O Come, O Come Emmanuel
O come, o come, Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel That mourns in lowly exile here Until the Son of God appear Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel O come, Thou dayspring, come and cheer, Our spirits by Thine advent here Disperse the gloomy clouds of night, and death’s dark shadows put to flight Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel
Christmas Story (6)
December 25, 2019 • Jo Krueger
A woman named Anna lived at the Temple in Jerusalem. She was very old, and she was a widow. She worshiped God at the Temple by fasting and praying. She was at the Temple when Joseph and Mary came to present baby Jesus to the Lord. When Anna saw Jesus, she praised God. She also talked to people about Jesus and told them that He was the One they had been waiting for. When Jesus was ready to leave earth and return to heaven, He commanded His followers to share the Good News about salvation with everyone. That command is for us today, too. We have the job of telling everyone we meet about salvation through Jesus. When Paul wrote to Timothy, he reminded him about Jesus’ command. Here is what Paul told Timothy in 2 Timothy 4:5. “But you should control yourself at all times. When troubles come, accept them. Do the work of telling the Good News. Do all the duties of a servant of God.” Anna knew that Jesus was God’s Son. What did she do? She told everyone about Jesus. We know that Jesus is God’s Son. So what should we do? We should talk about Jesus and share His plan of salvation. Give someone a Christmas gift today — tell them about Jesus!
Jesus's Birth (3)
January 13, 2019 • Dale Erickson
When Jesus was born, the angel did not tell a king and other important government officials about Jesus’ birth. Instead, the angel told some shepherds who were in the fields watching their sheep. The angel told the shepherds that their Savior had been born. Then a large group of angels came and praised God. Luke 2:16 tells us what the shepherds did after the angels left. “So they went running and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the feeding box.” The shepherds trusted the angel’s words and went immediately to find the baby. What did the shepherds do after they saw baby Jesus? They told other people what they had seen. They also praised God and thanked Him. The shepherds were not important people. They were not rich or famous. But God chose them to be the first people to receive the Good News about Jesus’ birth. This shows us that God loves all people. He loves rich people and poor people. God loves all people, no matter where they come from or the color of their skin. God loves you and wants you to follow His Son, Jesus. Share the Good News about Jesus with someone today.
Christmas Prophecy
December 11, 2018 • Chad Entinger
God used the prophet Micah to make a prophecy telling people EXACTLY where Jesus would be born. And this prophecy was told at least 600 years before Jesus was born. We can read Micah’s prophecy about Jesus’ birthplace in Micah 5:2. “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, are the smallest town in Judah. Your family is almost too small to count, but the ‘Ruler of Israel’ will come from you to rule for me. His beginnings are from ancient times, and from long, long ago.” In Matthew, chapter 2, we learn that this prophecy came true. Jesus was born in the exact town where Micah said he would be born — Bethlehem. Joseph and Mary were from the town of Nazareth. But they had to travel to Bethlehem to register for a census. While they were in Bethlehem, Jesus was born. God is amazing! There are so many cities and towns in the world — almost too many to count. Bethlehem was a small town. It was not like New York City or London. God knew the exact small town where His Son, Jesus, would be born long before it happened. Only the one true God could know what would happen, tell people before it would happen and make it truly happen. Praise God!
Christmas Season
December 1, 2018 • Donna Howard
Today is the 1st day of December. Many people around the world are excited to start celebrating the Christmas season. Our devotion today is about Jesus’ birth. We will learn more about the Christmas story throughout the month of December. We don’t know a lot about Mary’s husband, Joseph. The Bible tells us that he was a good man and worked as a carpenter. The Bible doesn’t tell us how old he was when Jesus was born or when he died. Joseph and Mary were engaged to be married. I wonder how he felt when Mary told him that she was pregnant with God’s Son. He was probably afraid of what other people would think about Mary’s pregnancy. Maybe he wondered if he could be a good earthly father to God’s Son. Matthew 1:20-21 tells us how God encouraged Joseph. “But after Joseph thought about this, an angel from the Lord came to him in a dream. The angel said, ‘Joseph, son of David, don’t be afraid to accept Mary to be your wife. The baby inside her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son. You will name him Jesus. Give him that name because he will save his people from their sins.’” Joseph trusted God to help him be a good husband and a good father. You can trust God today to help you, too!
A Christmas Gift
The folks at Finger Food Cafe - the family place where hearing and Deaf both belong - are getting ready to serve up an exciting and meaningful Christmas show for their patrons during the holidays. Join in the Christmas fun as they go all out to celebrate the Best Christmas Gift of all All... Jesus! Dress rehearsal is going well until a disgruntled Deaf girl named Meghan (Selima Carlin) storms into the cafe pursued by her frustrated and furious hearing father, Jim (Joe Mathis). Meghan has just learned that, instead of spending time with her Deaf friends in Indianapolis, she and her family are all going to Colorado for Christmas vacation! But no one there is Deaf, and she feels left out. Carlo (Francis Casale), Mark and Rebeca (Marshall and Rachel Lawerence) offer some valuable timely advice that results in an unusual and heartwarming Christmas gift.