Some of you have asked how you can make a donation to help the victims of Tuesday’s earthquake in Haiti. Samaritan’s Purse, a Christian international relief organization led by Franklin Graham, the son of Billy Graham, is an outstanding organization through which to channel your donations. Samaritan’s Purse seeks to minister to the whole person, addressing both the physical and spiritual needs of poor, sick, and suffering people around the world. Many folks at Renaissance have participated in their annual Operation Christmas Child program, which provides Christmas presents to needy children around the world.
The Samaritan’s Purse website (www.samaritanspurse.org) has lots of information about how they’re helping with this disaster, as well as instructions for how to make a donation online, via telephone, or by mailing a check.
Tonight is Christmas Eve! On this night we light the final candle of our Advent wreath—the Christ Candle. The Christ Candle reminds us that God is with us and that He has brought us salvation. The candle’s white color signifies celebration and purity.
Many people see God as distant, aloof, uninterested in our lives. Some believe that He is unapproachable, perhaps too busy to be bothered. Others of us are so afraid of Him that we dare not draw near. Perhaps we carry an overwhelming sense of guilt and shame because of our own failings. Whatever the reason, many people believe that God is in heaven and we are on earth, and never the twain shall meet.
Even those of us who would say that we have a close, personal relationship with God sometimes find ourselves estranged from Him. We sense that something has come between us and God. The reasons for this perceived separation can be many and varied. Yet, the result is still the same—God seems distant.
Enter Immanuel.
Centuries before Jesus was born, God spoke through the prophet Isaiah.
Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.
Isaiah 7:14 (TNIV)
When Jesus’ mother Mary became pregnant with Him, an angel appeared to her husband Joseph to reassure him since Joseph knew he was not the father of Mary’s child. In his comments on the angel’s appearance to Joseph, the Gospel writer Matthew says,
22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).
Matthew 1:22-23 (TNIV)
Hebrew names have meanings, and the name “Immanuel” means “God with us.” So, Jesus, who is the fulfillment of this promise, is literally “God with us”!
God is with us in the person of Jesus. This God whom many view as distant and unapproachable actually came down from heaven to live among us. Jesus’ incarnation was not some cosmic anthropological expedition in which God came to earth to study humans. Instead, He came to live and suffer and die with us so that we could live with Him forever. No one forced Him to do this; He did it because He wanted to. He did it because He loves us. A God who loves us that much is anything but distant and aloof and unapproachable.
Christmas is about the God who bridged the gap between heaven and earth—Immanuel—the God who is with us.
Reflection and Discussion
Why might some people view God as distant and unapproachable? Have you ever thought of God in this way?
What aspects of the Christmas story are most helpful to you in terms of seeing Jesus as One who loves you and whom you can approach?
Prayer
Blessed Savior,
You are Immanuel! You are the God who is with us! Thank You for bridging the gap between heaven and earth. Thank You for living and suffering and dying among us. Thank You for showing us Your love in that incredible way. Please help us to grow in our appreciation for You and what You have done for us. Help us to know how near and approachable You are. Thank You for Your love and grace.
Christmas is a time when people display their creativity. Drive through almost any neighborhood at night and you’ll see a number of houses decorated with lights, with no two displays alike. Every year musicians compose new songs or rearrange old ones to celebrate Jesus’ birth. Some people love to exercise their talents in the kitchen. Others relish the opportunity to find or make that perfect gift to give to each of their loved ones. Our God is a creative God, and He has made us to be like Himself.
The Apostle John begins his Gospel with language that is reminiscent of the creation narrative in the opening chapters of the Bible.
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all people. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
John 1:1-5 (TNIV)
The “Word” of whom John is speaking is Jesus. Jesus revealed His creativity by making the world. The mountains and valleys, the trees and flowers, the animals and birds, the people all over the earth—all of these display Jesus’ handiwork.
A few verses later, John speaks of Jesus’ incarnation.
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only [Son], who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
John 1:14 (TNIV)
Not only did Jesus exhibit His creativity when He made the world, He also showed it when He became a man. Who would have ever imagined that God’s cosmic rescue mission would entail Him being born as a human baby? Think about what kind of creativity that must have taken!
