Christian Reflection and Prayer

By Rev. Wayne Palmer

Read Luke 2:11-12

TEXT: "Unto you is born this day in the city
of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord."

I remember being devastated one year when
mom and dad took down our Christmas tree
early. They said it had gotten too dry, but I
never saw any danger. Years later our youth
group had a Christmas tree bonfire. In seconds
the tree exploded into flames, lighting up the
entire field. We all were forced to step back
from the intense heat. In that moment I realized
what great danger we had been in, and how
mom and dad had saved us.

If the shepherds were anything like most people,
they felt no danger sitting out in the fields that
Christmas night. Then in an instant the angel
appeared, and the glory of the Lord shone around
them. In that horrifying moment they saw the
darkness of their sinful lives in the holy light of
God, and they were gripped with terror of His wrath.

Each of us will experience that moment someday-
either at our death or at Christ's return. We will be
immersed in the bright light of God's glory, as we
stand before Him for judgment. God will not weigh
out your good deeds versus your bad deeds, or
compare you to other people. Instead, He will look
deep into your thoughts, desires and attitudes. If
you committed one sin, one single wrongdoing at
any time during your life, you will stand condemned.

But that is why Jesus came as our Savior. He took
every sin to the cross, where He suffered God's fiery
wrath in our place. When we trust Jesus as our Savior,
all our sins are taken away, and we can be confident
we will be able to stand spotless before His judgment
seat.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, thank You for taking my place and
suffering for my sins. Guide me to show others why
they need Your salvation too. Amen.

(Lutheran Hour Ministries)

By Rev. Wayne Palmer

Read Luke 2:10

TEXT: "And the angel said to them, 'Fear not,
for behold, I bring you good news of great joy.'"



The days before Christmas were anxious times
of worry for me. What if I ended up with a stocking
full of coal? And of course there was always the
dreaded children's Christmas program! But the
days after Christmas were simply glorious: playing
with our Christmas toys, listening to Christmas
music, eating Christmas cookies. Life was good!

When the shepherds first saw the brightness of the
angel, and the surpassing brightness of God's own
glory, they were gripped with fear. But as the angel
announced the birth of God's Son, their great fear
gave way to greater joy. Life was good!

Life was really good for our first parents Adam and
Eve. God created them perfect and good. They knew
God loved them, and they knew they could depend
on Him to faithfully provide all their needs. Fear didn't
enter the picture until they disobeyed His command
and ate the forbidden fruit. At that moment, their
perfect knowledge of God was replaced with fear and
dread of His wrath and punishment.

We still live under that fear too. It's a fear that comes
from not knowing God perfectly or trusting Him
completely. When times are bad, when troubles come
upon us we find it difficult to lean completely in His
hands. But that's why Jesus came, to take our guilt
upon Himself and pay the penalty for our sins, in His
suffering and death on the cross. With all sins removed
and death completely conquered in Jesus' death and
resurrection, there is nothing left to fear. Life is good
indeed!


Prayer:

Heavenly Father, we rejoice that You sent Your Son to
remove our fear by taking upon Himself the punishment
we deserve. Let the peace of Christ rule in our hearts
forever. In Jesus' name, Amen.

(Lutheran Hour Ministries)

Scripture:.
The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for
all the things they had heard and seen, which were just
as they had been told. -Luke 2:20

At the birth of Jesus, amidst the dirt and straw of a stable,
millennia of promises, prophecies, and hopes were fulfilled.
In the birth of a child, something that happens every single
day all over the world, something happened that would
change the world. Everything the faithful were anticipating
took shape. It was the alignment of all that was meant to
be. But the birth of Jesus has that power and significance
only if he really is who he said he was.

The shepherds heard, they saw, and it was all just as they
had been told. In a perfect conjunction of heaven and earth,
God came to earth, connecting the two for his eternal
purposes. Years later, Jesus would tell us in so many
different ways, “I have come into the world as a light”
(John 12:46); “I have come that they may have life and have
it to the full” (John 10:10); “For this reason I was born and
for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth,”
(John 18:37).

So…

When we are sensing the dirtiness of life in this world, we
can focus on the purity of Christ.

When we feel weak, we can lean on the power of Christ.

When we are ill, we can remember that he is the great
physician.

When we are confused, we can turn to his words to get
our bearings.

When we are damaged, we can remember that he said
that he would not break a bruised reed nor snuff out a
smoldering wick.

When we know we have sinned, we can know his
forgiveness.

When we are wayward, we can remember he called
himself “the way.”

When we have been lied to, we can remember he
called himself “the truth.”

When we feel like our energy and our enthusiasm is
waning, we can remember that he called himself “the life.”

And so, we can pray:

Thank you Lord Christ for humbling yourself and taking
the form of man. Thank you for pushing back the darkness
of this world and of my life. Thank you for fully living before
us so that we can see just how much life we can have. Let
me live for the next 52 weeks in the light of your ongoing
presence and power in this world. And then let me celebrate
Christmas again—with joy.

(Mel Lawrenz)