And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. She gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped Him snugly in strips of cloth and laid Him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them. - Luke 2:6-7 (NLT)

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Merry Christmas! I hope your Christmas Day is off to a great start, and even though it looks and feels different this year, I pray that you and your family are able to take time to pause and reflect on the significance of today.

Many of us received gifts today, and I genuinely hope you received what you asked for this year. In fact, I want you to think about your favorite gift ever. Everyone has one! Maybe it was your first iPhone, or the comfiest pair of slippers ever made, or was it the Red Ryder BB Gun? Whatever it was for you that made that Christmas the best one ever, there’s a good chance that you’re not quite as excited about it today. The truth is all material gifts provide us with short-term joy. Think about it. The Good News is that the gift wrapped in swaddling clothes lying in the manger is not of this world. The gift of Jesus isn’t going to go stale and you’ll never outgrow Him like you did last year’s Christmas sweater. I mean, name a gift given over 2000 years ago that is still changing the world today.

Before or after you open presents, take some time either by yourself or as a family to pause and read the Christmas story together in Luke 2:1-20. Talk about what makes this gift different. In a year where the word “different” has characterized nearly every aspect of our lives, let’s lean into it. Christmas 2020 is different, and Jesus coming to earth is different. However, that “different” gift given long ago ended up being the greatest gift the world has ever seen.

Thank you so much to everyone that joined us on this 12-Day Christmas Devotional journey. Have a wonderful Christmas day and we’ll see you online for our family worship experience this weekend!

I have told you all this so that you may have peace in Me. Here on earth, you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world. - John 16:33 (NLT)

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It’s Christmas Eve! Now before you jump back into your to-do list for the day, I want to pause for just a minute and talk about the one thing that all people want to possess. Regardless of your upbringing, or even your religious affiliation, I believe all people seek a calming sense of peace in their life. And yet, year after year, the holiday season and Christmas Eve plans, expectations, and schedules tend to stir up more harried hassle and hustle than calming cocoa and wassail. This might surprise you, but this hurried commotion is probably a lot like what the day before the first Christmas was like. Think of a peaceful situation.

I imagine you’re probably not envisioning a mad dash back to your hometown with your pregnant wife on a donkey, only to find out that there’s nowhere for you to stay or even a place for her to give birth. As if that weren’t enough, there’s also a foreign king who wants to kill your baby.

Not exactly the picture of peace, am I right?

But this changes. As you go on to read about the moments that follow Jesus’s birth, you can’t help but pick up on the peaceful reality that the King of Kings and Savior of the world had been delivered. Although this moment didn’t change the outward circumstances, or the fact that this lower-class family still had plenty of challenges down the road, they were still able to find peace in the moment.

The next two days are going to be busy. There are so many distractions surrounding us, and if your family is anything like mine, then the annual Christmas family fight is coming soon! But I challenge you to intentionally carve out these peaceful moments. Take some time today to pause and appreciate the peace that comes in knowing the value of the true gift that we celebrate tomorrow.

I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope He has given to those He called—His holy people who are His rich and glorious inheritance. - Ephesians 1:18 (NLT)

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Hope.

Hope is the secret to hanging on even in the midst of life’s craziest circumstances. It’s the light at the end of the tunnel that propels us onward when all we want to do is give up, and I think we can all admit that 2020 has been a tunnel unlike any other we’ve ever seen. The political turmoil, racial tensions, economic instability, not to mention the virus that has stuck around far longer than any of us expected. Though these worldly events can certainly disappoint and frustrate us, they are unable to cripple us because of this powerful four-letter word that we possess as believers: Hope.

Hope transcends whatever current realities we are facing because its prize is of eternal significance. We know that the anchor of our hope is not rooted in a political party or vaccine, and it also isn’t something we have to muster up or create for ourselves. The hope we hold is a free gift for all who believe, and it was made available when Jesus entered into our fallen world in order to free us from sin and allow us to enter into a personal relationship with Him.

The good news that I want to share with you today is that by accepting that personal relationship, you have enrolled yourself in the benefit of hope which has the ability to transform every aspect of your life. You can lift your eyes and fix them on the light at the end of the tunnel that will never fade or disappear. Because of this hope, we can think differently, grieve differently, believe differently, and live differently. Oh, what a precious gift!

I remember the days of old. I ponder all Your great works and think about what You have done. I lift my hands to You in prayer. I thirst for You as parched land thirsts for rain. - Psalm 143:5-6 (NLT)

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Christmas is nostalgic. Everyone feels it, but it can be difficult to express. Now, you probably haven’t used this word since your 5th-grade spelling test, so I’ll give you the definition.

Nostalgia is a sentimental longing or affection for the past, typically for a place with happy personal memories.

Christmas has the ability to bring us back in time unlike any other time of the year. Whether it’s walking through grandma and grandpa’s small town and seeing the little shops decorated in lights or smelling sugar cookies baking in the oven with a crackling fire in the fireplace, there are certain elements of the Christmas season that strike a chord with past emotions.