As you’re enjoying the fruit of other people’s creativity, or engaging in some of your own, take a few moments to reflect on God’s creativity. We hang lights on our houses; He hung lights in the sky. We make snow sculptures that look like people; He made people that look like Himself. We give gifts to one another; He gave Himself to us.
Our God is a creative God, and one of His greatest displays is revealed in Christmas!
Reflection and Discussion
In what way(s) do you enjoy exercising creativity?
Which aspect(s) of God’s creativity do you appreciate most?
Prayer
Our Heavenly Father,
What an awesome Creator You are! You made the world and everything in it. You hung the stars in the sky. You made so many different kinds of plants and animals. You formed us and gave us creative abilities. You also showed Your creativity by sending Your Son to be our Savior. Thank you for all that You do for us. As we reflect on the creativity we see around us at Christmas, please help us to grow in our appreciation for Your creativity and for the love You have shown us in sending Jesus.
Throughout this Advent season followers of Jesus all over the world have been preparing themselves for the celebration of His arrival that we know as Christmas. We’re excited because we know that God has blessed us through the coming of His Son.
Most of those who knew of Jesus’ birth were excited—his parents, the shepherds, and others were pleased by what God had done. But some people saw this baby as a threat. Let’s read Matthew’s account of the Magi’s visit to Jesus and King Herod’s response to His birth.
1 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”
3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. 5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:
6 “‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for out of you will come a ruler
who will shepherd my people Israel.’”
7 Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”
9 After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.
13 When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.”
14 So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, 15 where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.”
16 When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. 17 Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled:
18 “A voice is heard in Ramah,
weeping and great mourning,
Rachel weeping for her children
and refusing to be comforted,
because they are no more.”
Matthew 2:1-18 (TNIV)
The Magi were wise men, possibly even kings, who probably spent many weeks traveling to find Jesus. They knew he had “been born king of the Jews” (Matthew 2:2), and they came to worship Him.
King Herod also wanted to find Jesus, but for a more sinister purpose. Herod felt threatened by Jesus because the Jewish people believed that the Messiah was to be their true king. Hence this baby endangered Herod’s own selfish reign. So he went to great lengths to try to kill Jesus.
The difference between these two responses to Jesus’ birth couldn’t be more striking. Worship or murder. Honor or hatred. Submission or defiance.
As we come to the last few days before Christmas, let’s continue to follow the example of the Magi. Jesus is our King and our God, and we are privileged to honor and worship Him.
Reflection and Discussion
What strikes you about the contrast between the Magi’s response to Jesus and Herod’s response to Him?
How can we honor and worship Jesus at Christmas?
Prayer
Lord Jesus,
You are our God! You are our King! Thank You for giving us the privilege of honoring and worshiping You. In these last few days before Christmas, please renew our appreciation for who You are and for all You have done for us. By Your grace may we be excited to bow down before You in humble adoration, just like the Magi did.
Earlier this Advent season we observed that we live in a broken world populated by broken people whose relationships with God and other people are damaged. We saw, too, that God has promised to repair and restore what we have broken.
Let’s look at one of God’s promises recorded by the prophet Jeremiah.
31 “The days are coming,” declares the Lord,
“when I will make a new covenant
with the house of Israel
and with the house of Judah.
32 It will not be like the covenant
I made with their ancestors
when I took them by the hand
to lead them out of Egypt,
because they broke my covenant,
though I was a husband to them,”
declares the Lord.
33 “This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel
after that time,” declares the Lord.
“I will put my law in their minds
and write it on their hearts.
I will be their God,
and they will be my people.
34 No longer will they teach their neighbors,
or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’
because they will all know me,
from the least of them to the greatest,”
declares the Lord.
“For I will forgive their wickedness
and will remember their sins no more.”
Jeremiah 31:31-34 (TNIV)
What an incredible promise! When we disobeyed God we broke our relationship with Him. But God has promised to forgive our sins and to restore our relationship with Him. He’s going to work in our hearts and minds so that we will know Him and be His people.
