The Burning Question:
When do you decorate for Christmas?
Morning Devotional:
I could certainly relate with the words that started off her devotional.
“‘Tis the season to be merry… and stressed!”
The Christmas season is my favorite, but along with all the Christmas carols and the gift giving and the visits with family and friends, there are also things that leave me as wound up as a messy ball of Christmas lights. Irritability, conflict, unmet expectations, loneliness, depression, it can all distract me from the reason for the season and take a toll on my emotions. Perhaps it does with you as well.
That’s why I believe each of us has a crucial decision to make this time of year. We can choose to get bogged down in the melee and mess, or we can pause and bow down to the Lord in worship.
Imagine the setting in the days leading up to Jesus’ birth. The nation’s politics were a mess. Bethlehem and the surrounding communities were overcrowded and in chaos. Joseph and Mary? Her labor is imminent and he was seeking emergency housing. Shepherds were in the fields working the late shift. But for one glorious moment in Luke chapter two, angels serve as our role models for worship as they joined together as a multitude to rejoice at the news of Christ’s birth. “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men.”
Keeping Christ in Christmas is an intentional act of worship on our part. There are a lot of distractions and a lot of choices to be made during this season. Let’s make worship the first and most important one.
– Beth
Bible Quiz:
Question: Who took off in his chariot when his person in charge of tribute was stoned by the people?
Answer: Rehoboam (1 Kings 12:18)
Storytime: Korban Can’t Snap!