Christian Reflection and Prayer

(Day 5 of Advent)

Scripture:

Read Psalm 104:24-35.
TEXT: In Him was life (see John 1:4).

Reflection:

One of my favorite Christmas traditions is our Christmas
tree. While every other tree in the wood stands bare and
dead, our pines and spruces still look green and full of life.
But once we cut down one of those trees and bring it into
our house it's only a matter of time before it dries up and
its needles start to fall. Even if we were to leave it in the
ground it would still grow old, turn brown, and die, after
enough years passed.

Every creature on earth is like that. Life is a gift we
receive from God. We require food and drink to sustain
that life, but no matter how hard we try, after enough years
we grow old and frail, and eventually die.

Not so for the Baby in the Christmas manger. John tells
us, "In Him was life"-the immortal life of God Himself.
This separates Him from His creatures. He alone
possesses life as an element of His being. Not a single
one of us creatures can claim this. Not long before
Jesus went to the cross for us He said, "I lay down My
life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from Me,
but I lay it down of My own accord. I have authority to
lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again"
(see John 10:17-18).

That's what makes Christmas such a joyous season:
the mighty, living Word came to restore life to us in the
midst of death and suffering. Through His own death
and resurrection He has conquered death and gives us
life unending.

THE PRAYER:

Thank You for giving me life and sustaining that life in
this world, O God. Receive my praises for Your Son
who laid down His life that I might live eternally with
You. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

(Lutheran Hour Ministries)

Scripture:

Read Colossians 1:11-20.
All things were made through Him, and without
Him was not anything made that was made (John 1:3).

Reflection:

Do you want to give a really special, memorable gift this
Christmas? Don't buy something from the store; make
it yourself. Your time, care and attention will show how
important you consider that person. Of course, it helps
if you have some skill or talent in making things.

John's Christmas account carries us back to the very
beginning of Genesis, to a formless and empty earth.
Over the next six days God goes to work carefully
arranging it. He establishes the regular cycle of night
and day; He separates the dry land from the waters;
He sets the sun, moon and stars in place; He produces
trees and vegetation; He creates all kinds of living
creatures to fill the skies, waters and land. And finally
He forms mankind from the dust of the earth.

And where is the Son of God in all of this? John tells us
He is at the Father's side, making all things through His
powerful Word. Read through Genesis 1 again and see
how many times Moses wrote, "And God said ...." This
is the Word, the Second Person of the Trinity. John tells
us, "All things were made through Him." To eliminate any
misconception he adds, "and without Him was not
anything made that was made."

Everything you can see bears His fingerprint, including
your own body, mind and spirit. Each person, each
creature, each blade of grass owes its existence to the
Word. It was He who humbled Himself on that first
Christmas to become part of His creation and be laid in
a manger-a feeding trough for the animals He had created
long before.

THE PRAYER:

Heavenly Father, truly I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Thank You for providing my needs and watching over my life.
Draw me closer to You in the weeks leading up to this
Christmas. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

(Lutheran Hour Ministries)

(Day 3 of Advent)

Scripture:

Read Psalm 139. In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God, and the Word was
God. He was in the beginning with God (John 1:1-2)

Reflection:

If you didn't buy all your Christmas presents on Black
Friday, you might want to start thinking about what
you're going to put under the tree. Have you ever taken
a short cut and just went out and bought the first thing
you saw? How did it feel sitting around the tree at
Christmas and watching your loved one open that
present, knowing you could have done better? Now is
the time to start thinking about those special people
God has brought into our lives, and what they mean
to us.

The same is true of the Christmas Child. To grasp the
full significance of His birth, we need to think about who
He is. John begins his account of Jesus' birth at the
exact same moment Moses began the Book of Genesis,
"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth."

The Word who would be conceived and born of the Virgin
Mary was right there sharing an intimate, eternal fellowship
and communion with God His Father. But before we can
jump to the false conclusion there must be two Gods, John
immediately sets us straight, "And the Word was God.
" There is only one God, but He exists in three Persons,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Long before Jesus was born a human baby and laid in
Bethlehem's manger, He already existed as the Second
Person of the Holy Trinity. No, Christmas isn't about any
ordinary child. It's about God's one and only Son becoming
one of us. What Christmas gift could be more special than
that?

THE PRAYER:

Holy Father, the Baby born at Christmas was no ordinary
child. He was Your own, eternal Son. Give me faith and
confidence to know He is with me always. In Jesus' Name.
Amen.   

(Lutheran Hour Ministries)