Advent Devotion: December 22

Luke 2:8-14

What is the best surprise you’ve ever received?  Is it a getting a gift you really wanted on Christmas morning, a big surprise party thrown just for you, a surprise visit from a loved one you haven’t seen in a while.  Whatever it is, I’m sure it was both wonderful and astounding.

That must have been what the shepherds felt like when the angels appeared to them that night.  They were going about their normal lives and suddenly a bright light appears in the sky with lots of angels announcing the birth of a new king.  I wish I knew what the shepherds felt, were they scared, excited , happy, a mix of all of them?  Whatever they felt what a wonderful privilege to be the first people to meet and worship Jesus.

Activity: Finish wrapping your Christmas presents and plan a small surprise for someone in your family on Christmas day.

Advent Devotion: December 21

Luke 2:1-6

One of my favorite things about Christmas is the change of the seasons, instead of being sunny and warm out, it’s cold and rainy and sometimes even snowy.  It’s not very nice weather to be out playing in.  It’s the perfect time of year to cozy up and have a mug of hot chocolate while you admire the Christmas tree. 

But what if you didn’t have anywhere to go, what if you didn’t have a place to live, a warm bed to sleep in, a good breakfast to eat.  That was what Jesus was born into, there was no room for Mary and Joseph so Jesus was greeted by animals and hay in a humble stable.  What a poor welcoming for the new king.

Activity: Enjoy a mug of Hot Cocoa next to the Christmas tree together as a family.   

Advent Devotion: December 20

Luke 1:67-70

I love the promise of Christmas.  Each year we look forward to the promise that with it Christmas will bring, decorations, good food, family and friends, gifts and traditions unique to each family.  And you know you can count on all these things happening every year in December.

Just like each December brings the promise of Christmas and lights and all that goes with it, God promised Israel that he would save them one day.  And God keeps his promises, just like he kept his promise to Israel we know that he will keep his promise to us that he will love us and care for us.

Activity: Talk about your favorite tradition or Christmas activity. 

Advent Devotion: December 19

Isaiah 52:3-6

The story of the Grinch is all about redemption.  The Grinch is someone who is laughed out of Whoville during Christmas and then learns that Christmas isn’t about the presents or the decorations but about being together.  The Grinch is a story of him finding love and acceptance.

Just like that Jesus came to redeem Israel, to save them from their sin, so that they could follow God, and live with him one day.  But Jesus was born not only to save Israel but to save everyone including you, that’s what we celebrate at Christmas time.

Advent Devotion: December 18

Isaiah 52:1-2

How do you feel when you first wake up in the morning?  If you’re like me you might roll over and wonder how it’s already time to get up.  It might take you a couple minutes to even be fully functioning and aware of what’s happening, but slowly you begin to get a sense of where you are what day today is and what you need to do today. 

These verses are saying that Israel who had been in captivity was to begin to free itself and wake themselves up from their long slumber because Jesus had come to save them. 

Activity: There are Christians all around the world who aren’t free to worship God,.  Pray for them that they would be protected and provided for.

Advent Devotion: Dr Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas: December 17

“Every Who down in Whoville liked Christmas a lot... but the Grinch, who lived just north of Whoville, Did NOT!”  Those are the opening words of the Dr Seuss book, How the Grinch Stole Christmas.  It’s different from most Christmas stories because it focuses on someone who hates Christmas and tries to destroy it.  For the purposes of this Devotional we will be focusing on the cartoon TV special from 1966 rather than the Jim Carrey movie from 2000 but both are great adaptions of the story.  If you haven’t seen it in a while here’s a quick plot summary.

The Grinch hates Christmas, though we’re not sure why and so he decides to steal Christmas, presents, trees, decorations, food and everything else.  He believes that if he takes everything that the people who live in Whoville, the Who’s, use to celebrate Christmas he can stop Christmas from coming.  So he crafts a fake Santa suit and goes through with his plan and takes everything to the top of MT Crumpet to dump it.  But then he hears the Who’s singing and realizes they are celebrating Christmas even though he stole everything.  The Grinch then realizes that maybe he missed the meaning of Christmas and brings everything back to celebrate Christmas with all of Whoville.

As with the last two Christmas specials there are many lessons we can learn from How the Grinch Stole Christmas, such as Christmas not being about gifts or decorations but people.  But the one we are focusing on this year is actually about the character of the Grinch.  We don’t know why he hates Christmas, the story theorizes that it’s because his heart is too small, the movie with Jim Carrey leans into the story of the Grinch hating Christmas because it represented pain from earlier in his life.  And that’s what we are looking at this Advent season. 

Not everyone loves Christmas maybe because they have had bad experiences in the past or because their Christmas experience doesn’t feel like anyone else’s.  If that is your experience if Christmas is a painful time of year for you, then that’s okay.  Don’t feel like you have to enjoy and look forward to Christmas like many other people.  If you do love Christmas, like myself, then remember that for some people Christmas is a sad time of year and it’s okay for them to be sad.

The Good news of Christmas is that not matter who you are, Jesus is born and he came for you.  Everyone is hurting and experiences sadness at some point in their lives and the Bible tells us that Jesus came for the sad and the hurting for those who were sick and needed a doctor.  Jesus loves us all the time especially when we are hurting.

Activity: Watch the Grinch either the 2000 movie or the 1966 cartoon and discuss the following questions.

· Why do you think the Grinch doesn’t like Christmas?

· What do you think the true meaning of Christmas is?

Advent Devotion: December 16

John 1:14-18

Just like John the prophet went before Jesus to help the people get ready for him, during Advent we get ready to welcome Jesus on Christmas Eve each and every year.  That’s why we celebrate the Christmas season throughout all of December and why we read parts of the Bible each day to help us get ready to welcome Jesus. 

Activity: Help clean up the house to prepare to welcome Jesus in a  little over a week.