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MEDITATION:

Written by Kim Endraske, a contemporary author.

Sheep need a good shepherd. They are easy targets for wolves because they are fearful. They are easily led astray because they are quick to follow one another. They are easily encumbered by their thick fleece. Sheep need a good shepherd to show them where to find fresh, safe food, water, and shelter. Sheep need a good shepherd to protect them from stumbling or being harmed by a hungry predator. In Psalm 23, King David wrote about God as His loving shepherd. David himself had been a shepherd, faithfully taking care of his father’s sheep, so David understood well how important a good shepherd was to the life of the sheep. How comforting to know that God Himself guides us, restores us, provides for us, comforts us and walks with us every single day like the very best shepherd! God, our good shepherd, promises that we will one day dwell with Him in His eternal home when we place our trust in His Only Son, Jesus Christ. Isaiah, too, described God as a shepherd, caring for His flock, gathering His lambs into His arms, carrying them close to Him and carefully leading those who are with young. Our Father is almighty, but He is also tender. God rules with everlasting power and love. As David and Isaiah described God our Father as the good shepherd, they were also pointing toward the son of God, Jesus, Emmanuel, God with us, who would one day be born as a baby in Bethlehem. Jesus, too, is our good shepherd. Jesus Himself laid down His own life for His sheep. Jesus knows how helpless we are. Jesus knows how easily we go astray. Jesus knows that we need a shepherd to guide us, restore us, provide for us and walk with us. Jesus is our good shepherd. He came to give us eternal life. No one can snatch us out of His hand. Jesus will care for you with his mighty, loving hand. We can trust Him.  Today is a perfect day to thank God for sending us our shepherd, Jesus, to guide us and care for us. Remember … Christmas is all about Jesus! 

SCRIPTURE: Luke 2:8

MUSIC VIDEO: While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks by Night

Performed by Cambridge Choir Of St. John’s College

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MEDITATION:

Written by Laura Metzger

For as long as I can remember, I have had the same nativity scene on my Christmas tree. It was on my parent’s tree for as far back as I can remember, and it has had a special place on our family tree since we were married.  It’s a humble nativity from the 1950s…made of cardboard, with pretty, ceramic figures adoring the Christ child, and with glitter adorning the roof. If positioned just right, a light will shine through the star at the front of the stable. I remember a few of the ornaments that were traditions in our family – a small string of gold paper stars my grandmother made, some ornaments some crafty friends of my mother’s handmade (and are still on my tree today), some pretty glass ornaments I remember always being told to be careful with when we were decorating the tree, a few decorations I received as a child, and this nativity scene. Today the nativity is always put front and center, on our tree. It brings back so many memories of Christmases past, and hope for Christmases to come. It reflects what Christmas is about – God with us in a world where we desperately need him! 

SCRIPTURE: Psalm 24:1-10

MUSIC VIDEO: Away in a Manger

Performed by Paul Wickham

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MEDITATION:

Written by Max Lucado, a contemporary pastor and author.

Christmas bespeaks of the nativity. And nativity gives occasion to nativity plays…Though each has its own unique wrinkle, they all have some common features: angels with chiffon wings, wise men, and their gifts from afar. A weary innkeeper will turn Mary away. A wide-eyed Joseph will bunch the manger’s hay. And Mary, weary and sweet will say, “I think today.” Beneath a suspended star a baby will be born, the angels will sing, the wise men will kneel, and children of all ages will go home telling their parents that next year they want a part in the nativity play. Little boys want to be Joseph. Little girls want to be Mary. Some want to wear the angel wings or bear gifts from a distant land. A few might even offer to be the hard-hearted Herod or the hassled innkeeper. But no one, ever, as far as I know, volunteers to be the donkey. Which is odd, for what greater honor could exist than to do what the donkey did? He carried Jesus. I know, Joseph is better looking, and Mary is quite stunning. Wise men get the cool hats and angels have the halos. And the donkey? He just stands to the side and chews on hay. But look at him. Do you not see contentment in those big, brown eyes? A look of satisfaction on his face? He just delivered history’s greatest gift! Before Santa had a sleigh or UPS had trucks, God had a donkey. Thanks, in no small part, to him, the choir can sing “For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given.” … I’m thinking a donkey at Christmas is a good thing to be. The Christmas donkey did his work. He delivered Jesus so Jesus could be delivered. He plodded. He didn’t gallop or giddy-up. He did what donkeys do. He steadily stepped in the direction the master directed. And, upon arrival, he stepped to the side. He demanded no recognition, expected no compensation. He isn’t even mentioned in the Bible. He was happy to do his job and let Jesus have all the attention. Perhaps we could learn a lesson from the Christmas donkey? There is always a place in the nativity, God’s nativity story, for the person who will plod along expecting no applause, bear up under the weight of the long haul, and carry the One who will carry us all. So, here’s to the donkeys of the story. May your ride be faithful, and your rest be fruitful. And we will do our best to follow your example.

