A Christmas Wish

 

Have you started any new traditions with your family this year? My daughter-in-law and her family celebrate what they call The Twelve Days of Nativity. Her grandmother left a wish to share the gospel through the nativity. Each year they are trying to fulfill that wish. They bought 2 nativity sets. One is for an elderly widower in our church. The other is for a family not currently in church. Each day a piece of the nativity set and corresponding scripture is secretly left at the home of the family being gifted. The gifts are secret until the last gift, then the giver reveals themself usually with an accompanying Christmas card. I thought it was such a wonderful idea that I would share it with you. 

You may begin any time during December. If you begin early, the family will have the complete nativity set to enjoy and remind them of the true meaning of Christmas during the days leading up to Christmas.  If your family and friends celebrate the coming of the wise men in January, you may want to time the gifting so that the shepherds come on Christmas and the wise men come later. A third option may be to finish the gifting on Christmas Eve. 

You should be able to copy and print the scriptures from this post or paste them into a document that you can save from year to year. 

Day 1 - With this first passage send the empty stable.

Luke 2

And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed.

2 (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)

3 And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.

Day 2 - Send Joseph.

4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)

Day 3 - Send Mary.

5 To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.

Day 4 - Send the baby Jesus in the manger. 

6 And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.

7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

Day 5 - Send sheep.

8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

Day 6 - Send an angel(s).

9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

Day 7 - Send 1 shepherd.

10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

Day 8 - Send another shepherd.

15 And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.

16 And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.

17 And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.

18 And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.

19 But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.

20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.

Day 9 Send first wise man.

Matthew 2

Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,

2 Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.

3 When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.

Day 10 - Send the second wise man.

4 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born.

5 And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet,

6 And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.

Day 11 -  Send the third wise man. 

7 Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared.

8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also.

9 When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was.

Day 12 - Send representations of the three gifts. 

10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.

11 And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense and myrrh.

12 And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.

If your nativity sets contain camels or donkeys, you may want to send them on Day 9 and end with the third wise man especially if the wise men are already carrying their gifts. 

My daughter in law is having a great deal of fun hearing her friend try to figure out who is sending the gifts and why.

Blessings on this and every Christmas,

A special thank you to the family of

 Agnes Chapman (November 30, 1937- December 4, 2014)

for sharing her Christmas wish with us. 

Heavenly Father, it was Mrs. Chapman's wish to share the gospel through the giving of the nativity sets. May we all be more aware of the reason for this season. You gave your only Son to be the sacrifice for our sins and the sins of all who would ask His forgiveness. Thank you for giving us the very best gift, the gift of the Savior. In Jesus's name we pray. Amen. 

The Miracle of Thanksgiving

   

O give thanks unto the Lord; call upon his name: make known his deeds among the people. ~Psalms 105:1

You know the picture in our minds we all get of the Indian brave who walks into the Pilgrim village in the spring of 1621 to show the Pilgrims how to plant corn, and beans, and pumpkin? Wasn’t his name Squanto? Or didn’t anyone ever tell you about Squanto?

Thankful

 

Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

John 15:13 KJV

We always say, "Thank a vet. Pray for our veterans." But do we accompany those thanks and prayers with actions?

Several years ago, a teacher in our district asked his students to make Christmas cards for veterans in a VA hospital. I believe it was his dad who was willing to take the cards to the hospital. Over the years, this one small request turned into the whole school making cards. Now the entire district sends thousands of cards each year to veterans who otherwise may not receive any other Christmas wishes. There are even opportunities for parents to sign cards at school events. Some of the cards go to veterans' hospitals nearby. One of our veterans makes an annual trip to Walter Reed Hospital in Washington, DC to deliver cards. 

Men and women in veterans hospitals may be far away from family and friends and find themselves alone during the holiday season. Cards from students and their families can mean a lot. Jesus said if we have done it unto the least of these our brethren, we have done it unto Him.

Parents, you may want to investigate the address of a veterans' hospital or visit one if you live nearby. Another idea may be to send cards to someone who is currently serving overseas and won't be able to be with family this year. Your Sunday School class, scouts, home school association or other groups may want to join the mission. 

Thank you to all who serve and who have served.

Families, we thank you for the ones who not only served but willingly gave their lives for our freedom. 

Heavenly Father, we thank You for those who were and are willing to serve to protect our freedom. Father, we thank You that you gave us Your Son to not only show us how to serve others but who willingly gave His life for our eternal salvation. In Jesus's name, we pray. Amen.

Hey Kids

Here is one idea for making a veteran a Christmas card. 

Making cards are fun and easy. 

Fold a piece of paper in half.

Open the card and write your message before you decorate. Include your favorite Bible verse.
Close the card. Draw a large triangle on the front of the card. 

Put a small amount of glue in the triangle. 

Crumple small scraps of green tissue paper and place them on the glue to make a 3D Christmas tree design. 

Stick colored foil stars to the tissue paper tree. 

Change it up any way your artist's inclinations lead you.

You may not know who received your card, but Jesus sees and is thankful you were willing to bring the message of Christ and Christmas to someone. 

Prayer for the Millions

 Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. 

~Mark 14:38 NIV 

A friend reminded me that 2000 years ago, the same moon that shines down tonight, shined down on a garden called Gethsemane near Jerusalem. Twelve men, Jesus and eleven of His disciples came there after the Passover supper to pray. Jesus asked His disciples to watch and pray that they not enter into temptation.  Jesus went a little farther, about a stone's throw away, and began to pray. 

As Jesus prayed, He began to sweat great drops of blood, so much so that it ran down and fell on the ground. He prayed for the death sentence upon Him to be removed, but only if it were the Father's will. No one wants to die, but no doubt Jesus had seen the agony and torture of a crucifixion. Even more than the crucifixion was the burden of the punishment for our sins that was upon him. He loved the Father and He loved us. He was willing to die that death if there was no other way to save us. You see, Jesus has also seen the torture and agony in the pits of hell that lasts far longer than a crucifixion. Hell lasts for all eternity.  

When Jesus returned to His disciples, they were asleep. He woke them up and asked again that they pray. The second time He found them asleep and woke them. The third time, He let them sleep. He knew the men and officers from the chief priests were on their way with Judas. The agony was just beginning. 

At this Thanksgiving season, have we taken the time to ponder what really happened over 2000 years ago? We're busy cooking, visiting, and eating Grandma's special dishes; stuffing ourselves into sleepy obliviousness. Have we allowed ourselves to be lulled to sleep while Jesus agonizes over souls that daily are going into the pits of hell? When is the last time we have agonized over lost friends and loved ones, over countries and nations, peoples and races? Jesus asks us to stay awake and pray so we don't enter into temptation, the temptation to just let life go on as normal. 

Heavenly Father, help us not forget the millions who are lost, who are fighting for their survival, who have never heard the gospel. Help us not forget You have commanded us to go into all the world and preach the gospel. We know you do not intend for us to leave anyone out, friend or enemy, Jew or Gentile. Help us remember the Pilgrims came here to freely worship the Lord. They reached out to Native Americans and later to others who settled here, both Jew and Gentile, black and white, all with whom they came in contact. Help us Lord to look around us and share the Gospel with all those You put in our path. In Jesus's name. Amen.