Nostalgia isn’t necessarily good or bad, but it is important to consider the potential effect it can have on you. The Bible is clear that when it comes to dealing with the past, it’s important to find a balance. The truth is you can wreck your life by neglecting the past but living exclusively in the past can cause you to disregard the joys of life today.

It’s all about finding that balance between appreciation for what was and hopeful anticipation for what is to come.

So today, I’m asking you to spend 60 seconds thinking about a person who had a significant impact on your Christmas experience growing up. Write their name down and spend time thanking God for their presence in your life. Then, spend 60 seconds thinking about a person that you could positively impact this Christmas season and commit to praying for them over the next four days. Write their name down too and put both names where you can see them. Over the coming days, pray that God begins to create a healthy balance within you of admiring the past and hoping for the future.

So do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord. Remember the great reward it brings you! Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that He has promised. - Hebrews 10:35-36 (NLT)

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Every Christmas tree begins as a seed, and I can’t be the only one amazed at how something so small can grow over time to something so magnificent! There’s a lesson here: we all have to start somewhere small and be willing to trust God and dream big!

Isn’t it ironic that the man who came to rescue the entire world started His journey in a stable designed for farm animals? He wasn’t raised in the home of a wealthy or royal family, but rather, He grew up being known around town as “the carpenter’s kid.” Yet Jesus and Mary and Joseph didn’t question the process God had laid out before them. They understood that this was just the beginning.

It is often these humble beginnings that allow us to develop the trust and the fortitude required to accomplish the goals God has set before us.

So today, whatever goal or dream God has put on your heart to chase, I want to remind you that it’s important to recognize that you have to start somewhere. Instead of dreading the beginning stages of saving for that house, or looking for that new job, we can enjoy these seasons of new beginnings as they often teach us things that prepare us for the future. My challenge for you today is to take on whatever may seem to be a small task with a long road ahead. Start now and be faithful to trust the process because there’s no limit to what God can do! As exciting and important as Christmas is to our relationship with God, it was just the first step that set His glorious plan to save all of humanity into motion. Start today!

For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on His shoulders. And He will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His government and its peace will never end. He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of His ancestor David for all eternity. The passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will make this happen! - Isaiah 9:6-7 (NLT)

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Hey there! My name is Jackson and welcome to day seven of our “Christmas is” AdventDevotional. There are probably several of you out there who have been following our journey so far and would say to yourself, “You know, these daily thoughts have been encouraging and inspiring, but to be completely honest, this Christmas doesn’t feel like the most wonderful time of the year.” If that’s you, you’re not alone!

I thought it would be helpful to pause today and acknowledge the fact that Christmas can be and is difficult. Maybe this is going to be the first Christmas without mom or dad, or maybe it’s the first year of not being able to see family because of COVID restrictions. Whatever your reason is, it’s okay to recognize and admit the fact that Christmas 2020 is different and it’s difficult. Knowing that, I also want to encourage you with the reminder that the baby born in a manger all those years ago turned into a King over all people, all nations, and yes, even all circumstances.

Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

These aren’t just names; they’re declarations describing the kind of God we serve! So today, don’t shove aside or sweep whatever difficult emotions you might be feeling under a rug. The Bible doesn’t teach us that we have to hide or mask our emotions. But I do want to remind you that you don’t have to stay there. Don’t allow the difficulties of today to overshadow the truth of what it means that Jesus is King over all people for all seasons.

For this is how God loved the world: He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. - John 3:16 (NLT)

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In our world today, it is nearly impossible to think of Christmas without thinking about presents. Whether you grew up in church or not, there’s a good chance that your Christmas morning consisted of unwrapping gifts from under the tree. As a child, the joy of running down the stairs and finding exactly what you asked for festively wrapped with a bow was one of the greatest feelings you could experience. But what if I told you that being the GIVER of the gift can actually outmatch the emotions associated with being the RECIPIENT. This concept of enjoying giving more than receiving seems ridiculous. It’s completely countercultural, and yet, it’s the way God created “gift-giving” to work. St. Francis once said, “For it is in giving that we actually receive.”

When we freely give our time, attention, money, or even when we buy Christmas gifts for friends and family, it allows us to experience another dimension of joy that far surpasses the temporary thrill of unboxing the newest iPhone. Generosity is not only the heart of the Christmas story, but it’s the heart of the entire Gospel.

Express generosity this Christmas and ask the Lord to open your eyes to ways you can bless others out of the blessings He has given you. Once you have your idea in mind, gather your family or invite some friends and give a gift that will truly make a difference this Christmas!

But the Lord said to her, “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.” - Luke 10:41-42 (NLT)

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How has your week been so far? There’s a good chance your mind went to one of two responses: good or busy.

‘Good’ is generally reserved for the neighbor you’re not interested in having a conversation with right now, and ‘busy’ is one of the most common answers to just about everyone else. But why do so many of us readily admit to being busy? Why is it that the everyday tasks of December get the best of us? There’s no denying the fact that the speed of life always seems to pick up around the holidays. The endless to-do lists of Christmas shopping, prepping for family get-togethers, and trying to keep the kids or grandkids entertained can be quite draining. Although busyness isn’t bad, it’s important to be aware of our current pace of life in order to track whether or not it’s taking away from the most important things in life. And what are the most important things? People.