God’s Christmas present to each of us includes the opportunity to have a restored relationship with Him. As the Apostle John puts it, “to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12 TNIV). God has offered each of us forgiveness and restoration through faith in His Son, Jesus. What could be a better Christmas present than that?
Reflection and Discussion
Do you think of yourself as a child of God? Why or why not?
How is your relationship with God? Where is it strong? How could it improve?
Prayer
Loving Father,
What an amazing promise You have given us! Though we have broken our relationship with You, You have promised to forgive us. Thank You for Your love and grace and forgiveness. Please draw us near to Yourself. Help us to know how much You love us, and strengthen our love for You. Please give us hearts to share Your love with those around us so that more people may come to know Your matchless love for them.
Today is the fourth and final Sunday of Advent. On this day we light the Angels’ Candle to remind ourselves of Christ’s divinity and the blessings He brings to us. This candle’s purple color emphasizes Jesus’ royalty. Our Messiah is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords!
God sent His angels four different times to prepare people for Jesus’ arrival. In Luke 1:5-25 an angel appeared to Zechariah the priest to tell him that he would have a son (John the Baptist) whom God would use to prepare people for Jesus’ coming. The angel Gabriel came to Mary in Luke 1:26-38 to prepare her to become Jesus’ mother. Shortly thereafter Joseph received a visit from an angel who told him about Mary’s miraculous pregnancy (Matthew 1:18-25). On the night Jesus was born, a whole company of angels announced His birth to a stunned group of shepherds (Luke 2:8-20).
A couple of weeks ago we looked at the angel Gabriel’s appearance to Mary. We focused then on her response of faith. Today let’s reread that passage and consider what Gabriel said about Jesus.
26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”
29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.”
34 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”
35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. 36 Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. 37 For no word from God will ever fail.”
38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it be to me according to your word.” Then the angel left her.
Luke 1:26-38 (TNIV)
Gabriel told Mary that her son would be the Son of God and that He would rule over the nation of Israel forever. These two aspects of Jesus’ identity—that He is God and King—formed the heart of His ministry and the center of the controversy that surrounded Him throughout His life. Over the next few days we’ll explore some of implications of Jesus’ divinity and royalty.
Reflection and Discussion
What attracts you to the idea that Jesus is God and that He is a King?
Why do you think some people have difficulty accepting Jesus’ divinity and His royalty?
Prayer
Heavenly Father,
Thank You for sending Your angels to prepare Mary and Joseph and others for Jesus’ arrival. Thank You for preserving a record of their messages to help prepare our hearts during this Advent season. As we come to the last few days before Christmas, please enable us to focus on the gift You gave us. Use us, Father, to point others to that gift—Your Son and our Savior, Jesus.
The Christmas story is full of miracles. For many people, the Virgin Birth of Jesus (see Luke 1:26-38) is the first Christmas miracle that comes to mind. With God as His Father and Mary as His mother, Jesus came into this world as the God-Man, fully God and fully man.
Though the Virgin Birth may be the best-known miracle of Christmas, it is by no means the only miracle associated with Jesus’ birth. The angel’s visit to Joseph and Joseph’s willingness to keep Mary as his wife are miraculous (see Matthew 1:18-25). Jesus was born in Bethlehem as predicted in Micah 5:2 hundreds of years earlier. The magi (wise men) followed a star for many weeks so they could find and worship Jesus (see Matthew 2:1-2). John the Baptist leapt in his mother Elizabeth’s womb when Mary, pregnant with Jesus, greeted her (see Luke 1:39-45). We could go on and on listing the many miracles associated with Christmas.
One miracle we seldom consider in relation to Christmas took place before the foundation of the world. That miracle is the decision the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit made that Jesus would come to Earth as a man and later suffer and die for our sins. At first we may not think of this decision as a miracle; but when we really think about what it meant for Jesus to become human, for the Creator to become like the creation, we can’t help but be humbled by this glorious miracle.
The Apostle Paul describes the humility and selfless attitude Jesus demonstrated in His incarnation.
