Christmas devotional

Christmas Eve – 12th Gift – Love

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12th Gift of Christmas – The Love of God

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16

We often think of the baby in the manger as the giving of God’s ultimate gift. But looking more deeply into the story we see that yes it was at Bethlehem that God’s gift came, but it was not until the cross that His gift was given. God’s gift of love became ours as the blood poured from the wound in Jesus’ side. Why not make Christmas the start of a new life’s journey that will last forever? He has given you these twelve gifts and so much more. Christmas is the perfect time to give your life to Him!

Here is my poem for you as my gift and the Mullett girls singing on a fresh new video about the Glorious Night Jesus was born! Merry Christmas all!

 12 Gifts of Christmas

 The gift of being a neighbor
 Do I know my neighbor’s name?
 The gift of Kindness
 That puts prejudice to shame
 The gift of Prayer
 That calls help down from God
 The gift of Faith
 That believes when times are hard
 The gift of Hope
 That sees our Lord in all
 The gift of Joy
 That helps us when we fall
 The gift of Grace
 That washes away sin
 The gift of Rest
 That spends sweet time with Him
 The Living gift of Water
 That fills our thirty souls
 The gift of Mercy
 That answers law’s demands
 The gift of a Star
 That guides us through strange lands
 The gift of Love
 The greatest one of all
 And Jesus - gift of gifts In a manger low and small! 

12 Gifts of Christmas by Peter Caligiuri
Copyright 2017 All rights reserved

11th Gift of Christmas – His Star

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 When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy Matthew 2:10

Recently the news has been filled with stories of the 2020 “Christmas Star”; which is the almost perfect conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn happening for the first time in 400 years. We have no idea if this was what God used to guide the wise men but we do know that the star they saw led them to Bethlehem. Their journey was long; in danger of thieves attacking their small camel train and complicated by uncertainty after they stopped in for visit with King Herod. Big city lights can obscure our view of the stars and maybe that is what happened while they were in Jerusalem. It seems they lost sight of it there for a while, but the good news is that after they left the king, the Bible tells us that:

They went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. Matthew 2:9

Maybe they paused just over the horizon from Bethlehem, and gave thanks for God’s guidance all through their long journey. As our own journey to Christmas draws near its end we also need to take time to remember how on our darkest nights God sent His star for us as well. He sent His star to help us know the Savior was born. He sent His star to guide our path to Him. He sent His star to light our way. He sent His star to come and stand over the place where Jesus is so we can present our gifts to Him and worship. Thank God for this amazing gift that leads us to Jesus Christ. Thank God for His bright and morning star!

Photo by James Wheeler on Pexels.com

12 Gifts of Christmas / 10th gift – Humility

/ pastorpete51 / 2 Comments 
What can I give Him,    Poor as I am? 
If I were a shepherd    I would bring a lamb, 
If I were a Wise Man    I would do my part,— 
Yet what I can I give Him,    Give my heart.   
Christina Rosetti   A Christmas Carol

And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them. Luke 2:20

I love Christina Rosetti and this poem of hers in particular, but in all actuality the shepherds did not bring a lamb. None of us would have even picked shepherds to invite to the outdoor maternity room. God had chosen Mary for her purity, Joseph reflected obedience and the wise men revealed the royalty of Christ. So what else could be added to that first Christmas? What the shepherds gave was a gift of humility. That gift of their humble praise echoed in the heart of Mary long after the sound of their footsteps vanished back into the night. Their joyful shouts even woke up the villagers and soon the good news of great joy spread throughout Bethlehem. Their very humility lent an authenticity to their message that no strangers bearing costly gifts could bring.

In fact throughout the earthly life of Jesus, that same humility tells the story of God’s love. We see it in a sinful woman’s tears washing Jesus’ feet at the home of a self righteous rich man. And there it is again in the humility of a Samaritan leper’s praise rather than his nine friends who never returned to give thanks. At the end of John’s gospel, Mary Magdalene waits outside the tomb weeping and asking someone she thinks to be the gardener if he knows where Jesus has gone. But when she hears that gardener call her name, she immediately knows that it is Jesus, and she falls in humility at His feet.

And what can we offer Him this Christmas? Costly gifts only reflect our lack of understanding of what matters most to God. He waits for simple shepherds, forgiven sinners, cleansed lepers and the broken hearted of every race, tribe and tongue to come. But if, as Christina Rosetti tells us, we give Him our heart, we will find Him delighted to welcome us for He is at most home with those who most reflect the humble heart of Jesus Christ.