Advent Devotion: December 15

John 1:9-13

In Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer it takes Santa a long time to realize that Rudolph’s shiny nose could actually help him navigate the storm.  During the whole story before that Santa says that Rudolph can’t pull the sleigh because he is different.  Sometimes it’s hard for people who might have known us for a long time to see that as we get older we change and develop new skills and talents.

These verses tell us how Jesus’ people Israel, didn’t know that Jesus came to save us so that we could be God’s children.  They missed it because they were looking for the wrong thing.  But we recognize Jesus as our savior and because of that we are all God’s children, what a wonderful thing to have God as our father.

Activity: Pray together as a family and thank God for saving us, and pray for children around the world who might be separated from their family.  

Advent Devotion: December 14

John 1:6-8

From the time I was eight until I was about twelve my dream job was to be a mailman.  I thought it would be so fun to deliver people’s mail and get to know them by saying hello everyday.  I planned on walking the same route and chatting with each person as I delivered their mail.  When I got a bit older I realized that mailmen and women don’t usually see or talk to the people they deliver their mail to and I changed my mind.  However, I still think it’d be fun to be a mailman at Christmas time because you would deliver so many letters and presents to lots of people.

These verses talk about a messenger named John.  A messenger in Bible times was kind of like a mailman.  A messenger would deliver messages between people because there were no phones or computers.  But John was a special messenger, he was a messenger for Jesus.  He came before Jesus and told people to get ready for Jesus by saying sorry for the wrong things they had done.  The Bible tells us that we are also messengers for Jesus today just like John.

Activity: Practice sending a message to someone by writing a letter to a family member that is far away or who you don’t see often.

Advent Devotion: December 13

John 1:1-5

One of my favorite Christmas Movie’s is Elf, starring Will Ferrell.  The movie is all about a man who was raised as an elf trying to understand the normal world.  In the movie Buddy the elf, learns that he is not just an elf but also, a man, a brother, a boyfriend, a son, and more.  Just like Buddy we all have different roles to play in life.  We might be a, brother or sister, mom or dad, son or daughter, friend, student, or many more. 

These first verses in John are kind of confusing but what the Bible is saying is that Jesus is God and has been God since the beginning even though he was only born as a man, 2000 years ago.  It’s hard to understand but the important thing to remember is that God loves us so much he became a man and came to earth to save us.

Activity: Talk about the different you have in life, do you have a favorite?

Advent Devotion: December 12

Isaiah 9:6-7

Have you ever wondered why many people put a star on top of their Christmas tree?  Usually the star is a certain shape it’s called the star of David, Jesus was born under the line of David and the star on top of our tree represents Jesus. 

We put the star on top of the tree because Jesus was born as a king.  He is the ruler and king of all things including us.  When we put him on top we are acknowledging Jesus as our king and the one we want to guide our lives. 

Activity: Make a star ornament or a draw a star of David and place it somewhere in your house.

Advent Devotion: December 11

Isaiah 9:2-5

Lights and Christmas go together like peanut butter and chocolate.  We put lights on our Christmas tree, we decorate our houses in them, some neighborhoods have competitions to see who has the best Christmas lights.  But why do Christmas lights play such an important role as a part of our celebration.  It’s because of the light that Jesus brought on that first Christmas when he was born, the angels announced to the shepherds in the fields and the “Glory of the Lord shone around them.”  The Wise men followed a bright star to Jesus.

These verses talk about how Jesus coming into the world brought light into the darkness, not only did Jesus’ birth bring physical light, he also brought us God’s light into a dark world.

Activity: Go and see Christmas lights somewhere around Seattle, Zoo Lights or Candy Cane Lane are great options for this activity.

Advent Devotion: Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer: December 10

Rudolph the red nosed reindeer, had a very shiny nose and if…”  Almost all of us can probably finish that line from one of the most famous Christmas carols of all time.  And of course the song comes from a story written by Robert May, who wrote it as a story for his 4 year old daughter in 1939.  It was first published that year 1939, but then wasn’t republished until 1946 because of World War 2.  The song became popular in 1949 when Gene Autry sang it, but the popular Rudolph TV special didn’t air until 1964. 

Through all those adaptions, the poem, song, and TV special the story stayed the same.  If you haven’t seen Rudolph in a while it’s worth checking out, but here’s a brief summary.  Rudolph is born with a red and shiny nose that Santa says will prevent Rudolph from ever being allowed to pull Santa’s sleigh.  This nose leads Rudolph on many adventures and eventually to the island of misfit toys.  There he meets a bunch of toys who have been rejected because they are unwanted or unloved.  Eventually he winds up back at the north pole after saving his parents and friends from the abominable snowman.  Soon it’s Christmas Eve and Santa fears that he will have to cancel Christmas because the snowstorm is so bad, but then he realizes that perhaps Rudolph’s glowing red nose could light the way so he asks Rudolph to lead his sleigh and soon Rudolph has not only saved Christmas but also helped Santa find homes for the misfit toys. 

Just like last week, there are many lessons that we can learn from Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer.  The lesson that we shouldn’t discount or exclude anyone because their different from us, that we should always try and help those in need, but I think the most important lesson is learned by Santa.  When the storm is so bad that he almost cancels Christmas he finds the solution by looking at someone who had been dismissed by everyone else, but Rudolph was exactly who Santa needed.

Just like that, the Birth of Jesus was not a huge splendid affair.  Jesus is the Son of God, the savior of the world and yet he was born in a stable with animals all around him and his bed was simply a feeding trough. 

Today we often do a similar thing we lift up and look up to people who have lots of money or seem to have it all figured out.  We look at the cool kids at school or the kid who has his own Youtube channel and say I want to be like that.  I wonder where Jesus would be born if he was born today?  This Christmas, remember that Jesus came to teach us to be humble and to serve others, he was different from other rulers and leaders and he wants us to follow his example.

Activity: Watch Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer and then discuss a few of the questions below

· What would you do if you were Rudolph when all the reindeer tease him?

· Why does Santa ask Rudolph to lead his sleigh?

· Where do you thinks Jesus would be born if he was born today? 

Advent Devotion: December 9

Revelation 21:5-6

In Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Hermione uses a device called a Time Turner.  It’s a gadget that allows her to manipulate time so that she can classes that happen at the same time of the day.  I know I’ve thought I’d love to have a Time Turner it would come in handy when I have a lot to do, but since Harry Potter is only a great book of fiction such things don’t exist. 

However we learn from these verses that God is like the ultimate Time Turner, the Bible says he’s the beginning and the end, the first and the last.  It’s impossible for us to understand it but God exists outside of time, he didn’t have a beginning and he doesn’t have an end.  God created time to help us understand how the world works. 

Activity: Make a homemade Sun Dial, these were some of the first clocks that helped men tell time.  https://www.rookieparenting.com/make-a-sundial/