“The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.” -Luke 2:11-12 [NLT] 

A Time to Think… 
“Christ did not come to give us the Christmas season, holidays for family time, festive music, special food, parties, and gifts. Jesus came so our sins can be forgiven and we can enter heaven. He came to give us the assurance of eternal life. Jesus came to do the Father’s will, and He did it! That is the first gift Jesus gave us! I wonder what Christmas would be like if we focused on our own humility and submission to God the Father just as Jesus did.” -John Calahan-pastor & founder of NeverThirsty.org  

A Time to Act…
Christmas has come, and now we go forward but let us not forget what that day was for us: “The ultimate gift of Christmas is salvation and it is the reason Jesus came—to die on the cross for our sins, in our place, and give us a relationship with God through Christ.” All the gifts we may have gotten on Christmas Day pale what the gift of our Savior brought us.

A Time to Pray…

O Jesus, help us to not say “OK, Christmas is done” but help us to embrace that “Christmas is a gift all year long!” May we continue to hear you, seek you, and share who you are with those who need you. And if we can rejoice in nothing else this season, we can rejoice in you, our Savior! Pull us into your presence that we may be filled with the Holy Spirit and the promises of hope, joy, grace and love that you give us. AMEN.