And all things, whatsoever you shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive. Matthew 21:22 (KJV)
A Yule log is an extremely large log that is burned in a hearth as a traditional Christmas celebration in several European cultures. The Yule log was originally an entire tree that was carefully chosen and brought into the house with great ceremony. Because the Yule log was hard wood, it provided maximum warmth and endurance.
This prayer is traditionally said when lighting the yule log: “May the fire of this log warm the cold; may the hungry be fed; may the weary find rest and may all enjoy heaven's peace.”
While we may not all have fireplaces to burn yule logs, we can offer prayers of hope to those in need of food, homes, jobs or heaven's peace.
A gentleman came into the retail store the other day to pay on a stranger's layaway as a way to share the Christmas spirit. This seems to be a new trend happening at many of the stores this year. What a nice way to help and spread some comfort and cheer to a weary family.
This is the season to reflect on the blessings that Jesus' birth has given us and help those who have less and in need of blessings. If we cannot give material things we can pray the Yule log prayer believing and watch Jesus answers in amazing ways.
Thank you Jesus for giving me peace, warmth and rest in your arms. May I not only pray for the needs of others, but also provide hope throughout this Christmas season.
© 2011 Dawn M Sexton
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Friday, December 30, 2011
Between the Manger and the Cross
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Matthew 28:19 (NIV)
With Christmas behind us, and the New Year only days away, it’s easy to put away the baby in the manger along with all of the other Christmas decorations. During the holidays, we might find ourselves trying to put the focus on the reason for the season; but after the last present is unwrapped, and the last needle falls from the tree–what remains?
Just as we try to keep Christ in Christmas, we should also keep Him in our hearts every day. We need to remember exactly why that baby in the manger was born (which, by the way, was to die). Not only do we need to understand that reason, we need to concentrate on the life that He lived between the manger and the cross.
Everything that Jesus did from cradle to grave was to reconcile the creation to the creator–the Father to His children.
In Biblical times it was the duty of the son to carry on the father’s work. We are to go about our Father’s work as well. His work is to make disciples of all nations. He is not willing that any should perish.
As we carry on the family business, we will be following in the footsteps of Christ; spreading the Gospel to all with whom we come in contact. News this great was meant to be shared!
Lord, help me to always remember that nothing I do is more important than telling others about the saving grace of your son Jesus Christ.
© 2011 Kimberly Mattio Halfen
With Christmas behind us, and the New Year only days away, it’s easy to put away the baby in the manger along with all of the other Christmas decorations. During the holidays, we might find ourselves trying to put the focus on the reason for the season; but after the last present is unwrapped, and the last needle falls from the tree–what remains?
Just as we try to keep Christ in Christmas, we should also keep Him in our hearts every day. We need to remember exactly why that baby in the manger was born (which, by the way, was to die). Not only do we need to understand that reason, we need to concentrate on the life that He lived between the manger and the cross.
Everything that Jesus did from cradle to grave was to reconcile the creation to the creator–the Father to His children.
In Biblical times it was the duty of the son to carry on the father’s work. We are to go about our Father’s work as well. His work is to make disciples of all nations. He is not willing that any should perish.
As we carry on the family business, we will be following in the footsteps of Christ; spreading the Gospel to all with whom we come in contact. News this great was meant to be shared!
Lord, help me to always remember that nothing I do is more important than telling others about the saving grace of your son Jesus Christ.
© 2011 Kimberly Mattio Halfen
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Blessed Gifts
Behold, children are a gift of the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward.
Psalm 127:3 (NASB)
As a child, my mother gave me a doll almost every Christmas. One year I received a Betsy Wetsy, who lived up to her name. One Christmas Mom decided to give me one of her dolls. She was large with a soft kid body. Her legs, arms and head were plaster-of-paris. Another was a tall teenager with moveable elbows and knees. Mom worked late nights before Christmas making their clothes.
They were well-cared for. I spent hours playing with them. They were taken for walks in my yellow doll buggy, and sat quietly when I taught “doll” school. Once I learned to sew, they received pretty gowns of my own design.
