WEEK 1 - A FUTURE PROMISE

Transcription

1

2 WEEK 1 - A FUTURE PROMISE Scripture - Jeremiah 33:14-15 Adult Devotion Even as adults we know what its like to look forward to something. We know the feelings of excitement and anticipation when there is some sort of event coming up in life that we re really looking forward to. The prophets in the Old Testament were constantly pointing people to look to the future with an excitement greater than any they had every experienced. A great excitement was warranted because the gift God had promised to give was the greatest one possible. The promise referred to in Jeremiah was the coming of Jesus. And the gift was the freedom and grace given to us through Jesus birth, life, death, and resurrection. The birth of Jesus is one of the greatest reasons we have to believe that God s word and promises can be trusted. God did what He promised, God always does what He promises, everything that God says is trustworthy and true. God has made yet another promise and we know He will fulfill this one as well. God has promised a future redemption and restoration for all who have faith in Him. This means that regardless of what circumstances we find ourselves in, there is a future promise to put our hope in and always be excited about. We are living in a fulfilled promise of God while anticipating the fulfillment of another promise, our final restoration when we see Jesus face to face. The Christmas season for us is a time to recognize that Jesus birth gives us every bit of proof we need to believe all of what God says. And when you believe that what God says is true, it changes everything. Adult Prayer God, help me rejoice in the fact that you always keep your promises. Help me begin this Christmas season with a great sense of gratitude. Grant me the grace to look to the future with excitement and anticipation knowing that you have always been, and always will be faithful in my life. Family Devotion Think for a second about how you feel during Christmas. Do you start to get really excited as Christmas Day gets closer and closer? There are probably lots of things you love about Christmas, but one of those things may be the fact that when you get up on Christmas Day you know you have gifts waiting for you. When Christmas is 20 days away, you stay excited each and every day as you wait to open the gift that you know is there for you. A really long time ago there were people in the old testament who felt this way. But they didn t feel this way because they were waiting to open a present, they felt

3 this way because God made a promise to make everything right. Much like a gift that s wrapped up so you can t tell what it is, the people didn t know how God was going to fulfill his promise. Now we know that Jesus coming into the world was that promise and Jesus was the gift that God gave to all His people. God made a promise and he kept his promise by sending Jesus to us. Christmas is a time to remember that God always keeps His promises and because of that, we can trust Him with everything. Family Prayer God, thank you for sending Jesus into the world. Thank you for keeping your promise to make everything right and for saving me. Help us see that you always do what you say you re going to do, and because of that, we can trust you with everything in our lives. Sing: O Come O Come Emmanuel O come, O come, Emmanuel And ransom captive Israel That mourns in lonely exile here Until the Son of God appear Rejoice, rejoice, Emmanuel Shall come to thee, O Israel O come, O come, Thou Lord of might Who to Thy tribes, on Sinai s height In ancient times did st give the Law In cloud, and majesty and awe Rejoice, rejoice, Emmanuel Shall come to thee, o Israel O come, O come, Emmanuel And ransom captive Israel That mourns in lonely exile here Until the Son of God appear Rejoice, rejoice, Emmanuel Shall come to thee, O Israel Family Activity Have each person in your family write something down that they d be really excited to do during the Christmas season. Work together to decide on some sort of activity that you re going to do and then put it on the calendar.

4 WEEK 2 - LIGHT OF THE WORLD Scripture - 1 John 1:1-5 Adult Devotion: The Light of the World, Christ in flesh, dwelt among us. John begins this book telling the reader of that which he has seen, heard, and touched for himself. Beginning with life, John describes this term with three different nuances. He starts by saying that this life was from the beginning (John 1:1-2) and was God s plan all along, as Jesus was always with the Father. He closes this description with proclamation that this life is eternal, one that is hopeful, enduring, faithful, and bought by the one who lived it. Light. This word John uses in verse 5 spoke peace and hope to God s people long before the birth of Jesus. Let s look at a couple places this word has brought life to God s people. In Luke 2, shortly after His birth, we see Jesus brought to the temple as a baby to be purified according to the Law of Moses. In this passage Simeon, a faithful man filled with the Holy Spirit, holds Jesus in his arms and says for my eyes have seen your salvation you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel. This is in reference to Isaiah 49:6 I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth. We see that long before Jesus birth, God planned to bring this light to to the Gentiles through Christ. Perhaps my favorite reference is found in Matthew 4:16 when Jesus begins His ministry and leaves Nazareth in order to fulfill this prophecy: Read: Isaiah 9:2-7 Adult Prayer Lord, I m reminded once again that this season was not simply a part of Your plan, but it was Your plan. This season represents the ushering in of the life and light that I hold and experience daily because of Your son, the word made flesh. Help me to rejoice in the newness of this light I experience everyday, and to rest in this gift that is mine to receive and enjoy. Amen. Family Devotion Isn t it so cool that this season is like one big party? Let me explain. Since the beginning of time, God s people have been waiting for what we celebrate and know as Christmas. Here in these verses, John tells us that, HEY! IT HAPPENED!! LET S PARTY!! He says that Jesus was the life and light of the whole world, and that that s exactly what he

