th highst, And on arth pac among mn with whom H is plasd. And it cam about whn th angls had gon away from thm into havn, that th shphrds bgan saying to on anothr, Lt us go straight to Bthlhm thn, and s this thing that has happnd which th Lord has mad known to us. (Luk 2:13-15 NASB) Som thirty yars latr, Jsus Himslf smd to contradict th promis of that havnly proclamation. Dosn t th Scriptur tll us that Christ s birth was th promis of pac on arth? Do you suppos that I cam to grant pac on arth? I tll you, no, but rathr division; for from now on fiv mmbrs in on houshold will b dividd, thr against two, and two against thr. Thy will b dividd, fathr against son, and son against fathr; mothr against daughtr, and daughtr against mothr; mothr-in-law against daughtr-in-law, and daughtr-in-law against mothr-in-law. (Luk 12:51-53 NASB) Not xactly th Christmas pictur w want to put on a card! But th rality is that Jsus has placd us in a lost world and in familis full of lost and unrdmd popl. Many of thos popl want nothing of us bcaus thy want nothing of Christ. But Christ has calld us to find our pac in Him so that our livs will loudly proclaim Him to othrs. H wants us to show th hop that is in us by how w rspond to circumstancs and to popl. Why? Bcaus th sam popl that that frustrat us so dspratly ar th vry ons H wants to rdm and thy ar looking for answrs, usually in vry plac but Christ. 9

10 Ptr has words of wisdom for us: But in your harts st apart Christ as Lord. Always b prpard to giv an answr to vryon who asks you to giv th rason for th hop that you hav. But do this with gntlnss and rspct. (1 Pt. 3:15 NIV) Admittdly this is hard! Popl irritat us, thy sin around us, and thy sin against us. How do w put off all th baggag in ths rlationships in ordr to srv Christ? In 2 Corinthians 5:14-21 Paul, lik Ptr, tlls us that w ar to impact thos around us for Christ. H tlls us that w hav rcivd a ministry of rconciliation and says w ar to b ambassadors for Christ. For th lov of Christ controls us, having concludd this, that on did for all, thrfor all did; and H did for all, that thy who liv should no longr liv for thmslvs, but for Him who did and ros again on thir bhalf.. Thrfor from now on w rcogniz no man according to th flsh; vn though w hav known Christ according to th flsh, yt now w know Him thus no longr. Thrfor if any man is in Christ, h is a nw cratur; th old things passd away; bhold, nw things hav com. Now all ths things ar from God, who rconcild us to Himslf through Christ, and gav us th ministry of rconciliation, namly, that God was in Christ rconciling th world to Himslf, not counting thir trspasss against thm, and H has committd to us th word of rconciliation. Thrfor, w ar ambassadors for Christ, as though God wr ntrating through us; w bg you on bhalf of Christ, b rconcild to God. H mad Him who knw no sin to b sin on our bhalf, that w might bcom th rightousnss of God in Him. (2 Cor 5:14-21 NASB) Som of th most difficult popl in our livs nd to b rconcild to Christ in salvation, othrs in sanctification. W ar calld to b His instrumnts to impact both. Rsourcs for furthr rading: Rlationships: A Mss Worth Making by Timothy S. Lan & Paul David Tripp Whn Popl Ar Big and God Is Small: Ovrcoming Pr Prssur, Codpndncy, and th Far of Man by Edward T. Wlch 10

11 b INSTRUCTIONS: 1. Trim papr along solid lins markd by th scissors icon 2. Find a favorit pictur of you and trim it so it fits th fram in th middl 3. Attach pictur with glu or tap 4. Fold th papr along th dottd lins as shown blow 5. Attach tabbd dg (a) to insid flap (b) with tap or glu. 6. Pok a small hol in th top tab and hang from th tr with an ornamnt hangr or a yarn loop what God wants for Christmas... concpt by Family Lif Publishing plac photo hr Mak a Christmas Ornamnt! is you!!! a

12 12

13 Kid s Church: Christmas at th B.E.A.C.H. on Dcmbr 10 Th gifts donatd by Collg Park familis will b wrappd, and th BEACH will bcom a stor for Kid s Church parnts to buy gifts for thir childrn. Voluntrs ar ndd to dcorat at th BEACH on Dcmbr 8-9 as wll as hlp in a varity of ways with th Christmas Stor vnt on Dcmbr 10. Contact: Jo Drbyshir jo@kidschurchindy.com Dcmbr Srvic Opportunitis Midwst Food Bank: Joy: An Irish Christmas. A concrt bnfiting th Midwst Food Bank Indianapolis Division. Dat: Sunday, Dcmbr 4, 2011 Tim: 5:30 p.m. (doors opn at 5 p.m.) Location: Collg Park Church All tickts for this vnt ar sold-out Midwst Food Bank Thr is an incrasd amount of giving during th holidays, so groups can schdul a tim to hlp with a load-out distribution or with packaging itms to b distributd during th holiday sason. Contact: Donna Kakavcos dkakavcos@midwstfoodbank.org Lif Cntrs: Christmas Opn Hous on Saturday Dcmbr 10, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. at th Northwst Womn s Cntr. Tour a cntr, njoy rfrshmnts, shop for gifts from local vndor displays, and mt staff and clints from Lif Cntrs. Contact: Juli Rupprcht jrupprcht@lifcntrs.com Lif Cntrs: Host a Christmas baby showr......for a Lif Cntrs clint who chos lif for hr baby. Contact: Juli Rupprcht jrupprcht@lifcntrs.com Whlr Mission: Th Cntr s Childrn s Ministry will nd xtra voluntr hlp during Christmas brak (Dc. 22-Jan.9). Womn living at th Cntr for Womn & Childrn hav th opportunity for thir childrn to larn whil th moms ithr look for work or attnd classs in Whlr s Education Cntr. Voluntrs ar ndd to hlp with th childrn Monday-Friday throughout th day during Christmas brak. Contact: Bthany Alvis , xt voluntr@wmm.org Outrach, Inc.: Christmas dinnr for homlss tnagrs in Indianapolis Dat: Thursday, Dcmbr 15. Hlp is ndd on th morning of Tusday, Dcmbr 13 at Outrach Inc. to fill backpacks with gift itms. Hlp is also ndd on Dcmbr 15 from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. to st up, unload food, and hlp prpar for th Christmas dinnr. Sign-up rquird so w know who to xpct. Contact: Kristin Fullr kfullr@outrachindiana.org CEF: Voluntr projcts day at CEF offic. Dats: Saturday, Dc. 10 or Thursday, Dc. 15, 9:30 a.m.-12 p.m. Hlp is ndd in a varity of ways to prpar lssons, activitis, crafts, and othr projcts for Good Nws Clubs and othr CEF vnts. Contact: Shri Phars cfcntralindiana@gmail.com Child Evanglism Fllowship is locatd at: 3309 W 96th Strt, Indianapolis, IN

14 Christmas Offring 2011 Pakistan is th 6th biggst country in th world (185 million popl) with th 2nd biggst Muslim population of any country. Ninty-six prcnt of Pakistanis ar Muslims. Opration World says that fw countris, if any, prsnt a gratr challng for missions than Pakistan. Yt on of th rays of hop is that thr ar prhaps 1 million vanglical Christians in Pakistan. W bliv that on of th bst ways to rach Pakistan is to train ladrs from this group of blivrs to rach thir own country. Zarphath Bibl Institut xists for this vry rason: to train Pakistanis on Pakistani soil to rach Pakistan for Christ. This is th Bibl school whr our own Pastor Nat Irwin taught and srvd as principal for ight yars. Shortly bfor th Irwins had to lav Pakistan for mdical rasons, a 7 ½ acr plot of land was purchasd in th capital of Islamabad so that ZBI could mov into th city from its rural location. Our 2011 Christmas Offring will go towards th dvlopmnt of this campus. Th Collg Park Church family will gt to mt th currnt principal of ZBI on Dc. 11, Ashknaz (Naz, for short), a Pakistani who taught alongsid Nat during his yars thr. It is a sign of growth and strngth to s th school in capabl national hands and running wll with forty full-tim studnts. Th Christmas Offring will b collctd on Dcmbr 18, or you can giv onlin at yourchurch. com/giv. Plan and prpar to invst in th training of ladrs to rach this vry ndy land! Larn mor onlin at yourchurch.com/christmasoffring Pick up a informational brochur on th Global Outrach Wall or download at yourchurch.com 14

