The Adventures of Christmas Sample
December 19th
What does Santa typically give people who are on the naughty list? Coal. I see you have been on that list. But there’s something even worse than coal; it’s final exams right before Christmas break. I think the only thing worse would be exams right after Christmas like they do in England.
In the spirit of final exams, we are going to take a little pop quiz to see how much we know about “Christmas.”
What was the highest grossing Christmas movie of all time?
The answer is not Die Hard; it’s Home Alone.
In the song, what was Frosty the Snowman’s nose made from?
It’s not a carrot; it’s a button.
How do you say, “Merry Christmas” in Spanish? Feliz Navidad.
Most people know a lot about pop cultural Christmas, but we have to fight to keep Jesus at the center of the holidays.
For most of the people surrounding Bethlehem, they did not understand the significance of what just happened. Unlike the Magi and the shepherds, they didn’t know the King of Kings was just born or that the baby crying was the Lion of Judah. They had no idea the carpenter’s son was the Alpha and Omega… the baby lying in the manger was the One who made all of the molecules to make that manger possible.
For 99% of the planet, the day went unnoticed. It’s not like people woke up on December 26th and decided, “You know? Every day before this day should now be known as BC.” It’s so easy to miss out on the miracles of God, to not recognize what he is actively doing. Let’s pray that God gives us the heart of the Magi; that we actively look for what He is up to rather than be like the people of Bethlehem who slept through one of life’s greatest miracles.
Plan a night to have some friends over and do a cookie swap. Put on some Christmas music, and see if God opens up any opportunities to talk about Jesus or to help your friends, family or neighbors to put Christ back in Christmas.
Scripture
About this Plan
The true intention behind Advent was a way of preparing one’s heart for Christmas. It was a way to create a posture like Simeon: “Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him” (Luke 2:25). This devotional by Dan Stanford is designed to help us do that.
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