5 wants to give to us! This life we are given is one that is eternal. You know what that means? It never ends! So is that a never ending party? YES IT IS. And this life is one that brings light to all the really dark places of the world, and guess who gets to be a part of sharing that? You and me! Way back before Jesus was born this prophet named Isaiah said, The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone... For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Jesus came to bring life and light. And that s why we celebrate! Family Prayer God, thank you so much for sending Your son, Jesus! Thank you that every year at Christmas we are reminded and get to celebrate that He was born as the light of the world to bring us life. Amen. Sing: O Come All Ye Faithful O come, all ye faithful Joyful and triumphant O come ye, o come ye to Bethlehem Come and behold Him Born the King of Angels! O come, let us adore Him O come, let us adore Him O come, let us adore Him Christ the Lord Family Game: FlashLight Hide and Seek Directions: Hide and Seek in the Dark! Everyone has a flashlight and when you re it, you have to catch people with your light!

6 WEEK 3 - FUTURE HOPE IN CHRIST Scripture - Matthew 1:18-25 Adult Devotion The word hope" is usually distinguished from the word certainty. We would say, "I don't know what's going to happen, but I hope it happens. When we read the word, hope, in the Bible it doesn t just mean wishful thinking. Real hope is when God promises something is going to happen and you put your trust in that promise. Christian hope is a confidence that something will come to pass because God has promised it will come to pass. We know this because of when, we read the Bible. We read the Bible in past tense. We read the prophecies and their fulfillment. What joy to KNOW that God kept every promise! He has certainly earned your trust, the question is, Will you give it to Him? The ask the Bible is making of you is to take the focus and sense of security off of yourself, and to place it fully on Christ. You can! You should! The birth of Christ allows us to look past our own circumstances and see that all along, God is up to something good. Adult Prayer God, this time of year usually brings with it busy schedules, and lots of things to do. I m thankful that you never get tired. Thank you that you never tire of hearing my prayers and for providing what I really need: strength for today and hope for tomorrow. Family Devotion It s really hard to trust what you can t see. It takes something called faith. Faith means that we believe something to be true, even when we can t see any evidence. What God was doing when He sent His Son to Earth was giving us evidence. He was giving us a clue so we could know what He was like, and how much He loves us. We can t see God, but we can know that He is real because of Jesus. We know that God loves us because of how well His Son loved everyone He met. We know that God provides for us because that s what Jesus did in miracle after miracle. We know that God is trustworthy because of the words that Jesus spoke to those who followed Him. He always told the truth. While we can t see God, we can trust Him. He always keeps His promises. Family Prayer God, thank you for sending your Son Jesus to show us what you re like. We can trust you and put our hope in you because you always keep your promises.

7 Sing: Away in a manger Away in a manger No crib for a bed The little Lord Jesus Lay down his sweet head The stars in the sky Look down where he lay The little Lord Jesus Asleep on the hay The cattle are lowing The baby awakes But little Lord Jesus No crying he makes I love thee Lord Jesus Look down from the sky And stay by my cradle 'Til morning is nigh Away in a manger No crib for a bed The little Lord Jesus Lay down his sweet head I love thee Lord Jesus Look down from the sky And stay by my cradle 'Til morning is nigh Family Activity Go surprise a neighbor! Take some time as a family and put together some of your family s favorite things. Cookies, Handmade Tree decorations, a drawing about Christmas and put it in a basket. Now, go surprise a neighbor with your home made Christmas gift!

