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The Christ of Christmas
My Christmas devotional of choice for years now has been The Christ of Christmas by my former professor Calvin Miller. Here’s a few of my favorite quotes about advent that stick with me year end & year out.
“You shall not bear such pain alone”
We cannot live without bumps & pains, heartache & desolation, mosquito bites & cancer. The incarnation was God saying, “You shall not bear such pain alone”
“the noblest idea of any world religion”
The Incarnation is the noblest idea of any world religion. God did not watch human despair from the safety of heaven. He clothed Himself in humanity. He ceased watching the human war and became a soldier.
“wrestle with Him or rest in Him”
We basically have two choices to make in dealing with the mysteries of God. We can wrestle with Him or we can rest in Him. We can continue searching the unsearchable or relax in the reality. What exists at the end of all our searching will be a God who knows absolutely everything … and chooses to love us anyway.
#Devo – The Messy Reason for #Christmas
With the Beauty of the Christmas season, don’t forget the MESSY reason that it came about.
Here’s some verses we’ll be sharing around our table on Christmas Eve:
- 1 Timothy 1:15 – “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners…”
- 1 John 3:5 – “Jesus came to take away our sins…”
- Luke 7:34 – “The Son of Man came eating and drinking… a friend of tax collectors and sinners.”
- Luke 19:10 – “the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.”
- Matthew 20:28 – “the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
This Christmas, celebrate the fact that God was willing to enter the world to take on the messiness of our sin that we might know Him & experience His presence.
“Gift of Heaven, Our Savior” #worship
From the top of the Playlist…
VERSE 1:
There’s a song in the air, there’s a star in the sky, hear a mother’s deep prayer, and a baby’s loud cry
For the manger of Bethlehem cradles the King
CHORUS:
Gift of Heaven, our Savior, the word in flesh has come
VERSE 2:
There’s a choir of joy and a marvelous birth, for the virgin’s sweet boy is the Lord of all the Earth
BRIDGE:
This baby boy will be our only victory, on the cross, on the cross
Sweet Jesus you will be our only victory, on the cross, on the cross
This baby boy will be our only victory, on the cross, on the cross
TAG:
You’ve come to save the world
Emily Ward, Aaron Ivey, Caleb Price, Kyle Lent, Jimmie Ingram, Jimmy McNeal, Chris Collins, Justin Cofield.
© 2012 Austin Stone Worship (ASCAP) / 2012 Bird And Minion Music (BMI) / 2012 JCO Music Intl (BMI) (adm. by Austin Stone Music)
From the album A Day of Glory by Austin Stone.
God Is With Us
The Incarnation is the noblest idea of any world religion. God did not watch human despair from the safety of heaven. He clothed Himself in humanity. He ceased watching the human war and became a soldier.
Calvin Miller, in The Christ of Christmas
