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Winter Solstice/Longest Night December 21: Read John 11:17-44 NLT For many people Advent and the Christmas season are not times of happiness and joy, but a time of grieving and a sense of loss. Especially for those who have lost a loved one since the last Advent season. I have lost both of my parents, and the first few Christmases after their deaths were mixtures of joy and sadness. Because of faith, God will lead us through this sadness with his great love for us. Christmas is a celebration of the coming of the one who will be our sacrifice for sins and who will conquer death for…

December 20: Read Luke 2:21-38 NIV The gospel of Luke mentions two people who have been on a very long journey of waiting for the Messiah to come. Both Simeon and Anna encounter our baby Messiah at the temple. As was custom, Mary and Joseph travel to Jerusalem to give an offering for Jesus’ birth and for ritual cleansing of Mary after childbirth. Led by the Holy Spirit, Simeon is moved to be at the temple when they come. It is highly likely that Simeon is a priest, though scripture doesn’t name him as such, but he performs the rituals of sacrificing the offerings Mary and Joseph bring.…

December 19: Read Hosea 12:6 NIV When I was little, we had these beautiful reindeer ornaments we put on our tree every year. Each reindeer had a name of Santa’s famous reindeer who led him on his Christmas Eve adventures across the land to deliver gifts to children. Those ornaments were my favorite ones on the tree. As we got closer to Christmas Eve, I would move them from the bottom of the tree up closer and closer to the top, signifying they were getting closer and closer to taking off and bringing Santa on his journey to my house…with gifts! It was the anticipation of Christmas Day…

December 18: Read Matthew 2:10-12 NLT The Magi’s gifts have been much discussed over the years. Gold, frankincense, and myrrh were costly items. Bible scholars have concluded that the gifts represent Jesus. Gold is a gift for a king, frankincense was commonly a gift for a god or deity, and myrrh was a spice to anoint and/or prepare a body for burial. The Magi’s gifts should make us question what gift(s) we bring to Christ, our King. Of the many beloved Christmas hymns, “In the Bleak Midwinter” includes one of the most moving and challenging verses: What can I give him, poor as I am?If I were a…

December 17: Read Matthew 2:1-12; Isaiah 60:3-9; Psalm 72:10-11 NIV The Gospel of Matthew tells us that the Magi “come from the East,” following a star to bring gifts to the Messiah. But who are these Magi, and why do they want to see the Jewish Messiah? Magi or Wise Men is a vague term our author uses because there is little to be known about these men. Magi in Greek means “one of a learned and priestly class,” but that doesn’t tell us if it was a Jewish priestly class or another god’s priests. They most likely were some type of astrologists of the time who studied…

December 16: Read Matthew 2:1-12 NLT “When you wish upon a star…”; “Star light, star bright…”. Through songs, poems, or star-watching, stars have always fascinated us. The star that guided the Magi was certainly one of the ‘stars’ of the Christmas narrative. What was this star? Some believe it was a comet, others think it was a convergence in the sky of two stars whose lights combined even though they were far apart in the sky. Still others believe it was a special star that God created for that special occasion. Regardless of the star’s origin, the Magi understood its importance and followed it to find Jesus so…

December 15: Read Matthew 2:1-2 NLT The star is a main character in the Christmas narrative as a representative of the guiding light of Christ. Many Christmas trees are adorned at the top by a star to remind us of the first star. Lights on a tree are also a key element to decorating the tree. These elements of light remind us of the light of the world that came down that Christmas day. It is a tradition to sing Silent Night at Christmas Eve or Christmas Day services. At the appointed place in the song the attendees raise a lighted candle in an otherwise dark place of…

December 14: Read Luke 2:6-18 ESV Yesterday, we explored the idea that the shepherds could have been special Levitical Shepherds. Today, we look at the traditional theory that these shepherds, to whom the angels announced the birth of Christ, are lowly shepherds. What would be the difference?  During the times of the Patriarchs, shepherding was a noble occupation that had the potential to create great wealth. Over time, the status of shepherding dropped, and by the time of Jesus, it was no longer a noble job but found to be one of the lowliest trades. In fact, they were officially labeled “sinners.” If, in fact, these shepherds are…

December 13: Read Luke 2:6-18 ESV Did you know that there are 2 theories about the shepherds that are visited by the angels and visit Baby Jesus? Over the next two days we are going to look at both theories and what either can tell us about the journey and about the Messiah. Let’s start with the Levitical Shepherds. According to Jewish law and tradition, it was forbidden to keep sheep so close to a town unless they were special sheep. If these are special sheep, then they need to be shepherded by special shepherds—Levitical shepherds—who tend the flock used for sacrifices in the temple in Jerusalem. This…

December 12: ReadLuke 2:7 NIV There is much debate about the inn or lack of an inn where Jesus was born. As we talked about yesterday, this detail of an inn is only very briefly mentioned in the birth narrative. Even our Innkeeper is never mentioned directly. So, where could Jesus have been born? Believe it or not, there is much debate about the inn because it could have been a variety of things. Since our author gives us so little detail, we are left to speculate on where exactly Jesus was born. Many homes during Jesus’ time were two stories, with the bottom used more like a…