5 In your relationships with one another, have the same attitude of mind Christ Jesus had:
6 Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
7 rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
8 And being found in appearance as a human being,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
Philippians 2:5-8 (TNIV)
Although He was God, Jesus was willing to lay aside His rights as God and live as a man. He voluntarily gave up His divine privileges and submitted Himself totally to the will of His Father. How many of us are willing to lay aside our rights and privileges to follow someone else’s will and serve other people? How would we respond to the knowledge that those whom we are serving will ultimately kill us? We can only begin to imagine what it took for Jesus to decide to become a man.
Think about the importance of this miracle for a moment. If God had not decided to send His Son, none of the other miracles of Christmas would have occurred. If the Father had not been willing to send His Son, if Jesus had not been willing to become a man, we would have no Savior; and without a Savior, we would have no hope.
As Christmas draws near, let’s contemplate the miracles of Christmas. Take some time this Advent season to think about the Virgin Birth, the angel’s visit to Joseph, and the other miracles we normally associate with Jesus’ birth. But this year let’s also stop and ponder the miracle without which we would have none of the others—God’s miraculous decision to send His only Son to be the Savior of the world.
Reflection and Discussion
Which Christmas miracle is most meaningful to you? Why?
What challenges do you think Jesus faced when He became a man?
Prayer
Blessed Savior,
As we think about Your decision to become a man, we are amazed! You left everything in order to come here. We can hardly imagine what that must have been like. Thank You for loving us enough to do that for us. Please help us to grow in our appreciation for Your sacrifice, and give us hearts of love, humility, and service like Yours. May others look at us and see You. We thank You and praise You for who You are and for all that You have done for us.
Advent is a season of anticipating, of longing, of waiting for God to meet our needs. The author of Psalm 130 expresses his longing as a cry to God for mercy and forgiveness.
1 Out of the depths I cry to you, Lord;
2 Lord, hear my voice.
Let your ears be attentive
to my cry for mercy.
3 If you, Lord, kept a record of sins,
Lord, who could stand?
4 But with you there is forgiveness,
so that we can, with reverence, serve you.
5 I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits,
and in his word I put my hope.
6 I wait for the Lord
more than watchmen wait for the morning,
more than watchmen wait for the morning.
7 Israel, put your hope in the Lord,
for with the Lord is unfailing love
and with him is full redemption.
8 He himself will redeem Israel
from all their sins.
Psalm 130 (TNIV)
The Psalmist recognizes he is responsible for his own plight, and he knows he needs forgiveness from God. So he asks God for mercy and expresses his faith in Him.
Like the Psalmist, we all need forgiveness. Without it we can become weighed down with guilt and shame. Fortunately our God is merciful and gracious, and He wants to forgive us. God’s offer of forgiveness through faith in Jesus is a major aspect of His gift to us at Christmas. All we need to do is confess our sins and ask for His mercy—just like the writer of Psalm 130 did.
When God lifts our burden of guilt and shame, He replaces it with the joy of forgiveness. We need only to unwrap God’s Christmas present and enjoy the forgiveness He has lovingly provided.
Reflection and Discussion
Can you recall a time when you felt the joy of being forgiven, either by God or someone else?
How would you describe the connections between Christmas, forgiveness, and joy?
Prayer
Gracious Lord,
We need Your forgiveness. We have failed to trust You fully, and we have neglected Your commands. We have no one but ourselves to blame for our plight. Thank You that You are a merciful God who will not keep a record of our sins. Thank You for the forgiveness You offer through faith in Your Son, whom You gave to us at Christmas. By Your grace may we experience the joy of knowing that we are forgiven in Jesus.
We enjoy giving presents to our friends and loved ones. God delights to give, too. Although we may not often think about Christmas from God’s perspective, we shouldn’t be surprised that He finds joy in giving Himself to us, because our God is a generous God.
The prophet Zephaniah lived about 600 years before Jesus was born. Looking ahead to the day when God would pour out His blessings on His people, Zephaniah wrote,
14 Sing, Daughter Zion;
shout aloud, Israel!