15 15

16 16

17 S This Thing THE WEEK of DECEMBER 11 by Bob Martin, IV Christmas Through th Eys of a Child For many of us, Christmas movis ar on of th fun dlights of th Christmas sason. Whil our familis ar r-acquainting thmslvs with th fragrancs of gingrbrad and ppprmint, our ys ar onc again filld with th sights of th Grinch, numrous Ebnzr Scroogs, and, of cours, Santa Claus. On Christmas sason whn I was only a pr-tn, I had an unxpctd xprinc with on of my holiday film favorits. I was nstld into my family s couch watching th 1966 cartoon adaptation of Dr. Suss How th Grinch Stol Christmas, and I was again nthralld by th grouchy, grn humbug and his midnight thivry of Whovill s Christmas goodis. But just as th Grinch poisd his sligh to dump ths dlights, h hard singing in th distanc from th sam gathrd community that was robbd. Th Grinch puzzld and puzzd till his puzzlr was sor, and h ralizd that Christmas dos not com from a stor. Instad, it is somthing a littl bit mor :...and thn th tru maning of Christmas cam through, And th Grinch found th strngth of tn Grinchs, plus two! That s right, I said to myslf, Christmas isn t about gifts, it s about Wait a minut! Christmas isn t about singing or community or giving prsnts ithr! Christmas isn t about any of thos things! All of Whovill is wrong! It gav m paus to mntally rvisit most of my othr favorit Christmas movis: movis about rindr and Santa and a slw of othr charactrs who usually only discovrd that Christmas is not about rciving but about giving. Evn though ths lssons ar valuabl, I suddnly ralizd, vn as a child, that th tru maning of Christmas did not hav to do with m at all. It did not hav to do with kping Christmas in my hart, or giving instad of rciving, or having Christmas chr. Christmas was about somon that did not vn mak an apparanc in most of ths movis: Christ. Listn to th rsponss of our childrn at Collg Park who can tll us what Christmas is about: 1) Why is Christmas so important? Bcaus Jsus was born, and without His arthly birth H couldn t hav paid th pric for us. (13-yar-old) W clbrat th birth of On who took us out of trnal damnation and into trnal lif. H is worthy of much mor than on day st asid to clbrat His birth. W should clbrat it daily. (14-yar-old) Cuz it s Jsus birth, and it s His birthday, and H s turning a thousand yars old! (6-yar-old) That s right, I said to myslf, Christmas isn t about gifts, it s about... Wait a minut! 2) What is th ral maning of Christmas? It s not about prsnts, or gifts, or th yummy food that you mak, it is about spnding tim with your family and praising God bcaus H snt Jsus to sav us. (8-yar-old) To clbrat Christ s birth, not just gifts and Santa Claus. (12-yar-old) About birthday an angl Jsus. (2-yar-old) Jsus cam to arth. (10-yar-old) 3) Why is it so important that Jsus was born? Bcaus if H wasn t born, no on would hav did on th cross for our sins, and popl wouldn t b abl to go to havn; vryon would go to hll. (8-yar-old) Bcaus it s God s son! (6-yar-old) It s important bcaus H turnd himslf into a littl baby so H could hlp us. H answrd popls qustions about God and did for us. (8-yar-old) 17

18 4) Ar you glad that Jsus was born? Why? Ys! Bcaus H is hlping popl going to th ral God so thy gt into havn. (6-yar-old) Ys, cuz H couldn t hav savd us if H wasn t, and H was th only prfct on. (6-yar-old) Ys, I m vry glad bcaus I am a Christian and H is my Savior. (8-yar-old) Th Lord Jsus has invitd childrn to Himslf, and H has taught us that whovr dos not rciv th kingdom of God lik a child shall not ntr it (Luk 18:17). Childrn can oftn s with clarr ys th wondr of Christmas not simply wondr in th stars and snow, but in th God of th stars and snow. Thy can marvl in an army of ral angls roaring Glory to God in th highst on a cold night in front of dirty shphrds. Thy can aw at a tiny baby that shins with glory bcaus h is th Lord of th plants and Lord of our harts. Thy can bliv that this baby grw to bcom th man who did on th cross and ros again in ordr to pay for our sins and purchas a plac for us in havn. Whil Christmas ntrtainmnt is on of th lgitimat plasurs of th sason, thr is a dangr of which w must b awar. In our agrnss to clbrat th fullnss of this sason, may w discrn wll not to put any stumbling blocks in th way of our childrn or ourslvs that ultimatly provid a tru maning of Christmas that is not tru at all. May w and our childrn rmmbr that th tru maning of Christmas is not a childhood lsson about Christmas spirit. Th tru maning of Christmas is th clbration of th On who snt th Child to giv us th Spirit. May that gracious God b th on in our viw this Christmas sason. 18

19 THE WEEK of DECEMBER 11 Sing ths hymns togthr with your family Silnt Night Vrs 1 Silnt night holy night All is calm all is bright Round yon virgin mothr and Child Holy Infant so tndr and mild Slp in havnly pac Slp in havnly pac Vrs 2 Silnt night holy night Shphrds quak at th sight Gloris stram from havn afar Hav nly hosts sing allluia Christ th Saviour is born Christ th Saviour is born Vrs 3 Silnt night holy night Son of God lov s pur light Radiant bams from th holy fac With th dawn of rdming grac Jsus Lord at Thy birth Jsus Lord at Thy birth CCLI Song No Public Domain Franz Xavr Grubr John Frman Young Josph Mohr For us solly with th SongSlct Trms of Us. All rights Rsrvd. Away in a Mangr Vrs 1 Away in a mangr no crib for a bd Th littl Lord Jsus lay down His swt had Th stars in th sky lookd down whr H lay Th littl Lord Jsus aslp on th hay Vrs 2 Th cattl ar lowing th baby awaks But littl Lord Jsus no crying H maks I lov Th Lord Jsus look down from th sky And stay by my cradl till morning is nigh Vrs 3 B nar m Lord Jsus I ask Th to stay Clos by m forvr and lov m I pray Blss all th dar childrn in Thy tndr car And fit us for havn to liv with Th thr CCLI Song No Public Domain Jams Ramsy Murray John Thomas McFarland Martin Luthr For us solly with th SongSlct Trms of Us. All rights Rsrvd. 19

20 Christmas through th Eys of a Child Drawing Activity Draw in th first thought bubbl what Christmas is not about (.g., gifts, rindr, trs, candy). Draw in th scond thought bubbl what Christmas rally is about (i.., Jsus birth). anna montgomry

21 Com S This Thing by Dav Crichlow THE WEEK of DECEMBER 11 Th Advnt of Nw Rlationships (Part 2) If w ar honst with ourslvs, w also nd to b rconcild to Christ s liknss. Could it b that in th procss of larning to giv grac to difficult popl God may do His most significant rdmptiv work in us? Pastor Brad Bigny says, I had all th fruits of th Spirit whil living as a singl man alon in my apartmnt. Thn I got marrid! Bing in clos rlationships with popl can tll us a lot about our ral maturity in Christ. To summariz Paul Tripp, in his book Instrumnts in th Rdmr s Hands, God always works in us as H is working through us. Could it b that th sovrign and good God has put th prfct popl and situations in your lif to conform you to His imag? But it is so hard! How do w gt thr? Paul givs us som important instruction in 2 Corinthians 5: Rmmbr what H first did for you (vs. 21) Liv with a nw purpos (vs. 15, 20) Lov with a nw lov (vs. 14) S with nw ys (vs. 16) Rmmbr What H First Did For You H mad Him who knw no sin to b sin on our bhalf, that w might bcom th rightousnss of God in Him. (2 Cor. 5:21 NASB) Th amount of grac w giv to othrs is a dirct rflction of our undrstanding of how much grac Christ has givn to us. Or as Robb Bsosa of Twlv Stons Ministris says, th xtnt of how much w lov God is bst sn in our worst human rlationships. Think about that. W must plung to th dpths of our own sin to truly undrstand th hights of God s grac. Whn w undrstand th tsunami of grac that has floodd ovr and washd away our garbag dumps of sin, w will hav living watr to giv to thirsty popl. Evn though ths lssons ar valuabl, I suddnly ralizd, vn as a child, that th tru maning of Christmas did not hav to do with m at all. It did not hav to do with kping Christmas in my hart, or giving instad of rciving, or having Christmas chr. Christmas was about somon that did not vn mak an apparanc in most of ths movis: Christ. Liv with a Nw Purpos H did for all, that thy who liv should no longr liv for thmslvs, but for Him who did and ros again on thir bhalf Thrfor, w ar ambassadors for Christ. (2 Cor. 5:15, 20 NASB) A Christian must liv with a kn awarnss of Good Friday and Eastr, vn at Christmas. Our livs ar not our own. For you hav bn bought with a pric: thrfor glorify God in your body. (1 Cor. 6:20 NASB) Nxt wk, w ll finish this thought with two mor truths to hlp you ngag with othrs in a way that honors God and hlps thm to s Jsus at Christmas. Rsourcs for furthr rading Instrumnts in th Rdmr s Hands: (Popl in Nd of Chang Hlping Popl in Nd of Chang) by Paul David Tripp How to Ovrcom Evil by Jay Edward Adams 21

22 On a pr-dtrmind vning, w shar a vry spcial hommad dinnr. My wif Angla dos most of our family cooking, but on this night I do vrything, usually somthing crazy w nvr cook, lik a rib roast or duck! I also includ hr favorit dssrt (on sh only gts about onc ach yar). Aftr dinnr w sit down and watch a Christmas movi and spnd th vning as a family. ~ Scott McColgin With our childrn now in collg, w v had th opportunity to giv a Christmas Nw Tstamnt and a trat bag to collg studnts in othr rooms in th dorm. ~ Jim & Lori Nosstt W go with our family to th Rynolds Farm Implmnt grounds in Fishrs, tak th driving tour, thn go out for hot chocolat or ic cram. ~ Scott & Angla McColgin Aftr gtting th tr strung with lights, w ll put on Christmas music and pull out th box of Christmas dcorations. Each mmbr of our family will tak on ornamnt out of th box and put it up on th tr. As w hang it on th tr, w ll talk about mmoris that ach ornamnt triggrs. Som ornamnts ar rmindrs of hard sasons w v walkd through. Som ornamnts ar a clbration of an accomplishmnt or a lif stag. Othr ornamnts provok laughtr as w rmmbr silly momnts or funny family tims w v spnt togthr. At th nd, ach child rcivs a nw ornamnt that thy gt to hang on th tr, an ornamnt that on day thy will gt to tak with thm whn thy start a family and traditions of thir own. ~ Mark & Emily Schuitma For a family dvotional tim, w gav ach prson a rotating rsponsibility for lading, sharing a vrs, lading a song, praying, bringing a snack. That way all wr involvd, ngagd, and having fun ~ David Palmr W tak on vning and focus on thanksgiving for what God has don. Hav ach family mmbr or frind gathr spcial itms from thir homs, rooms, or closts that rprsnt things thy ar thankful for (.g., a family pictur, Bibl, food, warmth, tc.). Thn put th itms in a bag. Ask ach prson to pull out on itm at a tim and shar, thn giv thanks for what God has givn thm. ~ Scott & Angla McColgin On yar w all had to mak, not buy, our gifts for on anothr. W gav a priz for th prson who spnt th last on matrials anothr. Btwn ach prsnt unwrappd, a prson in our six-prson family would shar a vrs that was hand-pickd for anothr family mmbr. ~ David Palmr On Christmas Ev day w tak out th colord Sharpis and som plain round ornamnts - all th sam siz - and dcorat thm, making sur to put ach on of our nams and th yar on our prsonal ornamnt. Th dcorations on ach ornamnt ar supposd to rval on main thm of our yar or a spcial mmory. Aftr w r all finishd, w ach tll th story bhind our prsonal dcorations and thn w hang ach of th ornamnts on th Christmas tr. ~ Grg & Marsha Pilchr 22

