Saturday, December 6, 2014

ADVENT: Reclaiming Christmas -- Day 7

Advent:  Day 7:  “Preparing the Way for an Authentic Christmas Day Celebration”

Scripture:  “And he will turn many of the sons of Israel back to the LORD their GOD.  It is he who will go as a forerunner before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, ‘To turn the hearts of the fathers back to the children,’ and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous, so as to make ready a people prepared for the LORD” (Luke 1:16-17).

I love advent because it is a daily reminder of the true significance of our Christmas celebration.  When a friend recently was preaching a recent Thanksgiving sermon he made the comment that our culture has totally bypassed Thanksgiving and immediately we start focusing on Christmas.  But our focus, even for believers, is normally on the commercial aspects and not the true significance of it. 

I’m convinced the reason for that is because we do not fully comprehend the depths of our depravity.

We truly become deeply grateful when we fully recognize the depths from which GOD has redeemed us.  Apart from Christ JESUS we are all truly wicked and evil.  Left to ourselves we are capable of anything.  But because of GOD’s redemptive work born on Christmas Day but conceived from the foundations of the creation itself, we have become children of GOD . . . new creatures in Christ.

Thanksgiving and Christmas will not have a life-changing impact until we realize how desperately we need a Savior and how GOD has given us what we need most.

Throughout this Advent season, every day, be a forerunner like John the Baptist; build excitement and great anticipation about the coming birth of JESUS our Savior on Christmas Day with your immediate family, with your extended family, with your believing friends, and with those you know who are not a part of the family of GOD.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Richard

No comments:

Post a Comment