The Miracle of Christmas

"He was in the world, and though the world was made through Him, the world did not recognize Him. He came to that which was His own, but His own did not receive Him. Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God..." John 1:10-12

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--not by works, so that no on can boast." Ephesians 2:8-9

"The miracle is always that God is gracious. You don't have to earn Christmas, you don't have to perform Christmas, you don't have to make Christmas. You can rest in Christ. You can wait with Christ. You can breathe easy in Christ. Open your heart to the miracle of grace. He will prepare your heart for the coming of the Lord."  Ann Voskamp, The Greatest Gift: Unwrapping the Full Love Story of Christmas.

May each of you rest and breathe easy as you open your heart to the miracle of grace this Christmas

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!

Singing carols in chapel

"Big" Chapel in the Sanctuary

In our PJ's!

Hot Chocolate

Tickets to the Polar Express

Licking the icing from the Happy Birthday Jesus cake

Elf Squad

"I have shown you in every way, by laboring like this, that you must support the weak. And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.' " 
Acts 20:35

Pointy ears, pointy hats, big shoes with pointy toes, red and green and striped all over....it was Elf Day, and the kids certainly looked the part. They had a chance to act the part of elves, too--elves on a mission to share love with others.

For the Christmas party, these miniature elves wrapped books to donate to Child Evangelism Fellowship. They put together thank-you gifts for our servicemen and women. They decorated Christmas cookies to donate to St. Vincent de Paul. (Okay, so they decorated two cookies each: one to eat and one to donate. At their age, unselfishness has its limits.)
 
Though the parents were the ones who purchased the books and blankets to give away, hopefully the children were impressed with the idea that Christmas is not only about getting. It's also about giving,

Or, as one child stated (perhaps  recalling a message he'd heard in Sunday School), "Caring is Sharing, isn't that right?"

Nativity

" Now the birth of Jesus was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. But while he thought about these  things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream saying, 'Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins."   Matthew 1:18-21

"Now there were in the same country, shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flocks by night." Luke 2: 8

" And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them. And they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David, a Savior who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign to you: you will find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes lying in a manger." Luke 2:9

"And suddenly, there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men."  Luke 2:10-14

"After Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem saying, 'Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have cone to worship Him.'" Matthew 2:1-2

"...and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was. Whey they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasure, they presented gifts to Him; gold, frankincense, and myrrh." Matthew 2:9-11

A Cute Bunch of Kids

How the Grinch Stole Christmas

The Grinch stole our uniforms.  All we have to wear are our Christmas sweaters.

Are we on the Nice List?

Or are we naughty?

The behavior chart confirms it! Officially on the nice list!

The nice list? Are you sure?

It wasn't my fault! My sister did it!

Oh, Snap!

Go Light Your World

Snow Cute

Getting Ready to see The Grinch

Movie Fun

Relaxing at the Movies

Popcorn!

Playground!

Candy Cane Hunt!

Pizza!

Christmas Tree Brownies for Dessert

Ummmmm

Getting in the Christmas Spirit

Party Time

Enjoying Time with Friends

We Like It!

How the Grinch Stole Christmas is one of my all-time favorite stories.

So when we made plans to see the new Grinch movie at the theater, I wondered how the new version would measure up to the original. I'm happy to say that the new version did not disappoint. In this movie, the Grinch hates the Christmas season because he holds on to anger and resentment over hurts from his past. Holding a grudge keeps him from taking advantage of the kindness and joy available all around him. But in the end of the movie, as in the original, kindness, caring, and forgiveness triumphs.

The Grinch may not be coming to steal Christmas this year, but there are a few other thieves that rob us of joy.

One joy-stealer is Greed. During this time of year, the kids get so excited about all the fun, festivities, gifts, and gadgets that they sometimes slip into a Me-Me-Me, I-Want-I-Want-I-Want mode.

Another thief is Ingratitude. If kids aren't taught to be grateful, they develop a sense of entitlement. They take for granted the gifts and blessings they receive.

 God lavishes us with good gifts, and He wants us to celebrate. Celebrations, decorations, and presents under the tree--they're all good things. But they're not essential. Christmas will still come without the "ribbons and tags, packages, boxes, or bags." God provided the Greatest Gift of all---His Son, who came as an atoning sacrifice for our sins---because we're all on the Naughty List, and we all need a Savior. (Romans 3:23-26)

So we celebrate. We have fun. But we remember the real Reason for the Season. We remember that we love Him because He first loved us. And we remember that we can return His love by keeping His commandment to "love one another." (I John 4:7-12)

If place our emphasis on Jesus, and if we teach our children to care for others and to express gratitude, then nothing can steal our joy at Christmas.

Red and Green

Why a Baby?

It seems peculiar enough that the God of the universe would humble himself to become man, but even more bizarre that He would allow all his divinity to be squeezed into 7 or so pounds of helpless humanity. Why did He come as a baby?

Did He feel frustration as He depended on a young woman to satisfy His hunger pains? Did He feel fragile as He shivered in the cold? Did He feel determination or defeat as He took His first toddling steps, then fell?

I can only guess at why He allowed Himself to go through the birth and growth process.

The Book of Hebrews says, “For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.” Hebrews 4:15

Tempted in all things…

Tempted to kick His annoying younger brothers?

Tempted to talk back to Mary and Joseph when they told Him it was bedtime?

As He grew intellectually and sensed that His brain housed the Mind of God, it must have been frustrating to follow the commandment “Honor your father and your mother.” If middle-schoolers have trouble believing that parents know anything, imagine how hard it must have been for 12-year-old Jesus to submit to mortal parents.

But the Bible says the Boy Jesus DID submit. After spending three days conversing with the teachers in Jerusalem’s temple, Jesus returned home with His parents and did what He was told.

“And He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and He continued in subjection to them...” Luke 2:51

I’ll bet He didn’t even roll His eyes---though maybe the thought crossed His mind.

So we can’t say Jesus doesn’t know what we’re going through. He’s totally been there. He lived to set an example of submission and obedience. He died to pay the penalty for our lack of submission and obedience.

He didn’t experience biological fatherhood while on earth, but He did have twelve students who messed up on a regular basis. Peter was impulsive. He was a big talker, but became cowardly at a crucial moment. (Luke 22:33-34) James and John always wanted to be in first place (Mark 10:37). Thomas had a pessimistic attitude. (John 20:27-28). Judas betrayed Him.

Jesus knows what it’s like to disciple difficult “kids”. But He never gave up on His disciples, and all but one, Judas, went on to become great leaders in God’s kingdom. It should give us comfort to know that Jesus knows firsthand what we’re going through, and it should give us hope that our efforts will not be in vain.

Why a baby? To assure us that, from infancy to death, He’s been through it all, tempted, yet without sin.

“Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receiver mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” Hebrews 4: 16