23 23

24 Sunday, Dc. 18 THE WEEK of DECEMBER 18 Sing Jsus & Christmas Collg Park Compassion Ministris Th joy of th sason somtims ovrwhlms us to th point whr w may miss th way othrs s this thing which has com to pass. Thr wr shphrds, angls, Mary and Josph, Hrod, th Magi, and countlss othrs all who uniquly xprincd th arrival of Jsus. Our Compassion Ministry tam has slctd svral individuals who ach hav a uniqu prspctiv of Christmas basd on thir own xprinc. As you rad thir storis, plas pray for ths popl and thos thy rprsnt, thn considr th qustions at th nd. From a family in crisis: Andy & Mariann Millr Th Millr family xprincd crisis in th 2010 Christmas sason. Thir tn-yar-old son Christophr had a hart infction calld Endocarditis that rquird opn hart surgry on Dc. 29. During th tn-hour surgry, th doctors also rplacd th aortic valv and th aorta to corrct a congnital hart condition. Thn on Jan. 6, Christophr faintd du to an undtctd brain anurism. H had brain surgry on Jan. 10 that succssfully clippd th brain anurism. Our gracious God brought thm through a significant trial that dpnd how thy s Jsus at Christmas. With Christophr it was such a surpris w didn t s it coming. It was right bfor Christmas whn w wnt in to Rily [Hospital]. Th doctor cam into th room and said, Your son nds hart surgry, and h nds it in th nxt coupl of days. That was a lot to digst, vn with our faith. It took a lot dp soul-sarching. Things changd for us that Christmas. Sinc w knw that h was going in [for surgry], it was intrsting how that changd our prspctiv on gifts and our family tim togthr. I distinctly rmmbr how Christophr wantd to build an airplan out of wood. Andy workd in th shop with him for hours and hours on this plan that h wantd to mak for his brothr. I rmmbr distinctly th first tim h walkd [aftr th surgry]. H got up and wnt out into hallway with a lot of hlp and his cart with IVs, and w just took a short tn-yard walk to th Christmas Tr by th nurss station. I rmmbrd bing ovrwhlmd with th sns of look what God has don! From a widow: Jssi Vandnbrg My prspctiv changd a lot aftr [my husband] did. In fact, it changd totally. Not only was h gon, but th childrn wr all gon, living in diffrnt stats, so I was prtty much all alon. You can t fill th void. Thr s no way you can rplac th mmoris or th yars. You can t fill that void. But you don t want to focus on yourslf vry much. That s important bcaus if you start thinking about what you v lost and how lif is changd you ll b forvr dprssd. But if you focus on what God would hav you do now with your childrn, grandchildrn, church, frinds, staying activ That s th bst way to rgain your motional stability and your mntal happinss, pac of mind, and pac for your soul. 24

25 From th handicappd: Cindy Twigg [Christmas mans] Jsus is born in Bthlhm. With Mary and Josph sitting thr bsid Him. Why is it spcial to m? Bcaus I lik Jsus! H s my favorit man. H did for our sins. And mad us go to havn. In Christmas tim I fl good. From a homlss vtran: Frd Young Christmas tim usd to b about th prsnts and gifts, and I was always taught th maning of Christmas, but I nvr rally ralizd and flt th tru maning of Christmas until I bcam homlss. I walkd th strt for fiv yars, trying to lay my had whrvr I could. I rmmbr th sadnss, hurt, sham, and angr of thinking, This could happn to m? Sombody that was supposd to ovrcom ths things I rmmbr on tim wanting to com hom for Christmas. I didn t hav th mony to com hom, and whn I wnt out to call to lt my parnts know I was coming hom, I found $40 in phonbooth. Whn I got to Evansvill, I was told that th bus was going to b four hours lat laving for Indianapolis. I can rmmbr walking through th bus station, and ovr th loudspakr cam a voic that said, W hav a spcial bus going to Indianapolis, Indiana. Nxt stop: straight through. I couldn t hlp but think to myslf th way it cam ovr th loudspakr, Was that God talking? I rmmbr riding on a bus on Christmas day, and th bus drivr lt m stay on and rid just to stay warm. It mad m think about th baby Jsus and His journy to bing housd, how h was takn in and givn lov. Knowing that God was with m hlpd m gt through a lot of holidays. Discuss togthr: 1 What ar ways you or your family or small group can xprinc th Christmas sason through th prspctiv of anothr? 2 How can you hlp othrs s Jsus as you hav sn Him in your own lif? Har ths storis in th individuals own words at yourchurch.com/compassionvido 25

26 26

27 Com S This Thing by Dav Crichlow THE WEEK of DECEMBER 18 Th Advnt of Nw Rlationships (Part 3) An ambassador should not rprsnt th intrsts of his own kingdom but th on who snt him. Lov with a Nw Lov For th lov of Christ controls us (2 Cor. 5:14a NASB) What controls your raction to othrs whn thy sin against you or around you? This vrs calls us to b controlld by th lov of Christ, not our own passions and motions, our own intrsts, our own xpctations, our own slfrightous prid, our own idols of comfort and as, or our own kingdom. W nd to honstly ask ourslvs, Am I loving othrs in a way that shows I rally lov Christ? Am I loving othrs in th way that Christ lovs thm? Christ did for thos who sinnd against Him and hatd Him. Ar you willing to di to slf in th sam way? S with Nw Eys Thrfor from now on w rcogniz no man according to th flsh; vn though w hav known Christ according to th flsh, yt now w know Him thus no longr. (2 Cor. 5:16 NASB) What do you s whn you look at difficult popl? Do you s thm according to th ys of your flsh and bcom asily offndd or hurt? Do you look at thm with disdain as you s thm acting in thir own flsh and nvr considr what God might want to do in thm? Do you bliv God is a Rdmr and that H wants to rdm thm? What would thy look lik if God s rsurrction powr changd thm to b mor lik Himslf? W hav a choic. Ar w going to liv and spak in a way that will adorn th gospl or stand up for our own intrsts? W must first s thm, not as nmis of our kingdom, but as thos caught in sin, nding a Savior or as a wakr brothr or sistr who nds us to show thm what maturity in Christ looks lik. What if this Christmas you livd in a way that said com s this thing and popl around you said, I want to s what you hav sn. Prhaps this could b th advnt of nw rlationships. 1 Qustions for Mditation How has Christ savd you? List all th ways H has transformd you Who ar th difficult popl in your lif? Mak a list. Bgin to pray daily for how you might rspond to thm in nw ways. What ar som qualitis about thm that God wants to rdm? List thos things and dwll on thos things as you think about thm and pray for thm. Examin yourslf. How dos th way you rspond to difficult popl rval whr God wants to work on conforming you to Christ? How would you b mor lik Him if you rspondd to difficult popl th way H dos? 27

28 Qustions for Mditation Romans 12 says so far as it dpnds on you, b at pac with all mn and do not b ovrcom by vil, but ovrcom vil with good. What radical stps could you tak to build bridgs of grac in th livs of difficult popl around? Do you nd to ask for forgivnss for sins you hav committd against thm? Do you nd to lt lov covr a multitud of sins thy may hav committd against you and xtnd grac or hav a spirit of forgivnss toward thm? Ar thr radical acts of goodnss that you can xtnd toward thm? 10 Ar thr words of rconciliation that you can purpos to say to thm? Rsourcs for furthr rading Th Pacmakr: A Biblical Guid to Rsolving Prsonal Conflict, by Kn Sand Putting Your Past in Its Plac: Moving Forward in Frdom and Forgivnss by Stphn Viars 28

29 On of our traditions at Christmas is th arrival of baby Jsus on Christmas morning. Whn w thought about th focus w wantd our childrn to hav Christmas morning, w wantd it to b on th arrival of Christ, not Santa or gifts. So whn th kids wr young w build a small mangr that w would gt out at th sam tim w put up our tr (usually right aftr Thanksgiving). Th mangr would b mpty and w told th kids that baby Jsus would com Christmas morning. W usd th advnt calndar to count down how long till baby Jsus arrivs. Christmas morning H would b out and wrappd in old blankts. Th first thing th kids would do is to go s baby Jsus and tak turns holding Him. Aftr prsnts, w would thn mak waffls and sing happy birthday to Jsus. W still do it now that all th kids ar tnagrs. ~ Dav & Ann Moor On of our family s favorit Christmas traditions is to play Christmas light hid and sk. Aftr dinnr, w ll turn off all th lights in th hous xcpt th Christmas lights: th Christmas tr, lights across th mantl, and th candls in th windows. W ll tak turns hiding around th hous with ach family mmbr gtting a chanc to sk thos hiding. Our kids lov this gam and talk about it throughout th yar as w gt closr and closr to Christmas. It has bn a sourc of many laughs and mmoris as w all play Christmas light hid and sk togthr. ~ Mark & Emily Schuitma 29