SCRIPTURE: Luke 2:1-5

MUSIC VIDEO: Little Donkey

Performed by The Gunter Kallmann Choir

If using an advent wreath, light the first two purple candles and the third rose-colored candle. This candle symbolizes joy and is called the Shepherd’s Candle. To the shepherd’s great joy, the angels announced that Jesus came for humble, unimportant people like them, too. In liturgy, the color rose signifies joy.

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MEDITATION:

Written by Lisa Appelo, a contemporary author. This is an excerpt from her book “Countdown to Christmas.”

Do you have any stumps from old trees in your yard? Our yard is full of towering oak trees and every now and again, we have a tree surgeon come out to trim up dead branches and cut down any old, weak trees. Last year, one of our granddaddy oak trees was cut down to a stump. Do you know what happened a few weeks later? New green shoots started growing right out of that old stump. That’s the picture the prophet Isaiah uses. Isaiah prophesied about 700 years before Jesus was ever born and foretold that a new shoot would come from Jesse. To understand Isaiah’s prophecy about stumps and shoots we first need to know a little about Jesus’ family tree.

Jesus descended from King David, the great king who reigned over Israel. In fact, both Mary and Joseph were in the line of King David. King David’s father was named Jesse. For several hundreds of years, one of King David’s royal descendants sat on the throne of Israel, and then Judah. But the last Davidic king was taken prisoner by the Babylonians and his sons were killed. Israel then went through a series of foreign rulers like the Babylonians and Persians, and Romans, and King David’s royal line looked dead – like an old, rotting stump. But out of what looked like a dead royal line, God brought a new shoot. This shoot was the Messiah, Jesus, who would be a new king. He didn’t rule like King David did. Jesus didn’t have a palace or throne or royal robes on earth. Jesus’ kingdom is a heavenly kingdom, and He left all the glory of a king to come to earth as a baby. Add a palm tree or plant to your nativity scene to represent the shoot that came from the stump of Jesse.

SCRIPTURE: Isaiah 11:1-10

MUSIC VIDEO: Lo! How a Rose E’er Blooming

Performed by Frederica von Stade

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MEDITATION:

Written by Nancy Ruth, a contemporary children’s minister and author.

The story of the little drummer boy is not in the Bible, but this fictional story points to an important truth. It tells the story of a young boy who was invited to go see the newborn King, Jesus. He worries that he is poor and has nothing to bring this special child as a gift. When the little drummer boy gets to the stable and sees the baby and the mother, Mary, the young boy asks if he can play them a song on his drum. What a special moment it would have been if a poor little drummer boy actually had a chance to play his drum for the King of kings and His earthy parents. Can you imagine what that would feel like? If you read the descriptions of Jesus’ actual birth, there is no little drummer boy. Still, the Bible does say that God doesn’t want or need fancy gifts. All He wants is your heart. When we give God our heart, we turn away from our sin (doing wrong things and not doing the right things). We tell God we are sorry and mean it. We ask God to help us not sin anymore…We believe that He is who the Bible says He is. We trust that He will save us from the punishment of our sin. You also trust God to know what is best for you. Since Jesus is the King of kings, died and came to life again for you, choose to love Him, trust Him, and obey Him for the rest of your life. At Christmas, we give gifts to each other. The first Christmas, God gave us the greatest gift ever–Jesus Christ. All He wants in return is your heart. He wants you to love and trust Him with all that you are. Have you done that? Would you like to do that? There is no better time than today.

SCRIPTURE: Romans 10:1-27

MUSIC VIDEO: Little Drummer Boy

Performed by For King and Country

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MEDITATION:

Written by Twyla Arant

One of my favorite Advent activities is unwrapping and setting out my Nativities.  The weekend of Thanksgiving (usually ending with the first Sunday of Advent) is when the decorating begins, and the Nativity sets all need a special place. I have several sets collected over the years, including an outdoor set which saw its last display in 2020. After about 20 years, it simply fell apart. I hated to lose it, but it was a reminder that while things may be with us no longer, the memories remain.

