Sharing the Message and Gift of Christmas. Everyone is invited into the Christmas Story. We don’t just want to hear the story of Jesus birth, we want to become a part of it! The wonderful git of Christmas is that God gave his son Jesus to us to empower our lives, to set us free from all those things that hold us back and help us to live our very best selves. Here’s what the Bible says about God’s gifts to us:
She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins. (Matthew 1:21)
Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift! (1 Corinthians 9:15)
This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son… by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life (John 3:16-18).
We love because he first loved us (1John 4:19).
That gift is ours to open, but there’s more to it. God want us to be in the Christmas Story and we can do that when we also give gifts. What kid of gifts can you give? Here are some ideas adapted from Elf On the Shelf:
Hold the door for someone
Make a card for someone you love
Compliment a friend
Help a friend at school today
Write a thank you note
Give away some clothes that don’t fit anymore
Give books to the library
Give a kid a toy
Write a thank you note for your teacher
Give 5 people a high five
Bake cookies and deliver them to the firemen
Tell a friend what Jesus means to you
Smile at everyone you see today
Deliver cookies to your neighbors
Call your grandparents and tell them you love them
Make cards for kids at the Children’s Hospital
God wants us to become a part of the Christmas Story by sharing God’ s love this week. Will you do that? Thank you!
Stretching for the limits? Is our faith experience a collection or facts, or a collection of connections? Life connections. When Jesus calls you and says, Follow me, are you ready to passionately just get up and follow, or do most of us just hold back a little because thats how we were taught. The Lion of Judah is leading into a future of hope. Let’s invest in that journey! Let’s try an experiment. Stretch your right arm up as far as you can. Now, reach further. Wow. Thanks. Did you notice that almost everyone reached further when asked. Why didn’t you reach at that far at the beginning? You can blame the inventor of the #2 pencil. We are not standardized, interchangeable parts on an assembly line of living. Do you know why the earliest teacher’s colleges were called Normal Schools? Because that’s all they expected!
Why do we light our Advent Wreath Candles? Because it helps us to remember that God’s light is always present in our lives, every day. God offers us a dependable light, the light of Jesus Christ. This light, though, is not just in the five candle here in our worship center, no. The light of Jesus in within you. And you. And you. How do you know? Deep inside, no matter how we feel, no matter our mood. Sad or glad. Fearful or Courageous. The Light of Christ is within to give us hope. Hope that is brighter than any darkness. This week, remember that Jesus is your light.