Friday, December 13, 2019

Christmas Preparations


“The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord;
A highway for our God.
Every valley shall be exalted
And every mountain and hill brought low;
The crooked places shall be made straight
And the rough places smooth;
The glory of the Lord shall be revealed,
And all flesh shall see it together;
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.’”
     Isaiah 40:3-5 (NKJV)

Christmas plans are in full swing with decorating, baking, gift buying, planning and attending parties, concerts and special church services.  But Scripture speaks of a more important kind of preparation for Christmas.

John the Baptist was called to prepare the way for the Lord, to get the people ready to receive Jesus as their Savior.  That kind of preparation is needed today as well. The hustle and bustle of this season affects just about everyone and yet how many understand the real meaning of Christmas?  How many actually know Jesus as Immanuel, God with us?  

People may avoid the controversy with a non-offending Happy Holidays or Season's Greetings, but the fact is that Jesus is the reason we celebrate Christmas. This past Sunday, our pastor challenged us to ask at least one person during this Christmas season what Jesus means to him or her.  Whatever the response, it is an opportunity to speak of our gracious Savior and the reason for the hope and joy we have at this time and all year long.

We can help prepare the way for the birth of our dear Lord by sharing His light and His love, especially with those who are in darkness.  And pray that their hearts are prepared to receive Him.

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