30 Monday, Dc. 19 by Don Bartmus THE WEEK of DECEMBER 18 Go and Sarch Diligntly for th Child And h snt thm to Bthlhm, saying, Go and sarch diligntly for th child, and whn you hav found him, bring m word, that I too may com and worship him. (Matthw 2:8) Whn h told thm to go, sk diligntly for th child what did Hrod think th Magi wr doing?! Flying kits? Thy wr diligntly sking for th child! Who knows how long thy wr on thir sarch; it could hav bn yars. If thy startd on th day of His birth and cam to Jrusalm whn Jsus was almost two yars old thy had bn at it awhil. Thy gav it all of thir ffort. How much ffort do w giv to sking diligntly for th child...sking diligntly for Jsus? What dos th world think you ar doing at this Christmas tim? Ar you looking for th brand nw thing or th sam old thing? Ar you diligntly sking Jsus all yar long or is this a spcial tim whn you dvot yourslf and your family to sking Jsus? I think th magi rolld thir ys a bit and gav knowing looks to ach othr as if to say Hrod knows nothing of what h is toying with, but w know. How can h b th rulr in Jrusalm and dos not know whr th King of th Jws is? Would it not b grat if th world looks at you and says, Thy hav bn Christ skrs all yar long. Isn t it good to s thm find Jsus in all th hustl of Christmas? Through trial, suffring, joy, pain, succss, failur and all th in-btwns, thy hav bn sking th child diligntly yar round. Th Magi, th Christ skrs, did not stop for Hrod! No way! Hrod did not hav to tll thm to go ithr, bcaus thy wr alrady on thir way. Thy did not say anything or mak any promiss bcaus thy knw that Hrod was lying. But Hrod was not thir goal, Jsus was. How did thy know Hrod was lying? Thy knw bcaus his vry lips convictd him, and thn latr thy wr warnd to not rturn to him. Th Hrods of this world li to us, and w must b wis as srpnts. B gntl but wis as you shar with our world that you hav found th Christ. What dos it look lik, what will it look lik in your lif to sk diligntly for th child among th wolvs that want to swallow Him up? In th nd, for th wis mn, thy found Jsus. This rsultd in worship and giving. Isn t that th way? Whn w find Christ, w will worship and giv. In fact, th two go hand in hand bcaus our gratst worship is giving our livs to th Savior (Romans 12:1-2). This sason considr what th world thinks of your passion to follow Jsus. What dos it look lik... what will it look lik in your lif to sk Thn carfully display an ongoing, no-nw-thing attitud of worshipping and giving. W do not want th world to b surprisd that w ar Christians just bcaus w hav a nativity scn in our front yard. Thy should alrady know! diligntly for th child among th wolvs that want to swallow Him up? 30

31 Monday, Dc. 19 THE WEEK of DECEMBER 18 Sing ths hymns togthr with your family O Com All Y Faithful Vrs 1 O com all y faithful Joyful and triumphant O com y O com y to Bthlhm Com and bhold Him Born th King of angls O com lt us ador Him O com lt us ador Him O com lt us ador Him Christ th Lord Vrs 2 Sing choirs of angls Sing in xultation O sing all y bright Hosts of hav n abov Glory to God All glory in th highst O com lt us ador Him O com lt us ador Him O com lt us ador Him Christ th Lord Vrs 3 Ya Lord w grt Th Born this happy morning Jsus to Th b all glory giv n Word of th Fathr Now in flsh apparing O com lt us ador Him O com lt us ador Him O com lt us ador Him Christ th Lord CCLI Song No C. Frdrick Oakly John Francis Wad For us solly with th SongSlct Trms of Us. All rights Rsrvd. Th First Nol Vrs 1 Th first Nol th angl did say Was to crtain poor shphrds in filds as thy lay In filds whr thy lay kping thir shp On a cold wintr s night that was so dp [Rfrain] Nol Nol Nol Nol Born is th King of Isral Vrs 2 Thy lookd up and saw a star Shining in th ast byond thm far And to th arth it gav grat light And so it continud both day and night [Rfrain] Vrs 3 And by th light of that sam star Thr wis mn cam from country far To sk for a king was thir intnt And to follow th star whrvr it wnt [Rfrain] Vrs 4 This star drw nigh to th northwst O r Bthlhm it took its rst And thr it did both stop and stay Right ovr th plac whr Jsus lay [Rfrain] Vrs 5 Thn ntrd in thos wis mn thr Full rv rntly upon thir kn And offrd thr in His prsnc Thir gold and myrrh and frankincns Vrs 6 Thn lt us all with on accord Sing praiss to our havnly Lord That hath mad hav n and arth of naught And with His blood mankind hath bought CCLI Song No Public Domain For us solly with th SongSlct Trms of Us. All rights Rsrvd. 31

32 Go and Sarch Diligntly for th Child (Matt 2:8) Color th wis mn who sarchd for Jsus. Coloring Activity

33 Tusday, Dc. 20 by Kati Kronbrg THE WEEK of DECEMBER 18 Com S This Thing in Local Outrach Tird. Hoplss. Misguidd. Many young mothrs find thmslvs in such a stat whn thy first com to Hart Chang. Tn prgnancis, homlssnss, and domstic abus fill th pags of many of thir storis. Thy hav grown up without a fathr and minimal attntion from a mothr. Ths womn sns a pac and joy in th voluntrs, and raliz somthing is missing in thir own livs. Matthw 28:19 says, Go thrfor and mak discipls of all nations, baptizing thm in th nam of th Fathr and of th Son and of th Holy Spirit. Making discipls for Christ is th ultimat goal in all that is don at Hart Chang, but making discipls is mor than just passing on information. Through Bibl studis, parnting classs, mntoring, and ducational assistanc, ths womn ar lovingly pointd to th cross. On young mothr cam to a fall Bibl study a coupl of yars ago at Hart Chang calld Man s Ways vs. God s Ways. In this study sh larnd to rcogniz sin and to find hr joy in Christ. Th Bibl study was hld on Mondays, and thn on Wdnsdays sh was abl to cultivat skills ranging from financs to th us of hr tongu through a biblical prspctiv. Latr on, sh compltd th Mothr s Univrsity program. Hr sh larnd mor about diffrnt topics such as stwardship, hygin, and nutrition. Sh vn rcivd assistanc in attaining a drivr s licns. On of th voluntrs usd hr own car to com alongsid this mothr and tach hr how to driv. This is an xampl of what disciplship and Christian community look lik. It is about ral lif rlationships that bgin with taching in a classroom but thn mov outsid th church walls to ncompass vryday xprincs. Bing abl to driv has givn hr th ability to tak hr daughtr to Th Oaks Acadmy for prschool whil sh attnds Ivy Tch. Th Oaks Acadmy is a Christ-cntrd school that provids a rich, classical ducation to thir studnts. Now, not only has Jsus bn taught to th mothr at Hart Chang through a Bibl Study, but th daughtr will rciv a grat ducation in an nvironmnt whr Jsus is xaltd as suprm. Through ths stratgic local partnrs of Collg Park Church, th gospl is bing proclaimd in word and dd. In th midst of a darknd city, Jsus is braking into th livs of popl, and a light is bcoming visibl. Sarah voluntrs at Hart Chang as th Spiritual Dvlopmnt Dirctor, and spnding tim with ths womn has opnd hr ys to xactly what kind of povrty is most prvalnt in thir livs. Although many of ths womn lack nutritious food for thir familis, thy ar not always lacking in matrial nds. Bcaus of th ngativ influncs of ntrtainmnt choics, thy do not hav th right financial prioritis. Ths womn do not nd mor stuff. Thy nd guidanc - spiritually and intllctually. Thir souls ar closd off from th lack of convrsation and too much tlvision as It truly is our aim that our lov, srvic, and sharing of th truth would ignit a passion to follow Jsus. childrn. Ths womn nd God-cntrd rlationships, basd on trust, so thy can opn up and larn to communicat in a halthy way. Through Jsus Christ thr is hop. Hart Chang rachs out to womn right whr thy ar and offrs thm a bttr way. Th goal is not just to improv th vryday livs of ths moms or to hlp thm b bttr popl. Ths womn nd a Savior. Com to m, all who labor and ar havy ladn, and I will giv you rst. Tak my yok upon you, and larn from m, for I am gntl and lowly in hart, and you will find rst for your souls (Matt. 11:28-30). Through Hart Chang and othr local ministris partnring with Collg Park, th gospl of Jsus Christ is bing takn into our communitis. Through srvic activitis, Bibl studis, mntoring/ disciplship, and ducation, th lif-transforming Savior is xaltd at th cntr. It truly is our aim that our lov, srvic, and sharing of th truth would ignit a passion to follow Jsus. God is working in our city, and w ar sing this aim bcom a rality in both thos srving and thos bing srvd. 33

34 Word Sarch Activity WORD SEARCH Find th local outrach partnrships and othr words that rflct th work that is don in ths organizations Th Oaks Acadmy Slf-Dnial Midwst Food Bank Joy Whlr Ministris Outrach Inc Lov Th Bibl Kids Church Mrcy Lif Cntrs Hart Chang Rliability Saf Familis Patinc Jsus Opportunity Commitmnt Goodnss Shphrd Community Cntr Child Evanglism Fllowship Prayr Compassion Kindnss Crossroads Bibl Collg Humility Pac Srv Cru Nighborhood Christian Lgal Clinic 34

35 35

36 This tradition is on of my favorits bcaus it involvs my dad and a big prsnt! On Christmas morning, w would start prsnt opning with th big gifts. W would go in som spcific ordr, such as oldst to youngst, youngst to oldst, or middl outward. Onc w stablishd an ordr, Dad would assum th position in his favorit chair. Thn whn it was my turn to go, I would sit up on Dad s lap and hold my prsnt in my lap. (As w got oldr, w sat on a pillow and thrw our lgs ovr his lap.) Onc w wr rady, Dad would rad/tll us all th things that w had accomplishd ovr th last yar and how h and Mom wr proud of us. H would includ all th ways that thy had prayd for us and how thos prayrs had bn answrd. Thn h would pray with us and thank God for how w had grown and pray for th coming yar. Whn I was youngr, I just wantd to rip opn th prsnt. Now, I look back and am struck by how much Dad and Mom lovd us and how many tims thy told us. This is probably my favorit tradition, and I hop w carry at last som of it on to our kids somday. Thanks Dad! Oh, and thn aftr all that, w would gt to opn our prsnt! Of cours, w couldn t play with it until vryon had bn on Th Lap. ~ Klsy Schwibold, daughtr of Brad & Nancy As Christmas cards start coming in, I pray for th family or prsons who snt m a card that vning at dinnr. ~ Jvn Livngood I gav vryon in my family $30, with th rquirmnt to giv it away outsid th family. Thn w all gt back a wk latr and told our storis of what happnd. ~ David Palmr 36