My strongest memory of a Christmas Nativity is one I have had in my possession well over 20 years, and which I have never known Christmas without. It is made of what I call fabric mâché, with great big eyes on the faces, and nice color in the clothing. My parents acquired it their first Christmas, shortly before I was born. It sat on our living room coffee table every year, and for as long as I can remember, I would sit and look at all the details: the folds in Mary’s clothing, the hay beneath Baby Jesus, the staff in Joseph’s hand. No animals, no angel, no Wise Men. Just Jesus, His mother, and His earthly father. The basics of The Story. 

SCRIPTURE: Isaiah 40:3-5

MUSIC VIDEO: Somewhere in My Memory

Written by John Williams and performed by the Twilite Orchestra in Jakarta, Indonesia

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MEDITATION:

Written by John Piper, a contemporary pastor, theologian, and author.

Christmas is about the coming of Christ into the world. It’s about the Son of God, who existed eternally with the Father as “the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature,” taking on human nature and becoming man (Heb. 1:3). It’s about the virgin birth of a child conceived miraculously by the Holy Spirit so that he is the Son of God, not the way you and I are sons of God, but in an utterly unique way (Luke 1:35). It’s about the coming of a man named Jesus in whom “the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily” (Col. 2:9). It’s about the coming of the “fullness of time” that had been prophesied by the prophets of old that a ruler would be born in Bethlehem (Mic. 5:2); and a child would be born called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace (Isa. 9:6); and a Messiah, an anointed one, a shoot from the stem of Jesse, a Son of David, a King, would come (Isa. 11:1–4; Zech. 9:9). And, according to Mark 10:45, Christmas is about the coming of the Son of Man who “came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” These words in Mark 10:45, as a brief expression of Christmas, are what I hope God will fix in your mind and heart this Advent. Open your heart to receive the best present imaginable: Jesus giving himself to die for you and to serve you all the rest of eternity. Receive this. Turn away from self-help and sin. Become like little children. Trust him. Trust him. Trust him with your life.

SCRIPTURE: Isaiah 9:1-7

MUSIC VIDEO: Son of God

Written by Paul Cardell and Performed by Patrice Tipoki

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MEDITATION:

Written by Kelly Deehan, a contemporary theology student and author.

Take a moment to visualize the Nativity scene that was in your home as a child. Try to see it through your childhood eyes once again. What do you see? Do you remember that sense of wonder as you look at that familiar figurine of baby Jesus in the manger? I have many early memories of being in awe of my family’s Nativity scene. My mom would make sure it was the first decoration to be set up. Before the adorable Christmas village came out of the attic, the little rundown stable needed to be put in its rightful place. I loved that little stable and often imagined what all the sheep and cows were saying to each other when Jesus arrived. In a season full of lights and color and sparkle, we may notice that we still stop to gaze at the Nativity scene, which sometimes lacks the aesthetic appeal that Christmas has become known for. And yet we are still drawn in. As children we already could sense it. This is different. This is sacred. This is the beginning of the greatest love story. We understood the gravity of the Incarnation long before we could define it. In contemplating Jesus’ Nativity, Dorothy Day wrote, “I’m so glad Jesus was born in a stable. Because my soul is so much like a stable. It’s poor and in unsatisfactory condition—yet I believe that if Jesus can be born in a stable, maybe he can also be born in me.” This Advent, we are invited to prepare ourselves to be the manger. Like its rough wood, we are insufficient to welcome the Savior into this world. But Jesus loves us in our smallness and in our simplicity. While our human hearts may not be fit for a king, we can still eagerly await his coming and offer all we are. As you set up your Nativity scene this year, or as you contemplate other crèches throughout this season, allow yourself to see with eyes of childhood wonder.

SCRIPTURE: Luke 7:16

MUSIC VIDEO: Joy to the World

Performed by The Cedarmont Kids

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MEDITATION:

Written by Ricky Chelette, a contemporary pastor, teacher, author, and executive director of Living Hope Ministries.

Not much is written about his life. Most scholars treat him as a minor character in the most amazing drama in history – the birth of Jesus. Church pageants portray him as a dutiful helper to Mary, with few if any lines, but not much more. He was a good man, and he had a heart that was sensitive to the things of God. We know him as Joseph, the earthly father of the Son of God. Ponder the significance of that eight-word description. Let it linger for a moment. Can you imagine the weight of such an assignment? Most fathers feel ill-equipped to raise a child, but to raise the Son of God was a task no one could have even anticipated! However, Joseph was up for the task. Like many men in a new experience, Joseph rose to the occasion. His response, fortified by his faith in God, gives insight and direction for us all.

