Monday, December 11, 2023

Christmas is my favorite time of the year. I am one of those people who listens to Christmas music and watches Hallmark Christmas movies before Thanksgiving. I love spending time with my family and friends, and I treasure going to Christmas Eve service.

CedarCreek does an amazing job celebrating the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I am always overjoyed as we sing Christmas carols and hear the message about God’s great love. And I am filled with awe and wonder as I am reminded that love isn’t just a word or even a feeling—it’s an action.

God showed his great love for us by sending his one and only Son to Earth to rescue us from our sins. Jesus didn’t arrive as a rich or powerful king. No—he was born to a poor, engaged virgin in a dirty stable, wrapped in strips of cloth, and laid in an animal feed trough (Luke 2:1-6).

After Jesus’ birth, an angel of the Lord appeared first to shepherds in a nearby field. Shepherds! A group of people who would have been considered lowly and looked down upon. The angel told them the Savior—the Messiah—had been born in Bethlehem (Luke 2:8-16), and so the shepherds were the first to go and worship Jesus.

Jesus didn’t come just to love and save the rich, powerful, or perfect. He came to save us all. He loves us all—the sinners, the downtrodden, the suffering, and the lonely.

He came as a humble servant with a great purpose: to demonstrate God’s love—to be a model for us all on how to love people just as they are. In an act of love, Jesus willingly died on the cross for us. And three days later, he was resurrected so that all who believed in him would be saved.

John 3:16-17
¹⁶ “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 everlasting life. ¹⁷ God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.”

Truly Good News! So during this Christmas season, let’s focus on God’s great love for us and the amazing gift of Jesus. Let’s strive to share his amazing love with others this Christmas and all year long.

Questions:
What is Christmas to you? How has Jesus shown you his love? How can you spread Jesus’ love to others?

Next Steps:
Read Isaiah 9:6-7 which prophecies the birth of our Savior. Read the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ birth (Matthew 1:18-25; Matthew 2; Luke 2:1-40). Meditate on the amazing example of God’s great love for us.

Make plans to attend a Christmas Service to celebrate his birth. Invite a friend who doesn’t know Christ to join you.

Prayer:
God, you are so amazing, and I am overwhelmed by your great love for me. You sent your only son, Jesus, into this world to save me. The King of kings came down to this world as a humble servant. Thank you so much for Jesus and all he has done for me, is doing for me, and will do for me. Help his love flow through me and into others as I share your great love with them this Christmas and at all times. Amen.

Parent Resource:
Read Luke 2:1-5 together as a family. Parents, share about a particularly special or unique Christmas that you experienced as a child. Ask your children if they have a favorite Christmas memory.

This post was written by Marsha Raymond, a regular contributor to the LivingItOut.