8 WEEK #4 - REJOICE Scripture - Revelation 4:11 Adult Devotion Let me preface this discussion with a confession: I drive to work every morning begging God to remind me of the gospel so that I might be a pleasure to be around. There, I said it! And my guess is, many of us have that same issue each and every work day. When thinking of words to describe ourselves, we would not use delightful or happy, but probably stressful or tired. We would say that we are far from someone that is filled with joy and closer to someone filled with frustration. That is the tole that a sinful world has on us. Paul gives the ultimate challenge in his letter to the church of Philippi. He said to rejoice in the Lord. Not when things are going good or when you got enough sleep or when the kids are not sick but always! How?! Why?! That answer is found and celebrated each Christmas season: Jesus has come. Jesus, the only One worthy to receive glory and honor and power. Jesus, the plan from the beginning of time to unite all things back to God the Father. Why do we rejoice? Why should we abandon our anxiousfilled life? Because the Creator and Sustainer of all things, Jesus Christ, stepped out of heaven and into a manger so that we would no longer be slaves to sin, but alive in Him. That life is a joy-filled, delight-driven, stress free life in Christ Jesus. Adult Prayer Heavenly Father, you are worthy to receive all glory and honor and power. You are the Creator and Sustainer of all things. Lord, forgive me for all of my frustration and displeasure. Remind me of the hope that I have in Christ each and every day. Remind me of the joy that is in my life because of that hope. Empower me with your Spirit so that I may rejoice always. Amen! Family Devotion Think of everything that you have done today. That might be a hard task so let me make it easier: think of the last few hours. Now let me ask a question: how much of that time did you spend upset or annoyed with something or someone? Paul tells us to rejoice in the Lord always. Rejoicing, or being happy, in the Lord means that the truth of Jesus coming to earth in the form of a baby, going to the cross for our sins, and promising that he will return has an affect on us and the way we live.

9 Family Prayer God, when I am upset or frustrated, remind me of Jesus. Help me to remember that You sent your Son into the world to save it. Help me to remember the joy that Christ gives me every day. Help me to rejoice always. Sing: Joy to the world Joy to the world the Lord is come Let earth receive her King Let every heart prepare Him room And heaven and nature sing And heaven and nature sing And heaven, and heaven and nature sing He rules the world with truth and grace And makes the nations prove The glories of His righteousness And wonders of His love Oh the wonders of His love Oh the wonders and wonders of His love Family Activity If you re happy and you know it clap your hands (insert claps). We just talked about how we are to rejoice all the time! We are to be happy! When you are happy, life is fun and entertaining. What better way to have fun than by playing a game? Go find a board game and spend the next 30 minutes having fun as a family. If you lose, remember don t get frustrated, but rejoice!

10 WEEK 5 - CHRISTMAS EVE Scripture - Luke 1:1-15 Adult Devotion Peace on Earth and glory to God. All accomplished in the birth of Jesus. Hour by hour, day by day, we are tossed back and forth in an ocean of tidal waves between events that we celebrate and those that bring us grief. A painful phone call, a negative diagnosis, we are all moments away from having our lives turned completely upside down. Why did Jesus come to Earth? To bring us peace. Not just the type of peace that makes our lives easy, or better, but to give us what Paul wrote to the Philippians, the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding that will guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:7) What did the angels say in announcing the birth of Christ? Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased! This is why Jesus came, to glorify God and to give us peace. In Christ, we see God s intent toward us. God did not send His son into the world to bring judgment, to condemn us, to rule in military might, but to bring peace. Why did God save you? To give you peace. Peace when you need it the most. Peace in the midst of a busy season. Peace when you hear bad news. Peace when you don t feel encouraged. God sent His Son into the world to bring you peace. Peace forever. Adult Prayer God, it s easy to look around my life and see what I don t have. In this season of want, it s easy to focus on fulfilling my own desires. Thank You for rescuing me from myself and giving me what I could never attain on my own: a relationship with You and peace in this world. Family Devotion It s almost Christmas! I bet you can even spot some presents sitting under the tree right now! The best present we could give someone else is to show them how much we love them and care for them. God is the ultimate gift giver. He sent His son Jesus into the world because He loves us so much! Think about those shepherds who you just read about. In the middle of the night, in total darkness all of a sudden there s a loud sound, a bright light, and angels singing at the top of their lungs! They were afraid. There are times when we are afraid too. What God

11 told the shepherds that night is the same thing He says to us, Fear not. We don t have to be afraid because God has given us the most amazing gift of all, His Son - Jesus. Family Prayer God, thank you for sending your Son Jesus into the world. We have so much to be thankful for, so much to celebrate, and nothing to fear. Amen. Sing: The first Noel The First Noel, the Angels did say Was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay In fields where they lay keeping their sheep On a cold winter's night that was so deep. Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel Born is the King of Israel! They looked up and saw a star Shining in the East beyond them far And to the earth it gave great light And so it continued both day and night. Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel Born is the King of Israel! Family Activity This time of year some people like to make lists of what they want for Christmas. Instead of making a list about what you want, work together as a family and make a lift of all the things you have, to be thankful for.