Monday – Luke 1.5-44; Luke 2.22-38; Matthew 2.1-12
Meditation: How is a Christian supposed to prepare for Christmas? It’s a special time in the life of the Christian, a time where we celebrate the birth of our Savior. What is that supposed to look like? This week, we’ll take a look at how the Bible describes the expectations of the first Christmas. We will try and capture those same expectations to make sure that our Christmas time is one filled with praise of God in Christ.
Tuesday – Luke 1.5-44
Meditation: Christmas is a time of great rejoicing and it is appropriate for the Christian home to be a place of celebration during the Christmas season. Yet the rejoicing and praise in the Christmas story is always centered on a central truth: the coming of the Savior. We must be careful that we don’t just fill our houses with joy, but rather joy with a focus, a foundation – Jesus Christ. How joyous is your house during the Christmas season? Is that joy centered around gifts and family and fun or is it built on a foundation of the coming of Christ. Good Christian men and women rejoice, but rejoice in a way that rest of the world can mimic but never duplicate – a rejoicing centered on Jesus.
Wednesday – Luke 2.22-38
Meditation: It might seem obvious, but one way we can anticipate the Christmas season is to anticipate it. Too often the time can be rushed or hurried and before we know it, Christmas is over. We anticipate so much and fill our time with so many things it is odd at how easily Jesus and thinking about him can be left out. What if I sat and contemplated Jesus as much as I did that perfect gift? What if I searched for him as hard as I did that ultimate sale? Our Christmas season would be a hundred times more enjoyable if our greatest anticipation centered on Jesus. Take the rest of the day today and get rid of all the holiday trappings. Maybe it will be an hour or just 30 minutes, but take some time to think of nothing but who Jesus is and what his birth means for you.
Thursday – Matthew 2.1-12
Meditation: Christmas is also a time of worship. We are not celebrating the Christmas season rightly if our hearts are not drawn to worship Christ. Take that as a good barometer for your Christmas season. How much has your heart been drawn to God during this time? In Matthew even these pagans know what Christmas is about and they endanger life and limb to come and worship him. Pray that this week would be a time of worship for you. You have been given so much by God. Here in Jesus we see that all his promises aren’t just so much fluff. Here we see his promises made flesh. What a great reason to worship.
Friday – Luke 1.5-44; Luke 2.22-38; Matthew 2.1-12
Meditation: We’ve seen the heart of the Christmas season this week. Look back at these stories and compare their anticipation to your own. Their focus to yours. Their actions to your own. Where is your joy, your anticipation, your worship? Christmas is coming. It’s not too late to set your heart on him.
Saturday – Luke 2.1-52
No comments:
Post a Comment