In a small way, my time as a “doll mommy” gave me a longing to someday become a real mom. Gazing into the eyes of my first son, my heart swelled with joy and thankfulness for God’s amazing gift. Mom sewed baby clothes and soft blankets for my son just as she had for my dolls.
Although they were special to me as a child, dolls can never compare to the relationships I have with my sons and my grandchildren. Dolls were not real nor could they respond to me. Babies reveal God’s love to our families. As we love and care for our babies and children, we see God’s love reflected in their smiles and in their small hands reaching for ours. Our hearts melt when they say, “I love you.”
Thank you, Lord, for revealing your love through the gift of babies and children. Bless and watch over our families. Amen
© 2011 Diane E. Hussey
Behold, children are a gift of the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward.
Psalm 127:3 (NASB)
As a child, my mother gave me a doll almost every Christmas. One year I received a Betsy Wetsy, who lived up to her name. One Christmas Mom decided to give me one of her dolls. She was large with a soft kid body. Her legs, arms and head were plaster-of-paris. Another was a tall teenager with moveable elbows and knees. Mom worked late nights before Christmas making their clothes.
They were well-cared for. I spent hours playing with them. They were taken for walks in my yellow doll buggy, and sat quietly when I taught “doll” school. Once I learned to sew, they received pretty gowns of my own design.
In a small way, my time as a “doll mommy” gave me a longing to someday become a real mom. Gazing into the eyes of my first son, my heart swelled with joy and thankfulness for God’s amazing gift. Mom sewed baby clothes and soft blankets for my son just as she had for my dolls.
Although they were special to me as a child, dolls can never compare to the relationships I have with my sons and my grandchildren. Dolls were not real nor could they respond to me. Babies reveal God’s love to our families. As we love and care for our babies and children, we see God’s love reflected in their smiles and in their small hands reaching for ours. Our hearts melt when they say, “I love you.”
Thank you, Lord, for revealing your love through the gift of babies and children. Bless and watch over our families. Amen
© 2011 Diane E. Hussey
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Home for the Holidays?
Children are a
heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from him. Like arrows in the hands
of a warrior are children born in one’s youth. Psalm 127: 3-4 (NIV)
Now
that my sons are grown and out on their own, gathering for the holidays is no
longer a certainty. School and work schedules conspire against maintaining that
cheery family unit gathered around the Thanksgiving table or the Christmas
tree. My new found freedom was welcome at first. But now I find myself eagerly
seeking out those rare opportunities to be together as we were when they were
children.
As
Christians, we know that Christmas is so much more than generic holiday
greetings, exchanging overpriced gifts, and watching Frosty the Snowman on TV.
The birth of Jesus is more cause for celebration than just about any other
occasion. That is why being with family at this time of year is so meaningful. Taking
special time out from our worldly cares and responsibilities to give glory and
honor to God; to thank Him for sending his son into the world so that we might
be saved and reconciled to Him, that is truly cause for thanksgiving.
So
what do we do when we can’t be together for the holidays? We share our love in
any and every way possible: through cards, on the phone, via email, even
Facebook. The connection is still there, and the joy of knowing that we have
Christ and each other.
Heavenly father,
thank you for the precious love of family as we celebrate the birth of your
son, Jesus Christ.
©
2011 G. Francis Johnson
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
The Perfect Gift
“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights,. ” James 1:17 (NIV)
Opening gifts on December 25th is the highlight of Christmas Day for many. My mother was the biggest kid in our house at Christmas time. One year, the excitement for an expected gift motivated my mother to insist that her family stay up until one minute after midnight, Christmas morning, to open that present.
To keep us all awake and together, Mom cooked a large feast filled with the savory aroma of candied sweet potatoes, the enticing smell of roasted turkey gravy and the alluring fragrance of bubbling melted cheese in her famous dish, old-fashioned macaroni and cheese.