37 Wdnsday, Dc. 21 by Dustin Crow THE WEEK of DECEMBER 18 Glory to God in th Highst Th first words of Holy Scriptur dscrib th story s opning drama of cration, cration by God spaking forth light into th dark abyss. In th bginning, God cratd th havns and th arth and darknss was ovr th fac of th dp And God said, Lt thr b light, and thr was light. (Gn. 1:1, 3). Bruc Waltk rcognizs th Bibl s thm hr and xprsss it as God irrupting into chaos to stablish his rul ovr vrything. Th cration account mphasizs th transcndnt glory of th God who spaks light into darknss. Although, for many, th Christmas story has bn rlgatd to a warm and cut nativity scn, th narrativ of Jsus birth rflcts th drama, mystry, suspns, and hop that th cration account providd. At th tim of th Incarnation it had bn four hundrd yars sinc th last of God s prophts, and not only had th Biblical narrativ smingly pausd, or abruptly ndd, but Isral had bcom a spiritually dad popl. It is against this backdrop of hoplssnss, silnc from God, and spiritual darknss that th Christmas story taks plac. In th fourth Gospl, John intgrats th storis of cration and rdmption so w undrstand thy ar uniquly rlatd. God cratd Adam and Ev and walkd with thm as his own popl in th Gardn. H was thir God and thy wr His popl, rsting in His fllowship and njoying His glory. That is what w wr cratd to b, but as w know, bcaus of sin s curs upon th world as a whol and us as prsons, things ar not as thy wr intndd to b. Thr is darknss ovr th world and w walk in it. God s glory is vild from us bcaus th clouds of sin, and rathr than walking with Him as His own popl w liv brokn livs as isolatd individuals. Th joys of Christmas rlatd to rnwd community with family and frinds, wondr, nostalgic sights and sounds, dlight in giving and srving, and warm storis ar grat tmporal gifts, but if thy ar all w s and w fail to s th powr of what th holiday rprsnts w hav missd th point. Howvr, whn w s and fl th wight of th glory of God, a God who rscus and rdms a popl who stumbl around in th darknss with brokn livs far short of why thy wr cratd, thn th trnal wight of th incarnation and th tmporal plasurs of th holidays fall into thir rspctiv ranks. Christmas offrs lgitimat plasurs to b njoyd but it is ultimatly about th glory of God dwlling among us through Jsus Christ. John s prologu (1:1-18) parallls th cration account sinc it is at this vry tim of silnc and darknss during th silnt yars btwn th Old and Nw tstamnts w again s God irrupting into chaos to stablish his rul ovr vrything. Notic John s cho of Gnsis 1, now introducing th God-man Jsus Christ to th biblical story. In th bginning was th Word, and th Word was with God, and th Word was God. H was in th bginning with God. All things wr mad through him, and without him was not anything mad that was mad. In him was lif, and th lif was th light of mn. Th light shins in th darknss, and th darknss has not ovrcom it (John 1:1-5). Th Word who is God and was with God cratd all things, including th human bings h dsignd to know and liv in a joyous rlationship with Him. And th Word bcam flsh and dwlt among us, and w hav sn his glory, glory as of th only Son from th Fathr, full of grac and truth (John 1:14). Whn th baby Jsus is born to th virgin Mary in th small town of Bthlhm, h is th trnal God who humbls himslf by bcoming a human bing. As thos nativity scns displayd ach Dcmbr illustrat, Jsus is born of flsh and blood as a baby. Yt, this on who is compltly man is at th sam tim God, th God who spok light into darknss. And th wondr of th Christmas story is that God coms and dwlls among us (Immanul), and h ntrs th darknss and silnc ovr th arth so h can do what no on bfor him was abl to do. H cam with th nam of Jsus, for h will sav his popl from thir sins (Matt. 1:21). Each yar during th holiday sason popl dcorat with nativity scns and many rtll th story. Thy lov th mangr with Mary and Josph in th barn with thir littl baby wrappd in swaddling cloths. Thy also lik th anglic proclamation Glory to God in th highst, and on arth pac, good will toward mn (Luk 2:14, KJV). 37

38 Thy vn ar fond of th wis mn following a star lading thm to th nwborn child thy showr with gifts. All of that togthr is a grat pictur and part of th Christmas story, but as John rminds us, th birth of Jsus is but on snapshot of th largr story. It is with th backdrop of spiritual darknss and silnc ovr th arth, and th sming absnc of God from his cration and his own covnant popl, Jsus ntrs into th storylin. Th shock and wondr of rdmption is that th God who cratd man and thn humbls himslf to bcom man is rjctd by man. His own cration not only rjcts Him, but mocks, torturs, and puts Him to dath in on of th most painful ways imagind. His own popl, th Jws, ar th vry ons who hat and kill him. John s prologu continus by dscribing this sad irony: H was in th world, and th world was mad through him, yt th world did not know him. H cam to his own, and his own popl did not rciv him (John 1:10-12). As astonishing and tragic as that sounds, Jsus was born into th world for this vry purpos. H cam to b th sinlss Savior who was both God and man, and thrfor could di as th on mdiator btwn God and man. In his dath h took mankind s sins upon himslf and bor th wrath of God. Evn wors than th pain of tortur and dath, wors than th humility of th Crator bing mockd by his craturs was th agony of bing th Son forsakn by th Fathr whn h did as th sin-baring substitut. Som think of th Christmas story as boring and som think of it as a nic, hart-warming story. Howvr, th drama of God bcoming a man, and thn bing put to dath by mn, all whil doing so to accomplish atonmnt and salvation for mn, is anything but a boring or cozy story. And though h did as th mdiator btwn God and mn, bing put to dath to aton for sins, h was rsurrctd and vindicatd so w may in him and through him hav forgivnss and nwnss of lif. Th thm of cration is no diffrnt than th thm of rdmption, for in both w s God irrupting into chaos to stablish his rul ovr vrything. John clarifis for us th good nws bhind th whol holiday clbration. But to all who did rciv him, who blivd in his nam, h gav th right to bcom childrn of God (John 1:12). Rmmbr this sason that th birth of Jsus is part of th ovrarching biblical plot with its maning tid to what cam bfor and what coms aftr in th story. And considr also that th birth of Christ is not simply a nic story w giv homag to onc a yar. This tragic yt triumphant story grabs us as w har it and calls us to rmmbr that Christmas is about th glory of God in rdming a popl to himslf through th God-man Jsus Christ. W clbrat his birth bcaus without it w hav no hop and rmain in darknss. Th Christmas story is th gratst story vr told bcaus it is th mssag of salvation for sinnrs. Jsus, as Crator and Rdmr, braks forth into th scn with his birth, irrupting into chaos and darknss and now h calls us to liv as nw popl undr his rul. This is what w wr cratd to b and this is what w can now bcom as thos who rciv him. Th plasurs of th holiday sason should not b diminishd but njoyd as God s good gifts. And yt, thy pal whn compard to th rich story of th God who bcam man in ordr to rval th glory of God to us, to shin light into a dark and barrn world, and to rdm us to b God s vry own popl....this story calls us to rmmbr that Christmas is about th glory of God in rdming a popl to Himslf. 38

39 Wdnsday, Dc. 21 THE WEEK of DECEMBER 18 Sing ths hymns togthr with your family Hark th Hrald Angls Sing Vrs 1 Hark th hrald angls sing Glory to th nwborn King Pac on arth and mrcy mild God and sinnrs rconcild Joyful all y nations ris Join th triumph of th skis With th anglic hosts proclaim Christ is born in Bthlhm Hark th hrald angls sing Glory to th nwborn King Vrs 2 Christ by highst hav n adord Christ th vrlasting Lord Lat in tim bhold Him com Offspring of a virgin s womb Vild in flsh th Godhad s Hail th incarnat Dity Plasd as man with mn to dwll Jsus our Emmanul Hark th hrald angls sing Glory to th nwborn King Vrs 3 Hail th hav n born Princ of Pac Hail th Sun of rightousnss Light and lif to all H brings Ris n with haling in His wings Mild H lays His glory by Born that man no mor may di Born to rais th sons of arth Born to giv thm scond birth Hark th hrald angls sing Glory to th nwborn King Vrs 4 Com Dsir of nations com Fix in us Thy humbl hom Ris th woman s conqu ring sd Bruis in us th srpnt s had Adam s liknss now ffac Stamp Thin imag in its plac Scond Adam from abov Rinstat us in Thy lov Hark th hrald angls sing Glory to th nwborn King CCLI Song No Public Domain Charls Wsly Flix Mndlssohn For us solly with th SongSlct Trms of Us. All rights Rsrvd. 39

40 Glory to God in th Highst (Luk 2:14) Color th shphrds. Draw an angl in th sky. Writ what th angls said to th shphrds: Glory to God in th highst! Coloring Activity

