Christmas is not about the birth of the baby.  
It is about what that baby grew up to become-
– how He decided to live His life and the choices and the sacrifices He made in the end.  

Christmas points to the redemption, the redeeming power of that man.

Yes, the Christmas history is about God’s love and grace and the humility and servanthood of the little baby that was born.

But that baby grew up to be a man, and He came to redeem for our Heavenly Father what is rightfully His in the first place -us.

Jesus came to pay the greatest price for our redemption-
His life, by dying for our sins on the cross.

The history of Christmas doesn’t stop at the manger!

It continues through His perfect, sinless life, His death on the cross, and His resurrection from the dead.

The history of Christmas is that the Father desires for every single one of us to be redeemed.  

Our part is to accept His gift of redemption in faith.
That’s how we can truly celebrate the history of Christmas!

(PR)

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This Christmas, Lord, come to the manger of my heart.
Fill me with Your presence from the very start.

As I prepare for the holidays and gifts to be given,
Remind me of the gift You gave when You sent Your Son from Heaven.

The first Christmas gift, it was the greatest gift ever.
You came as a baby born in a manger.

Wrapped like the gifts I find under my tree,
Waiting to be opened, to reveal Your love to me.

Restore to me the wonder that came with Jesus’ birth,
when He left the riches of Heaven and wrapped Himself in rags of earth.

Immanuel, God with us, Your presence came that night.
And angels announced, “Into your darkness, God brings His Light.”

“Do not be afraid,” they said, to shepherds in the field.
Speak to my heart today, Lord, and help me to yield.

Make me like those shepherd boys, obedient to Your call.
Setting distractions and worries aside, to You I surrender them all.

Surround me with Your presence, Lord, I long to hear Your voice.
Clear my mind of countless concerns and all the holiday noise.

Slow me down this Christmas, let me not be in a rush.
In the midst of parties and planning, I want to feel Your hush.

This Christmas, Jesus, come to the manger of my heart.
Invade my soul like Bethlehem, bringing peace to every part.

Dwell within and around me, as I unwrap Your presence each day.
Keep me close to You, Lord. It’s in Your wonderful Name I pray.

Amen!

(PR)

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“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.” Isaiah 7:14.

As the days get shorter in December-
– it seems the time I spend with God does too.

I long for His presence.
I know I need His perspective and peace.

But as I prepare for the holidays-
– my heart can get so focused on planning and buying gifts that I forget to unwrap the most important gift—the gift of Immanuel—God with us.

In all the hustle and bustle-
– it’s easy to fill our heart with everything but Him,
– and miss the calm hush His presence brings.

I felt an unusual void around the holidays several years ago-
– and wrote this Christmas prayer to help me keep my heart where it needs to be.

I display it where I’ll see it often – to remind me of what matters most.

Thousands of years ago God gave us the gift of His one and only Son, born in a humble manger!

Making room in our hearts for Jesus through prayer during this busy season is a gift we give to Him, and ourselves.

Right now, let’s quiet our racing thoughts and take a moment to enjoy the hush of Immanuel—God with us.
His presence in our lives is a gift we can open every day of the year.

“Dear Lord, I’m so thankful for the gift of Jesus, Immanuel, my God with me. Help me be still when I feel frazzled and remember You are God. I want to make room for You in the manger of my heart this Christmas and unwrap Your presence each day. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”

(PR)

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“The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.”  1 Titus. 1:15.

With all the lights, songs, and gift giving that bombard us at Christmas– it’s easy to lose our focus.  
Today’s verse gives us a godly perspective, showing us how the Christmas history fits into God’s “big history.”

To begin with, we are all sinners.  

Even Paul, the apostle, who wrote these words, acknowledged before God that he was a sinner in desperate need of a saviour.

The reality is that we can’t save ourselves.  

But, thank God, we aren’t without hope:
“Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.”

When we think of the Christmas story, what comes to mind?

We see Mary and Joseph making the perilous journey to Bethlehem.  
We see a stable, plenty of animals, and a makeshift bed made from a manger.  
We hear heavenly choirs and see shepherds worshipping the newborn king.

All of these are familiar parts of the Christmas history.  

But they are also part of a bigger story—a story that-
– in the end, would carry Jesus to the cross.  

Let me put it like this:  
There is no manger without the cross.  
There is no Christmas without Good Friday.  