Belt loosening full were we, when at the stroke of midnight December 24th, Mom quickly gathered us around our Christmas tree. It was decorated with brightly glowing colored lights, and perched on the highest tree limb was our traditional chirping bird ornament. She couldn’t wait to open her highly desired present. She expected a diamond engagement ring, but instead she got diamond earrings. With a smile on her face and disappointment in her eyes, she opened her remaining gifts.
Personal reactions to gifts opened are always unpredictable, no matter how much time, effort and thought the gift buyer puts into it. While we shop for gifts, let us also remember to give the gift of the gospel of Jesus Christ and open the good and perfect gift of Salvation for someone this Christmas.
Father, as we prepare for family gatherings, attend Christmas programs, and shop till we drop, remind us that Christmas can’t be purchased in a store. Help us to remember to share your good and perfect gift, Jesus Christ, this Christmas season.
© 2011 Danielle Martin Moffett
Opening gifts on December 25th is the highlight of Christmas Day for many. My mother was the biggest kid in our house at Christmas time. One year, the excitement for an expected gift motivated my mother to insist that her family stay up until one minute after midnight, Christmas morning, to open that present.
To keep us all awake and together, Mom cooked a large feast filled with the savory aroma of candied sweet potatoes, the enticing smell of roasted turkey gravy and the alluring fragrance of bubbling melted cheese in her famous dish, old-fashioned macaroni and cheese.
Belt loosening full were we, when at the stroke of midnight December 24th, Mom quickly gathered us around our Christmas tree. It was decorated with brightly glowing colored lights, and perched on the highest tree limb was our traditional chirping bird ornament. She couldn’t wait to open her highly desired present. She expected a diamond engagement ring, but instead she got diamond earrings. With a smile on her face and disappointment in her eyes, she opened her remaining gifts.
Personal reactions to gifts opened are always unpredictable, no matter how much time, effort and thought the gift buyer puts into it. While we shop for gifts, let us also remember to give the gift of the gospel of Jesus Christ and open the good and perfect gift of Salvation for someone this Christmas.
Father, as we prepare for family gatherings, attend Christmas programs, and shop till we drop, remind us that Christmas can’t be purchased in a store. Help us to remember to share your good and perfect gift, Jesus Christ, this Christmas season.
© 2011 Danielle Martin Moffett
Monday, December 26, 2011
The Christmas Star
He [the Lord] determines the number of the stars, he gives to all of them their names. Psalm 147:3-4 (RSV)
Why did God create shooting stars? People watch them and wonder. Attracted by stellar beauty or personal curiosity, students soon learn that shooting stars are meteors, often originating in the Leonid, Perseid or Geminid constellations. Dedicated astronomers can predict the time, place, intensity and visibility of these divinely inspired events; however, they keep searching for the reasons, the natural purpose for their destruction.
The Psalmist looked beyond the analytic facts of the stars’ existence and used them to praise the Lord for His greatness, abundant power and understanding. Someday, scientists may find a celestial parallel with earth’s annual disintegration of falling leaves. Stars may not fall in as great abundance as leaves, but nothing is wasted either in the Lord’s natural world or in His theological world. Everything has purpose.
When Christ’s followers look to the sky and remember the Christmas Star, they know it had a one-time theological purpose---lead the Magi to Christ. There was no need for it to appear again and again. Those living today never saw that particularly bright star, but through reading the Christmas story, we can imagine it. We don’t need to see it in because we remember our own journey to Christ. Our personal memory of discovering Him combined with the Magi’s story brings a joyous desire to celebrate Christmas—again, and again and again.
Lord, as we celebrate the beauty of the Christmas sky, remember the star, the Magi, and our path to your side, let us, like the Psalmist, praise your greatness, power, and understanding. Amen.
© 2011 V. Colclasure
Why did God create shooting stars? People watch them and wonder. Attracted by stellar beauty or personal curiosity, students soon learn that shooting stars are meteors, often originating in the Leonid, Perseid or Geminid constellations. Dedicated astronomers can predict the time, place, intensity and visibility of these divinely inspired events; however, they keep searching for the reasons, the natural purpose for their destruction.