41 Thursday, Dc. 22 by Drk Josph THE WEEK of DECEMBER 18 Com S this Thing that Has Happnd - Global Outrach Th Apostl Paul, in Acts 17, taught that God put vry individual on th plant xactly in th plac that h wantd thm to b so that, if thy wantd, thy could sarch for him and find him. Th problm is, no on wants to sk for Him, bcaus w ar, in our harts, rbllious against Him. Now, w ar vry blssd to liv whr w do, bcaus th good nws about forgivnss through rlianc on Jsus dath and rsurrction is not only prsnt but prvalnt. W ar vry blssd to b in a church in which w har about how Jsus offrs rscu from th punishmnt our disobdinc dsrvs. Etrnal lif with Jsus is availabl to us. Howvr, ovr forty prcnt of th world s population livs in aras of not only lss prsnc of th Good Nws about Jsus - but of no accss to it at all. That mans that vryon in thos aras will suffr dath and hll if nothing changs. And wors - it mans that, in thos aras, God isn t bing praisd with th worship h dsrvs! But God isn t going to just lt that happn. Th Bibl tlls us that H will sav popl from vry ara in th world! And that s why h gav his popl a mission to fulfill: Go and mak discipls of all th nations (Matt. 28:19). At Collg Park, w hav two ways of sking to fulfill th mission God gav us. W hlp out othr ministris by forming stratgic partnrships with thm, and w snd out individual missionaris to announc th good nws whr Christ is not bing worshippd. Our Stratgic Partnrships In northrn Togo, w r hlping th Association of Baptists for World Evanglism build a hospital W r providing short trm mdical tams and construction tams. This hospital is staffd by popl who lov Jsus and who can talk about him with th Muslim popl of Togo - so that thy can hav tru and ral hop in Jsus. In northrn India, w v tamd up with Good Nws for India by supporting th training of Indian popl who can b hralds of th Gospl in aras whr no on knows Jsus. Northrn India has th most aras of anywhr in th world in which no on knows Jsus, so many popl hav to go to tll Indians about him! Thr has bn much war and fighting in th country of Cambodia, and so popl thr hav bn suffring and impovrishd. W v tamd up with World Rlif to hlp Cambodians start businsss, to tach and hlp popl who hav dadly disass, to hlp soon-to-b moms with thir and thir babis halth, and by taching thm English. Many popl hav bn turning from thir sins to oby Jsus in th country of Ukrain. That s somthing w should thank God for! Sadly, thr arn t vry many Ukrainians who know th Bibl wll nough to tach in th churchs. Can you imagin a church in which no on knows nough about th Bibl to xplain it to othrs? That s why w sponsor studnts and hlp with othr nds at Ukrainian Evanglical Thological Sminary - so that Ukrainians who lov Jsus can larn mor about him. God has bn drawing many popl to his Son, Jsus, in Africa as wll. Th churchs thr, howvr, suffr so much bcaus of war, injustic, povrty, hungr, disas, and corruption. W hlp by sponsoring studnts and hlping out with various projcts at th Nairobi Evanglical Graduat School of Thology - so that popl can graduat and hlp in Africa by proclaiming th Gospl and hlping to fix som of ths problms. LaConcha is a poor villag in th hills about an hour outsid of Managua, in Nicaragua. In partnrship with Nicaragua Rsourc Ntwork, Collg Park is invsting in th popl of La Concha through a Christian school, financial support for studnts, and th training of pastors and tachrs. 41

42 Libria was dcimatd by civil war during th 1990s. Collg Park s involvmnt in Libria is multi-factd. Bthsda Christian School, a Child Evanglism Fllowship affiliatd school, is training childrn to b followrs of Jsus Christ who will hav an impact in thir country for Him. Abundant Harvst Farms is an conomic dvlopmnt program of growing rubbr trs whos procds hlp assist Bthsda Christian School. Triumphant Transformation Kids provids training and assistanc for th xtrmly poor and dstitut. Collg Park Church is involvd through funding, scholarships and vision tams that hlp with construction and othr projcts. Do you know why churchs xist? 1 Timothy 3:16 tlls us that thy uphold th truth about Jsus so that popl can njoy and worship him forvr. W r also involvd in starting churchs in aras of th world whr th govrnmnts don t allow it! It s against th law thr, but God s Law is mor important. At Collg Park, not only do w hav partnrships with othr organizations, w also snd out our own frinds and familis to b missionaris. On coupl that w snt out about a yar ago is Jason and Mgan Doddridg. Thy ar trying to prsuad collg studnts in Japan to trust in Jsus so thy can hav trnal lif. Thy do this by having clubs on campus with studnts. Thy play sports with thm, travl with thm, and tach English to thm; but most importantly, thy hav discussions with thm about th Bibl. Rcntly, thy brought a group of collg studnts from Japan to sights in Amrica. Thy wnt to San Digo, Sacramnto, th Grand Canyon, Indianapolis, and svral othr placs. During th trip, on studnt, S-kun, cam up to Jason and said, Jason, I hav somthing that I want to tll you. I bliv in Jsus! I am your brothr now! On night latr, a girl namd R-chan invitd Mgan and Jason, with som othr studnts, to pray with hr - as sh xprssd trust to Christ for hr salvation. Aftr praying, sh said, I bliv now that God will nvr forsak m! W hav a nw brothr and sistr in God s family. God has givn thm nw lif, and w will worship him togthr with thm, and many othr Japans, and innumrabl popl from all ovr th world, whn Jsus rturns to gathr his family to himslf. Lt s thank God for what H s don - and what H continus to do. 42

43 Japan Th Evanglical Allianc Mission (TEAM) Caspian Collg Park Church Kynot Communications Cru Unitd Stats National Association of Nouthtic Counslors (NANC) East Asia SIL Intrnational Middl East Child Evanglism Fllowship (CEF) Grat Laks/Int'l Missions Cru Canada Northrn Canada Evanglical Mission (NCEM) Pru Srving in Mission (SIM) Intrnational Nw Zaland Cru Japan Th Navigators East Asia SIL Intrnational Portugus Spaking Europ/Africa Association of Baptists for World Evanglism (ABWE) East Asia Association of Baptists for World Evanglism (ABWE) 43

44 East Asia English Languag Institut China (ELIC) Ukrain Cru Angola Srving in Mission (SIM) Canada Caspian Global Partnrs Southast Asia Ovrsas Missionary Fllowship (OMF) Intrnational India Christar Grat Laks/Campus Cru Canary Islands CrossWorld Cambodia Libria Caspian Nicaragua India Ukrain Knya Togo Good Nws NEGST (Nairobi Evanglical Graduat School of Thology) Collg Park Church CEF (Child Evanglism Fllowship) La Concha School UETS (Ukrainian Evanglical Thological Sminary) World Rlif ABWE (Association of Baptists for World Evanglism) 44

45 For yars now, w hav gon to th Christmas Ev srvic, and on th way hom pickd up Chins carry-out for a fast. It always rminds us of our non-bliving nighbors bcaus of somthing on of our childrn larnd a long tim ago: on Christmas Day, thir Jwish frinds 1) go to movis, and 2) at Chins food, bcaus movi thatrs and Chins rstaurants ar th only things opn on Christmas. So, w njoy th fast, but in th midst of it, w rmmbr th nonblivrs in our community. For som yars now, w hav also had gusts for this Christmas Ev clbration, typically studnts who ar away from hom, and it provids a warm family tim within which to show thm hospitality. ~ Jim & Kathy Williams Hr s our family s tradition and w still do it, vn now that w r all grown. On Christmas Ev, w gt togthr, rad th passag from Luk 2 and thn shar as a family how w saw th Lord s faithfulnss throughout th past yar. It s a vry simpl but swt tim for our family and a grat tradition for vn th middl school/high schoolrs. ~ Dbra Bartmus 45

46 Othr Family Activitis Blow ar thr activitis to hlp build awarnss of th spiritual nds in our world. Banbag Toss Matrials: world map, banbag Dirctions: Lay th map on th floor. Hav childrn sit or stand around th map. Choos a child to toss th banbag onto th map. Rad th nam of th country whr th banbag lands. Pray for familis in that country to com to know Jsus. If th banbag lands on a body of watr, pray for familis in a country that bordrs that body of watr. Hand th banbag to anothr child and continu in th sam way. Light of th World Matrials: world map, flashlight, music CD and CD playr Dirctions: Lay th map on th floor. Hav childrn tak off thir shos and sit in a circl around th map. Turn off most of th lights. Hand th flashlight to a child. Whn th music bgins, th childrn pass th flashlight around th circl. Whn th music stops, th child with th flashlight stands and shins th light on on country on th map. Pray for God to prpar th harts of familis in that country to undrstand who Jsus is. Hav th child sit back down in th circl, start th music, and continu in th sam way. Missionary Photo Card Prayr Matrials: world map, photo prayr cards of church missionaris or th Global Outrach Family Prayr Album Dirctions: Lay th map on th floor. Hav childrn sit around th map. Show th photo on th first missionary prayr card or flip to a pag in th prayr album and rad th nams of th popl in th family. On th map, locat th country whr th missionaris srv. Choos a child to lay th photo card on th map. Pray for th missionaris using som of th prayr catgoris suggstd blow. Continu in th sam way with th rmaining prayr cards. Pray for: Halth, nw frinds, provision, ncouragmnt, safty, tim with God, wisdom, adjustmnt to cultur, larning languags, and for many popl com to know God. Othr idas at: 46