Jesus was born to fulfill a God-given mission.  
His life had a God-given trajectory.  

He came to save sinners, willingly bearing their sins and dying in their place.

The next time you see a Nativity with Jesus bundled in blankets and straw, thank God for the manger!

It’s a reminder that God kept His promise and sent a saviour.
But also thank God for the cross and for His sacrifice.  

That’s why He came!

(PR)

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If you think your life is an utter disaster, that God could never use a life as messed up as yours, think again.

Let me point you to some familiar Bible histories.

Joseph’s brothers hate him so much that they sell him as a slave and make their father believe he has been devoured by animals, but “but God meant it for good” to save thousands from starvation.

Sampson lusts after a Philistine girl, not the nice Jewish girl his parents wanted for him.

But the Bible says, “his father and mother did not know that this was from the Lord.”

King Solomon’s son makes a disastrous decision that loses him half the kingdom.
What a mess!

Jacob is a liar and a cheat and has to flee for his life.
He sleeps out in the open with only a rock for a pillow.

But when he wakes with a vision of angels, he says, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.”

Your life may appear well-ordered on the surface, but underneath there may be disarray.
Brokenness, pain, shame.
Things you seem utterly incapable of fixing.

God is bigger than your messy life.
He is not impotent.
He is not confined by your boundaries.
He is God!
And he is unafraid of working in messy situations.
In fact, he gets a kick out of surprising us with his amazing grace.

What are your points of pain?
What is the mess that you are struggling with?

God is able to take your mess, and out of it bring blessing.

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28.

How bad can it get?

A girl gets pregnant.
Her parents are utterly shamed.
Her fiancé, not the father, is ready to dump her.

And then he is told, “Do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.” Matthew 1:20.

How bad can it get?
The girl is in labour, far from home with only a cave-barn where she can lie down and have her baby.

The only place to put her newborn is a manger.

A cattle trough.
We imagine it with fresh, fragrant straw plucked from a bale of hay.

But I doubt that the cave was stocked with neat bales stacked against the wall.
The straw that night was neither fresh nor fragrant.

Life was a mess, but God was in it.

God sees Mary with her tiny infant and sends a host of angels to announce the birth.

“Behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.
For unto you is born this day in the city of David
a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord.
And this will be a sign for you:you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” Luke 2:10-12.

The messy manger is itself a sign from God.

Is your life a mess?
Then let this be a sign to you.

Your very good news is that the God of the messy manger, the resurrected Christ of the cruel cross, and the Holy Spirit, in whom you live and move and have your being, are able to break through in your life, begin to clean up your mess, bless you too.

And that, like the messy manger, will be a wonder all its own.

(PR)

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No Christmas song is more loved than this tender children’s carol, “Away in a Manger.”
With its simply worded expression of love for the Lord Jesus and trust in His faithful care, the hymn appeals to young and old alike.

It is usually one of the first Christmas songs learned in early childhood; yet its pleasing melody and gentle message preserve it in our affections all through life.

For some time “Away in the Manger” was titled “Luther’s Cradle Hymn.”

It was thought to have been written by Martin Luther for his own children and then passed on by German mothers.
Modern research discounts this claim, however.

Stanzas one and two first appeared in the Little Children’s Book, published in Philadelphia in 1885.

The third verse was written by a Methodist minister, John T. McFarland, in the early 1900s when an additional stanza for this carol was desired for use at a church children’s day program.

How important it is that we take time to help our children see beyond the glitter of the Christmas season and teach them the true meaning of Christ’s birth.

The most thrilling story ever known to man began in Bethlehem at Christmas.

    “Away in a manger, no crib for a bed,
    The little Lord Jesus laid down His sweet head;

    The stars in the sky looked down where He lay,
    The little Lord Jesus, asleep on the hay.

    The cattle are lowing, the Baby awakes,
    But little Lord Jesus, no crying He makes;

    I love Thee, Lord Jesus! look down from the sky,
    And stay by my cradle till morning is nigh.

    Be near me, Lord Jesus, I ask Thee to stay
    Close by me forever, and love me, I pray;

    Bless all the dear children in Thy tender care,
    And fit us for heaven, to live with Thee there.”

(PR)

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“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12). 

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“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God” (John 1:1).

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