In today’s verses from Luke, Jesus is explaining to Martha that there are and always will be many things around us that clamor for our attention, energy, and effort. More often than not, we allow that which is urgent to take the place of that which is most important. Creating margin in our schedules should always be on our minds, but even more so when life speeds up around the holidays.

Take some time today to read the rest of today’s passage in Luke 10:38-42. Ask yourself what it will take to be more like Mary this Christmas season.

But when the right time came, God sent His Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. God sent Him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that He could adopt us as His very own children. - Galatians 4:4-5 (NLT) 

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What do amusement parks, Christmas, and getting your car’s oil changed all have in common? They all pretty much guarantee you’re going to spend a lot of time waiting. 

Every day has 24 hours except Christmas Eve, which is approximately 24,000 hours long. Especially as a child, it seemed as though the closer we got to Christmas, the longer the days became. But as hard as it is waiting for Christmas to come, our wait doesn’t even compare to the season of waiting that took place prior to the first Christmas. Did you know nearly 400 years passed between the Old and New Testament where there is no recorded interaction between God and His people? That’s nearly four centuries of waiting for the promised Messiah! However, God was still in control and He was waiting, too; waiting for the perfect timing to bring about His glorious plan. That’s what Paul is talking about in Galatians when he writes “… when the right time came.” The challenge is that our idea of the right timing rarely matches God’s. Waiting truly is difficult and takes a lot of faith, but we have to trust Him wholeheartedly and know that His wisdom far surpasses our human understanding. 

What are you currently waiting for that requires practicing patience? Today, remember that a season of waiting does not mean God has abandoned you. Actually, it’s just the opposite, as He is often protecting you by waiting until “the right time” to reveal His perfect plan.

Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the newborn King of the Jews? We saw His star as it rose, and we have come to worship Him.” - Matthew 2:1-2 (NLT)

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Have you ever been on a treasure hunt? It might not have been an actual treasure hunt with a map and buried treasure, but have you ever really chased something like a degree, or a job, or a dream? There is something thrilling about the wonder-filled suspense of following the path that leads to discovery. However, the things we chase are unmatched when compared to the year-long quest that took place throughout the present-day Middle East nearly 2000 years ago. It was then that the wise men saw a star in the East when Jesus was born and committed to the journey of a lifetime that resulted in discovering the Savior of the world! They followed this star for hundreds of miles until they finally reached the destination and were in the presence of little King Jesus. This idea of discovery is an essential part of the original Christmas story, and I believe it should be for us as well. Discovery is all about taking what you know to be true and following it, trusting it, and living by it in order to encounter something new. Just like the wise men faithfully followed the star and discovered Jesus, we can faithfully live out our call to be the church and discover new areas to grow and develop. What new thing do you long to discover this Christmas season, and what will it require you to start doing today to get there? The wise men eventually discovered Jesus by taking one step at a time… or maybe it was their camels. Camel or not, take your first step today.

Because God’s children are human beings—made of flesh and blood—the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could He die, and only by dying could He break the power of the devil, who had the power of death. - Hebrews 2:14 (NLT)

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What truly makes something special? We encounter and experience many good things throughout life, but we don’t characterize all of them as “special.” For example, it’s highly unlikely that any of us would refer to the first time we ate pizza as a “special” moment in our lives. Most of us like pizza, but as great as a moment like that probably was, we wouldn’t say it was life-changing by any means.

What makes something special is the lasting impact it has on us. Throughout His life, Jesus was constantly performing miracles, teaching huge crowds, and doing all of the great and amazing things that He was sent to earth to do. And these should be celebrated! However, there were two defining moments in Jesus’s life that shaped the course of human history:

When He came to earth to be with us, and when He gave up His life on the cross for us.

We celebrate these days as Christmas and Easter, and while we are absolutely called to live out our mission by loving God and loving others 365 days a year, there is something truly special about this time of year. It’s the season when all of humanity recognizes the promise of God was finally fulfilled. The Messiah had really come.

Today, take some time before dinner to ask your family, or even yourself, “What makes Christmas special?”

All right then, the Lord Himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call Him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’). - Isaiah 7:14 (NLT)

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2020 has been a year unlike any other. Although there have been a lot of real challenges, the good news is you have made it! And I’m here to tell you that even in a season where so many things are being postponed or canceled, the celebration of Christmas is still ON and happening! While large family gatherings and sitting on Santa’s lap may be out of the picture this year, we still have the opportunity to celebrate the joy that Christmas brings. But what are we actually celebrating? It’s not the presents, or the Christmas movies, or cookies and hot chocolate, or any of the other typical things that come to mind when we envision the Christmas season in America. No, we are celebrating the fact that over 2000 years ago, God sent His Son to be with us. Jesus left the completely perfect Kingdom of God to begin the mission of saving all of humanity, and that is something that no situation, person, or yes, even virus, can ever take away. It wasn’t something He had to do, but it was something that He chose to do.

Emmanuel.

God with us.

For the first time ever, God was with us in the flesh, and the world was never the same again. Take some time today to pause and truly thank God for choosing to send His Son, Jesus, to change the world forever.