47 Friday, Dc. 23 by Jff Ballard THE WEEK of DECEMBER 18 How Can this B? And Mary said to th angl, How will this b, sinc I am a virgin? (Luk 1:34) Simply put, Jsus is th gratst gift th human rac has vr known. W can s this throughout th narrativ of th birth of Jsus, but prhaps it is nowhr clarr than in th angl Gabril s announcmnt to Mary. In this xchang, w gt a clarr pictur of this priclss gift. Th scn is st in vrss Th angl Gabril is snt from God to announc th good nws of th coming birth of a son, not just to any woman, but to a virgin namd Mary. On on lvl, it is surprising that Mary would b so puzzld as to how this would tak plac, for sh was btrothd to Josph. To b btrothd mant that Mary was lgally pldgd to b marrid to Josph (similar to ngagmnt in our cultur, but it was actually lgally binding). Though Mary was a virgin, sh knw that in th nar futur sh and Josph would b marrid. Th most natural thing Mary should hav thought whn haring Gabril s announcmnt was that sh would conciv aftr sh and Josph wr marrid. So why was sh so prplxd? It s hard to say for crtain, but it is quit possibl that Mary hard Gabril s announcmnt and, bing familiar with th writings of th propht Isaiah, immdiatly thought of Isaiah 7. In that chaptr, th LORD promiss a sign to King Ahaz to confirm his promis that Judah would not fall to Syria. What was th sign? A virgin would conciv and bar a son, who would b calld Immanul, which mans God is with us. Notic how Gabril grtd Mary in vrs 28: Grtings, O favord on, th Lord is with you! Mary was rciving th nws that God was fulfilling promiss of staggring proportions through hr womb. Gabril tlls hr that: Sh will bar a son who is to b namd Jsus (which mans Th Lord savs ) Jsus will b grat and will b calld th Son of th Most High Th Lord will giv to Jsus th Davidic thron Jsus will rign as king forvr, i.. trnally Ths ar astounding promiss givn to Mary, that onc fulfilld in th birth, lif, dath, and rsurrction of Jsus ar, without comparison, th gratst gift vr rcivd. Why is Jsus th gratst gift vr rcivd? First, in Jsus, our gratst nd is mt - namly, salvation. Whn th angl announcs that this son is to b namd Jsus, h is announcing th good nws that God is acting dcisivly to sav us from our sins (cf. Matt. 1:21). Scond, in Jsus th vry prsnc of God is givn to us. Jsus birth is xtraordinary, not mainly bcaus his mothr was a virgin but bcaus his Fathr was God himslf. Whil ordinary human concption givs birth to mrly human babis, divinhuman concption givs birth to divin-human babis. Jsus is fully God and fully human. In Jsus, God himslf ntrs into his cration. H condscnds to us to sav a rbllious rac. Third, this gift is trnal. Gabril promiss that Jsus will rign on David s thron forvr. Unlik thos favorit Christmas gifts that w v rcivd ovr th yars, Jsus will nvr braks, war out, or go out of styl. If w rciv His kingdom, w rciv an inhritanc that is imprishabl, undfild, and unfading. This vry kingdom that Gabril announcd to Mary was dscribd by Jsus this way: Th kingdom of havn is lik trasur hiddn in a fild, which a man found and covrd up. Thn in his joy h gos and slls all that h has and buys that fild (Matt. 13:44). Do you trasur Jsus, th trnal king rigning on havn s thron, lik this man did? 47

48 Friday, Dc. 23 THE WEEK of DECEMBER 18 Angls W Hav Hard on High Vrs 1 Angls w hav hard on high Swtly singing o r th plains And th mountains in rply Echoing thir joyous strains Gloria in xclsis Do Gloria in xclsis Do Vrs 2 Shphrds why this jubil Why your joyous strains prolong Say what may th tidings b Which inspir your hav nly song Gloria in xclsis Do Gloria in xclsis Do Vrs 3 Com to Bthlhm and s Him whos birth th angls sing Com ador on bndd kn Christ th Lord th nwborn King Gloria in xclsis Do Gloria in xclsis Do Vrs 4 S within a mangr laid Jsus Lord of hav n and arth Mary Josph lnd your aid With us sing our Savior s birth Gloria in xclsis Do Gloria in xclsis Do CCLI Song No Public Domain Edward Shippn Barns Jams Chadwick For us solly with th SongSlct Trms of Us. All rights Rsrvd. 48

49 Friday, Dc. 23 : Birthday Cak for Jsus Ingrdints: 1 whit cak mix, 1 tsp oil, 2 16 oz. cans whit frosting, 1 tub yllow dcorating gl, ½ cup chocolat chips (mltd), rd and grn food coloring, rd jlly hart candis 1 rd candl, 1 grn candl for ach participant Dirctions: 1. Prhat ovn to 350 dgrs. 2. Mak cak mix according to dirctions. 3. Divid battr into thr qual portions (about 1 ½ cup ach). 4. Pour into thr sparat bowls. A: Bottom layr (dark): 1. Combin mltd chips with oil and stir. 2. Add th on bowl of battr and mix. 3. Pour into prpard cak pan. B: Cntr Layr (rd): 1. Add 10 drops of rd food coloring to battr and mix wll. 2. Pour into scond prpard pan. C: Top layr (grn): 1. Add 10 drops grn food coloring to rmaining battr and mix wll. 2. Pour into th third prpard pan. 5. Bak all thr layrs for minuts. 6. Whn caks ar don, allow to cool for 15 minuts and rmov form pans. 7. Gnrously frost all layrs with both cans of frosting. 8. Stack thm and frost th dgs. Dcorating: Dcorating th cak: 1. Plac all of th rd hart candis around th primtr of th cak you could us rd gl if you cannot find th candis. 2. Cut out of havy papr a 6 pointd start and lightly plac it on top of th cak. 3. Trac th star with yllow gl. 4. Rmov th star and fill in th outlin with th gl or with yllow sugar crystals. 5. Plac a rd candl in th cntr of th star. Prsnting th cak: Th shap of th cak rprsnts th world in which Jsus was born. Th top layr is dark to rprsnt that w ar all sinnrs, which is why Jsus cam to arth. Th rd layr symbolizs Jsus blood that was shd on th cross for our sins. Th grn layr dnots th nw lif w hav in Christ aftr our sin was washd away. Th whit frosting stands for th purity of Jsus Christ, and th bordr of rd harts rprsnts th brothrs and sistrs unitd in Christ circling th arth as His witnsss. On top of th cak is th gold start, th Star of David. Th star shon brightly, hralding Jsus birth; and lighting th way to th mangr. Th rd candl is Jsus, who cam in th dark world to bring th truth and light to all who ar willing to rciv it. Togthr, ach prson holds a grn candl and lights it from th rd candls and says, W ar th light of th world to shin for Jsus. Plac th candls on th cak, and sing happy birthday to Jsus! 49

50 50

51 Saturday, Dc. 24 CHRISTMAS EVE As you prpar for Christmas Day and wind down th activity of Christmas, w ncourag you to clbrat in th following ways: 1. Spnd som privat tim with clos frinds or family 2. Rad through Luk 2 blow 3. Attnd a Christmas Ev Srvic at Collg Park or with your family if you ar out of town. Worship srvics at Collg Park ar at 2 p.m., 4 p.m., and 6 p.m. (Nursry is availabl, but thr is no childrn s Sunday school) Ask God to prpar your hart for Christmas Day and that you would connct with Him and s Him amidst all th activitis of th wknd. In thos days la dcr wnt out from Casar Augustus that all th world should b nrgistrd. This was th first rgistration whn Quirinius was govrnor of Syria. And all wnt to b rgistrd, ach to his own town. And Josph also wnt up from Galil, from th town of Nazarth, to Juda, to th city of David, which is calld Bthlhm, bcaus h was of th hous and linag of David, to b rgistrd with Mary, his btrothd, who was with child. And whil thy wr thr, th tim cam for hr to giv birth. And sh gav birth to hr firstborn son and wrappd him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a mangr, bcaus thr was no plac for thm in th inn. Th Shphrds and th Angls And in th sam rgion thr wr shphrds out in th fild, kping watch ovr thir flock by night. And an angl of th Lord appard to thm, and th glory of th Lord shon around thm, and thy wr filld with grat far. And th angl said to thm, Far not, for bhold, I bring you good nws of grat joy that will b for all th popl. For unto you is born this day in th city of David a Savior, who is Christ th Lord. And this will b a sign for you: you will find a baby wrappd in swaddling cloths and lying in a mangr. And suddnly thr was with th angl a multitud of th havnly host praising God and saying, Glory to God in th highst, jand on arth pac among thos with whom h is plasd! Whn th angls wnt away from thm into havn, th shphrds said to on anothr, Lt us go ovr to Bthlhm and s this thing that has happnd, which th Lord has mad known to us. And thy wnt with hast and found Mary and Josph, and th baby lying in a mangr. And whn thy saw it, thy mad known th saying that had bn told thm concrning this child. And all who hard it wondrd at what th shphrds told thm. But Mary trasurd up all ths things, pondring thm in hr hart. And th shphrds rturnd, glorifying and praising God for all thy had hard and sn, as it had bn told thm. And at th nd of ight days, whn h was circumcisd, h was calld Jsus, th nam givn by th angl bfor h was concivd in th womb. Jsus Prsntd at th Tmpl And whn th tim cam for thir purification according to th Law of Moss, thy brought him up to Jrusalm to prsnt him to th Lord (as it is writtn in th Law of th Lord, Evry mal who first opns th womb shall b calld holy to th Lord ) and to offr a sacrific according to what is said in th Law of th Lord, a pair of turtldovs, or two young pigons. Now thr was a man in Jrusalm, whos nam was Simon, and this man was rightous and dvout, waiting for th consolation of Isral, and th Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had bn rvald to him by th Holy Spirit that h would not s dath bfor h had sn th Lord s Christ. And h cam in th Spirit into th tmpl, and whn th parnts brought in th child Jsus, to do for him according to th custom of th Law, h took him up in his arms and blssd God and said, Lord, now you ar ltting your srvant dpart in pac, according to your word; for my ys hav sn your salvation that you hav prpard in th prsnc of all popls, a light for rvlation to th Gntils, and for glory to your popl Isral. And his fathr and his mothr marvld at what was said about him. And Simon blssd thm and said to Mary his mothr, Bhold, this child is appointd for th fall and rising of many in Isral, and for a sign that is opposd (and a sword will pirc through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many harts may b rvald. And thr was a prophtss, Anna, th daughtr of Phanul, of th trib of Ashr. Sh was advancd in yars, having livd with hr husband svn yars from whn sh was a virgin, and thn as a widow until sh was ighty-four. Sh did not dpart from th tmpl, worshiping with fasting and prayr night and day. And coming up at that vry hour sh bgan to giv thanks to God and to spak of him to all who wr swaiting for th rdmption of Jrusalm. 51