Joseph was a just and kind man who honored women. Joseph had every right to put Mary away, to disgrace her publicly, and even to have her stoned. After all, Mary’s guilt was ostensibly apparent given that no one had ever become pregnant without a sexual relationship. Yet, Joseph’s concern for Mary and her future showed his heart of compassion and love. Joseph also believed and obeyed God. Despite what was seemingly impossible, Joseph trusted the words of the angel of the Lord and, by faith, obeyed… Joseph was a faithful father who loved his son. A rhythm of faith permeated the life of Joseph and his family. Notice that “every year” and “according to custom,” Joseph consistently led his family to spiritually engage with God. His willingness to leave his business, travel to another city, and participate in the Feast of Passover further attests to the priority Joseph placed on the spiritual growth of his family.

As the pageants are delivered and the applause is given this Christmas season, few will notice the steady and faithful father Joseph, but Jesus did. Jesus was shaped in his earthly manhood by his earthly father just as we are. He learned a skill and a craft from hours at the feet of Joseph. He saw faith and sacrifice lived out through a simple, faithful builder, who loved God and loved Him. Not everyone lives in the spotlight or has the starring role in the drama, but we each play a significant role in God’s cosmic saga of redemption, just like Joseph. Today you may feel unnoticed, unseen, or even forgotten, yet God knows and sees you. There are no bit parts in His story.  Your life matters and others are observing you to see if you reflect the faith, you say you believe, and the God whose name you claim.  Live carefully and faithfully. You might be an unsung hero!

SCRIPTURE: Matthew 1:18-25

MUSIC VIDEO: Joseph’s Lullaby

Performed by Mercy Me

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MEDITATION:

Written by Bill Gaultiere, a contemporary psychologist, spiritual director, and author.

For two thousand years, Mary’s Magnificat has been a source of daily prayer for Christ-followers who use The Liturgy of the Hours. She exclaimed these words upon hearing her older cousin Elizabeth confirm that she was indeed carrying Christ the Lord in her womb! We seem to have the idea that when Mary sang the Magnificat it was as if the clouds parted, and a divine light beamed into her body, and she burst forth singing with the assistance of a choir of angels! Probably it was more than a moment of sudden inspiration from God. It’s likely that Mary’s song was informed by her readings of the Old Testament and her conversations with family and friends about the coming of the Messiah. For instance, we know that Mary prayed and discussed the great prayer of Hannah in the Old Testament and that Mary’s song has similarities to Hannah’s prayer (1 Samuel 2:1-10). We also know that Mary was a woman who “treasured and pondered in her heart” the things that God showed her (Luke 2:19). Probably she prayed or sang her Magnificat many times throughout her life, perhaps even before her visit with Elizabeth, but especially in the days and years afterward. That makes sense because she certainly needed the blessed words of life that God gave her! For a long time, no one but Joseph believed her story that she was pregnant by a miracle of the Holy Spirit — she was branded with the Scarlet A! Like Jesus, all of her life she lived with the slanderous accusations that were spoken against her (John 9:29). Imagine Mary walking to the village well to get water and people frowning at her and whispering about her. If she looked to them for acceptance, she’d feel embarrassed and insecure, but instead she smiles and quietly hums the words of the glorious song that God gave her! “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord… All generations will call me blessed: the Almighty has done great things for me…” (Luke 1:46-47). Mary experienced many other trials in her life, like poverty, fleeing to Egypt when Herod wanted to kill baby Jesus, losing her husband at young age, and raising a family without him, and the sword that pierced her heart when her son was scourged and crucified (Luke 2:35). I can imagine Mary praying and singing the Magnificat to help her see with eyes of faith beyond her circumstances and into the spiritual reality of the Kingdom of God where she was indeed blessed, and the strong arm of the Lord Almighty was doing great things for her and through her to others! This is a picture of Mary that I can relate to in the trials that I face. I can practice seeing the unseen Kingdom of God in my midst and putting my trust in the risen Christ who is there with me.

SCRIPTURE: Luke 1:46-55

MUSIC VIDEO: Magnificat Gregoriano

Performed by Harpa Dei

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