Be glad and rejoice with all your heart,
Daughter Jerusalem!
15 The Lord has taken away your punishment,
he has turned back your enemy.
The Lord, the King of Israel, is with you;
never again will you fear any harm.
16 On that day
they will say to Jerusalem,
“Do not fear, Zion;
do not let your hands hang limp.
17 The Lord your God is with you,
the Mighty Warrior who saves.
He will take great delight in you;
in his love he will no longer rebuke you,
but will rejoice over you with singing.”
18 “I will remove from you
all who mourn over the loss of your appointed festivals,
which is a burden and reproach for you.
19 At that time I will deal
with all who oppressed you.
I will rescue the lame;
I will gather the exiles.
I will give them praise and honor
in every land where they have suffered shame.
20 At that time I will gather you;
at that time I will bring you home.
I will give you honor and praise
among all the peoples of the earth
when I restore your fortunes
before your very eyes,”
says the Lord.
Zephaniah 3:14-20 (TNIV)
Zephaniah begins by calling the people of Israel to rejoice because of what God has done for them. He goes on to say that God rejoices over Israel. God finds joy in showing love to His people! We usually look at God’s gifts from our perspective—we like receiving. But God enjoys giving at least as much as we enjoy receiving. The Apostle Paul tells us that “the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive’” (Acts 20:35 TNIV).
God finds joy in giving Himself to us at Christmas. Just as our joy increases when we see the joy our gifts bring to others, so our joy in receiving God’s gift brings more joy to Him. So enjoy Christmas—God certainly does!
Reflection and Discussion
Can you think of a time when you found joy in giving to others?
What do you think God enjoys about Christmas?
Prayer
Lord Jesus,
We don’t think of Christmas from Your perspective as often as we think of it from ours. But it makes sense that You would find joy in giving to us since we find joy in giving to others. Thinking about Your joy actually increases our joy. We’re glad that You enjoy giving Yourself to us. We’re thankful that You enjoy Christmas. So do we! Thank You!
On Christmas morning children all over the world will wake up and head for the Christmas tree. They’ll eagerly open their presents and then burst into expressions of happiness. Most will remember to thank their parents and others who gave them their gifts. Then they’ll turn their focus back to their new toys, games, clothes, candy, books, and whatever else they received.
The joy that comes as we receive God’s gift of His Son is similar to the happiness a child experiences on Christmas morning. We appreciate the gift, and we express our gratitude to the giver. But the joy of Christmas doesn’t stop there.
Let’s look at Mary’s response to God’s gift when she entered the house of her relative, Elizabeth.
46 And Mary said:
“My soul glorifies the Lord
47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
48 for he has been mindful
of the humble state of his servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed,
49 for the Mighty One has done great things for me—
holy is his name.
50 His mercy extends to those who fear him,
from generation to generation.
51 He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;
he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.
52 He has brought down rulers from their thrones
but has lifted up the humble.
53 He has filled the hungry with good things
but has sent the rich away empty.
54 He has helped his servant Israel,
remembering to be merciful
55 to Abraham and his descendants forever,
just as he promised our ancestors.”
Luke 1:46-55 (TNIV)
Mary began by expressing her joy and thankfulness for what God had done for her. Then she spoke of His greatness and the blessings He had given, not just to her, but to all of His people. Mary referred to God in every verse in this passage. She began and ended with God. We often start with the gift, turn to the giver, and then return to the gift. Mary started with the giver, turned to the gift, and then returned to the giver. Mary focused her joy on God!
The joy of Christmas begins and ends with God. He’s the source of our joy and the object of our gratitude. He’s also the gift itself. Christmas is about the God who gave Himself to us! He’s the focus of our joy.
Reflection and Discussion
Where do you focus most of your attention during the Christmas season?
What helps you to turn your focus toward God?
Prayer
Dear Lord,
Thank You for giving Yourself to us at Christmas. You’re the giver of the gift, and You’re the gift itself. You’re the source and object of our joy. May our hearts be filled with joy and our mouths with words of praise. You deserve all of our attention. You deserve all of our thanks. May we focus our joy on You.
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