52 CHRISTMAS DAY Sunday, Dc. 25 As you prpar for Christmas Day and wind down th activity of Christmas, w ncourag you to cl- Christmas Day Worship For th past 3 ½ wks, w v journyd through th month of Dcmbr in anticipation of Christmas Day. It s bn filld with Christmas partis and Christmas clbrations. W v journyd through stors playing Christmas carols and parking lots filld with Christmas shopprs. W v sn hundrds of ads promoting th bst dals of Christmas, th bst prsnts to purchas, th gift that vryon nds but no on fully ralizs, and vn gifts that you don t nd but sm to b all th rag. W v wishd our frinds, our family, our nighbors and vn co-workrs Mrry Christmas and Happy Holiday grtings, and w v spnt hours hanging Christmas lights, dcorating th tr, and wrapping prsnts. Today is Christmas, th day w v all bn waiting for. So as you arriv hr on Christmas day, what is it that you v rally com to s? Will today b about th prsnts undr th tr, th gifts filling ach stocking, th lights on th tr and th Christmas spirit, or th food that will b a part of th clbrations? Today is a day for worship. Th qustion to b askd is this: What is it, or who is it, that you will choos to worship? Two thousand yars ago, a group of mn st out on a journy, and thy too arrivd at thir dstination rady to worship. Today w r going to spnd som tim looking at th story of th Magi from Matthw 2, and thn w r going to tak som tim to rflct upon our journy and whr w find our harts this morning. Bfor w go any furthr, lt s tak a brif momnt to paus and worship Him in prayr: Gracious and gnrous Fathr, w thank you, on this Christmas day, for th gift of your Son, Jsus Christ. Today, in th midst of family gathrings, tabls filld with dlicacis, and gifts that ar both givn and rcivd, hlp us to worship you as th gratst gift vr givn. As w spnd tim togthr as family today, mt with us and hlp us to s you in vn gratr ways. Opn our ys that w would s you for who you ar and that w would s ourslvs as w truly ar; hlp us to worship you bcaus of who you ar and who you hav mad us to b. W giv thanks for your provision and vry good and prfct gift that you giv. In Jsus nam, Amn. Joy to th World Vrs 1 Joy to th world th Lord is com Lt arth rciv hr King Lt vry hart prpar Him room And havn and natur sing And havn and natur sing And havn and havn and natur sing Vrs 2 Joy to th arth th Savior rigns Lt mn thir songs mploy Whil filds and floods Rocks hills and plains Rpat th sounding joy Rpat th sounding joy Rpat rpat th sounding joy Vrs 3 No mor lt sins and sorrows grow Nor thorns infst th ground H coms to mak His blssings flow Far as th curs is found Far as th curs is found Far as far as th curs is found Vrs 4 H ruls th world with truth and grac And maks th nations prov Th gloris of His rightousnss And wondrs of His lov And wondrs of His lov And wondrs and wondrs of His lov 52 CCLI Song No Public Domain Edward Shippn Barns Jams Chadwick For us solly with th SongSlct Trms of Us. All rights Rsrvd.

53 CHRISTMAS DAY O Littl Town of Bthlhm Vrs 1 O littl town of Bthlhm How still w s th li Abov thy dp and dramlss slp Th silnt stars go by Yt in thy dark strts shinth Th vrlasting Light Th hops and fars of all th yars Ar mt in th tonight Vrs 2 For Christ is born of Mary And gathrd all abov Whil mortals slp th angls kp Thir watch of wondring lov O morning stars togthr Proclaim th holy birth And praiss sing to God th King And pac to mn on arth Vrs 3 How silntly how silntly Th wondrous gift is giv n So God imparts to human harts Th blssings of His havn No ar may har His coming But in this world of sin Whr mk souls will Rciv Him still Th dar Christ ntrs in Vrs 4 O holy child of Bthlhm Dscnd to us w pray Cast out our sin and ntr in B born in us today W har th Christmas angls Th grat glad tidings tll O com to us abid with us Our Lord Emmanul CCLI Song No Public Domain Lwis Hnry Rdnr Phillips Brooks For us solly with th SongSlct Trms of Us. All rights Rsrvd. As a family or a small group, tak a fw minuts and rad through Matthw 2:1-12 togthr. You v probably rad this story many tims, possibly vn as you v journyd through th past 3 ½ wks. It s a familiar story of th journy of th Magi. Tak a fw minuts and discuss your obsrvations from this story. What do you s, what do you har? What sticks out to you about this story, mayb for th vry first tim? Today, as w rflct on this story, w hav th sam choic, th sam opportunity as ths Magi did 2000 yars ago. Ths wis mn st out on a journy, on that took wks, possibly vn yars, sking aftr Jsus, with th intnt and th purpos to worship him. Thy cam to Jsus, not looking at Him for what thy could gt from Him, but thy cam sking Him to worship Him and to giv Him gifts of prais and adoration. It s an intrsting pictur that w find nstld in th Christmas story. Jsus birth has bn prophsid for hundrds of yars to his chosn popl of Isral. Mn and womn hav waitd and waitd for th Mssiah to com and thn, in rmot obscurity, th Savior ntrs th world. H s born in a stabl, surroundd by animals. His parnts arn t nobility, and his birth is mad known to shphrds whil thy slp out in th filds, watching ovr thir shp. Jsus arrivs on th scn lik a pasant child, not as a King who will rul th world. Thn to top it off, wis mn from a forign nation s His star in th sky and journy a long distanc to find this baby King born in Bthlhm. 53

54 CHRISTMAS DAY Sunday, Dc. 25 Thr ar so many unanswrd qustions from this story. Who wr ths wis mn? How did thy know to follow this star and why would thy com bringing gifts of such valu? Wr thr just thr wis mn, or might thr hav bn mor? How far did thy actually journy to rach th baby Jsus? It s a story full of qustions and no answrs; yt th on thing that is clar is th purpos of thir journy. Matthw 2:2 tlls us thir purpos: Whr is H who has bn born king of th Jws? For w saw His star whn it ros, and hav com to worship him. Evn though w don t know for crtain who ths mn ar or from whr thy hav travld, w know why thy hav com: to worship th King! As w rflct on th bauty of this day, that 2,000 yars ago, Jsus ntrd th world as th promisd Mssiah to liv a prfct and holy lif that on day His blood would b shd to covr th sins of th world and to rdm our livs, w know th full pictur. John 1:14 stats it lik this, And th Word bcam flsh and dwlt among us, and w hav sn His glory, glory as of th only Son from th Fathr, full of grac and truth. Christmas is all about Jsus, and today w hav a choic, to worship Him or to worship th things that surround us on Christmas day. Emmanul Emmanul Emmanul His nam is calld Emmanul God with us rvald in us His nam is calld Emmanul CCLI Song No C.A. Music (Admin. by Music Srvics, Inc.) Bob McG For us solly with th SongSlct Trms of Us. All rights Rsrvd. Today w hav th privilg and opportunity to worship th King of Kings and th Lord of Lords bcaus w know that 2,000 yars ago H bcam flsh and th gospl bcam incarnat so that w might know Him and choos to surrndr our livs to Him as th Lord and Savior of th world. What is it that you will worship today? Whr is your hart now, vn as you arriv on Christmas day? W can worship th On who was givn to forgiv our sins, th On who was spnt to satisfy God s wrath, th On who rdms us and buys us out of our slavry to sin, or w can worship th cultural and vn rligious traditions that surround us in this sason. W can pay homag to th King, or w can sttl for th tmporary plasurs of this world. Today w hav a choic, vn amidst th lights, th prsnts, and th dlicacis. W can choos to worship Jsus and to clbrat Him today, or w can choos to gt lost in activitis and th vnts of th day. Christmas is all about th King, and th wis mn knw that as thy st out to worship Him. Today, as you walk through this day, choos to worship Jsus, th infant King, who sts us fr. Th prsnts, th lights, th food, th traditions ar all opportunitis to s Him and to worship Him. Tak som tim, as a family or a small group, to worship Him now through prayr, through songs, and through worship as you dlight in who H is and what H has don! Today w hav com to worship th King. Prayr: Jsus, w giv thanks that you ar th King and that you alon ar worthy of our worship. W pray that you would inhabit th praiss of your popl now as w worship you. W pray that you would captivat our harts today, vn in th midst of th prsnts and all th Christmas fstivitis, that throughout this day w would choos, ovr and ovr again, to worship you. W giv thanks for th gift of Jsus and for th frdom that coms from lif in you! W pray ths things now, with harts full of worship to Jsus our King. Amn. 54

55 CHRISTMAS DAY Hark th Hrald Angls Sing Vrs 1 Hark th hrald angls sing Glory to th nwborn King Pac on arth and mrcy mild God and sinnrs rconcild Joyful all y nations ris Join th triumph of th skis With th anglic hosts proclaim Christ is born in Bthlhm Hark th hrald angls sing Glory to th nwborn King Vrs 2 Christ by highst hav n adord Christ th vrlasting Lord Lat in tim bhold Him com Offspring of a virgin s womb Vild in flsh th Godhad s Hail th incarnat Dity Plasd as man with mn to dwll Jsus our Emmanul Hark th hrald angls sing Glory to th nwborn King Vrs 3 Hail th hav n born Princ of Pac Hail th Sun of rightousnss Light and lif to all H brings Ris n with haling in His wings Mild H lays His glory by Born that man no mor may di Born to rais th sons of arth Born to giv thm scond birth Hark th hrald angls sing Glory to th nwborn King Vrs 4 Com Dsir of nations com Fix in us Thy humbl hom Ris th woman s conqu ring sd Bruis in us th srpnt s had Adam s liknss now ffac Stamp Thin imag in its plac Scond Adam from abov Rinstat us in Thy lov Hark th hrald angls sing Glory to th nwborn King CCLI Song No Public Domain Charls Wsly Flix Mndlssohn For us solly with th SongSlct Trms of Us. All rights Rsrvd. Clbrat th birth of Jsus by cutting and srving th birthday cak for Jsus, giving and rciving gifts, and rmmbring th Gift-givr and spnding tim worshipping and thanking Him for th ultimat Gift of His Son. 55