The Psalmist looked beyond the analytic facts of the stars’ existence and used them to praise the Lord for His greatness, abundant power and understanding. Someday, scientists may find a celestial parallel with earth’s annual disintegration of falling leaves. Stars may not fall in as great abundance as leaves, but nothing is wasted either in the Lord’s natural world or in His theological world. Everything has purpose.
When Christ’s followers look to the sky and remember the Christmas Star, they know it had a one-time theological purpose---lead the Magi to Christ. There was no need for it to appear again and again. Those living today never saw that particularly bright star, but through reading the Christmas story, we can imagine it. We don’t need to see it in because we remember our own journey to Christ. Our personal memory of discovering Him combined with the Magi’s story brings a joyous desire to celebrate Christmas—again, and again and again.
Lord, as we celebrate the beauty of the Christmas sky, remember the star, the Magi, and our path to your side, let us, like the Psalmist, praise your greatness, power, and understanding. Amen.
© 2011 V. Colclasure
Sunday, December 25, 2011
Christmas Morn
And this shall be a sign unto you, Ye shall find a babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. Luke 2:12 (KJV)
In a field, so lush and green,
a brilliant light could be seen.
Sheep stirred restless in their fright
to see this unfamiliar sight.
Shepherds knelt in instant awe,
when heavenly angels they all saw.
A choir of angels sang so sweet.
God's message to mankind was complete.
"A child is born, a Savior, dear.
In swaddling clothes, the Messiah's here.
In yonder town called 'Bethlehem,'
in a stable small, warm and dim.
Go! See the babe in manger there,
so sweet is He, in Mary's care."
So, off to Bethlehem they fled,
obeying the words the angel said.
A babe in swaddling clothes they found,
in the little Bethlehem town.
In manger small, made for His bed,
there was no pillow for His head.
He did not cry, but lay asleep
as Joseph, guardian, his watch did keep.
Mary, His mother, slept in rest
beside her babe in warm straw nest.
The shepherds knelt in wonder there
to give God 'thanks,' for a miracle shared.
They told of the heralds, the angels words,
they've news of a new-born king assured.
To the lowest of men the message was given
as those humble men gazed up to heaven.
The first to witness Messiah born
to bless us all on Christmas morn.
Two thousand years have passed since then.
Still the message is given each year to men.
"Glory in the Highest" we shout praises still.
And "Peace to men who need good will."
Lord, may we remember the reason you sent your beloved Son as the Christmas season comes once more. Amen.
(c) 2011 E. Bonnie Ryan
In a field, so lush and green,
a brilliant light could be seen.
Sheep stirred restless in their fright
to see this unfamiliar sight.
Shepherds knelt in instant awe,
when heavenly angels they all saw.
A choir of angels sang so sweet.
God's message to mankind was complete.
"A child is born, a Savior, dear.
In swaddling clothes, the Messiah's here.
In yonder town called 'Bethlehem,'
in a stable small, warm and dim.
Go! See the babe in manger there,
so sweet is He, in Mary's care."
So, off to Bethlehem they fled,
obeying the words the angel said.
A babe in swaddling clothes they found,
in the little Bethlehem town.
In manger small, made for His bed,
there was no pillow for His head.
He did not cry, but lay asleep
as Joseph, guardian, his watch did keep.
Mary, His mother, slept in rest
beside her babe in warm straw nest.
The shepherds knelt in wonder there
to give God 'thanks,' for a miracle shared.
They told of the heralds, the angels words,
they've news of a new-born king assured.
To the lowest of men the message was given
as those humble men gazed up to heaven.
The first to witness Messiah born
to bless us all on Christmas morn.
Two thousand years have passed since then.
Still the message is given each year to men.
"Glory in the Highest" we shout praises still.
And "Peace to men who need good will."
Lord, may we remember the reason you sent your beloved Son as the Christmas season comes once more. Amen.
(c) 2011 E. Bonnie Ryan
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