Christmas

Christmas the Sixth Gift

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Sixth Gift of Christmas – Joy

In that same hour he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children…Luke 10:21

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At His birth the shepherds rejoiced

At His touch the lepers rejoiced

At His sight the Blind man rejoiced

In His arms the children rejoiced

For his forgiveness the thief rejoiced

At the sound of His voice Mary rejoiced

For bread and fish on the fire the disciples rejoiced

At His return to Heaven His Father rejoiced

From birth to death, through every day and in every trial Jesus gave His life joyfully for us. What better thanks can we give Him but to joyfully give ourselves to others for Him?  Surely Jesus was not only the greatest giver but the greatest rejoicer in giving. Whatever small service we can find to do for someone today will be blessed when we give it with joy!

2 Corinthians 9:7 So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver

Fifth Christmas Gift

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Fifth Gift of Christmas – HOPE

Matthew 12:20 a bruised reed he will not break,
and a smoldering wick he will not quench,
until he brings justice to victory

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Not long ago a home on the next street of our neighborhood was condemned by the city. It had the unfortunate luck to be near a large storm sewer project gone awry. Somehow with all the digging, smashing and scraping going on its foundation had become weakened. In order to move the construction forward, large equipment was brought in and in just a few days the house was demolished and trucked away.

Is there someone in your world who is a lot like this small unfortunate home? They have gotten a little too close to important building projects. The heavy equipment, the digging and smashing going on while others nearby are reaching their goals has weakened their footings.  A lifetime of planning, years of family dinners and memories of children playing can be wiped away in just a few days or even hours.

Jesus said he would never break bruised hearts of put out the candles of flickering hope. When we give to bind up bruised dreams we are carrying on His work in a wounding world. When we help to light candle flames by pointing them to His gift of hope we are reaching a goal far greater than our own!

Fourth Christmas Gift

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Fourth Gift of Christmas – Faith

Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” Matthew 17:20

While we have been busy believing God for all kinds of blessings for our own lives, let’s remember to pause to have faith for others. What kinds of mountains do the people around us face? If we aren’t sure maybe it is because we new-alaska-pics-4haven’t asked. We haven’t asked too often because we have been too busy with our own problems.

As Christmas nears maybe we need to take a peek into someone else’s world. What mountains are they facing? Like the disciples we often feel that our faith is so small it can hardly make a difference. But Jesus didn’t seem to be concerned about the size of our faith so much as its reality. If we really have even just a little faith it will make a difference in someone else’s life. What is keeping us back from offering to them the gift of faith?