I love Christmas! From the music, to the lights, to the fun parties and gatherings. I love the trees and the lights, the music and the cards. I love Christmas cookies and candies, even if my
hips don't! Most of all I love the reason for the season, my Savior!
Over the years we've developed lots of fun family traditions to make sure we never forget the true reason we celebrate Christmas. We have, from the beginning with our children, always read the Christmas story before opening presents on Christmas morning. It became an important right of passage to be old enough to do the reading. We've always put out lots of nativity scenes around the house and in the kids rooms. They even have their own miniature Christmas trees in their rooms. We've always been purposeful on where the nativity and angel ornaments go on the tree, making sure they are very prominant. We go out of our way to say, "Merry Christmas" to people. We've always put special emphasis on extra giving over the holidays, from giving to angel tree, to operation Christmas child, to World Vision's Christmas gifts. We want to make sure our children grasp that Christmas is about more than gifts and decorations. It's about Jesus.
Since they were little our children have had an advent calendar just about every year to add to the anticipation of Christmas day. Of course their favorite calendars are the ones filled with chocolates. They looked forward to opening the doors and seeing Christmas draw closer and closer. A few years ago, one of my piano students gave us a beautiful, wall-mounted Advent calendar. Each day you open the door and there is an ornament inside to be hung on the knob of each door numbered 1-25. About 3 years ago, my daughter and I began making chocolates together to give as Christmas gifts. Of course, we eat a few along the way! Last year, I decided to integrate the two traditions of our wooden calendar and the hand made chocolates. So, now they open the door and get not only an ornament, but also a chocolate. They loved the idea, but I decided to take it one step further and place a devotional scripture inside the door as well. I scoured my Bible looking for the many places I had marked where Jesus was prophesied. I took that list, put them in order, and placed them on strips of paper inside the doors. To make it all even more meaningful, since they are teenagers now, I had them read from Josh McDowell's book, A Ready Defense. There is a wonderful chapter in the book called "Messianic Prophecies Fulfilled in Jesus." It turned out to be one of the best Christmas devotional times we ever had as a family.
So, this Christmas I'd like to share those scripture readings with everyone. I pray that as you read them each day, your heart will be filled with joy and wonder at how amazing God's plan truly is. How incredible it truly is that our holy, majestic, pure God would choose to send His one and only Son for us. So, celebrate this Christmas! Hang those lights, decorate that tree, give those gifts. But all the while, keep your focus on the One who gave up heaven's glory to become Emmanuel, "God with us." The One who came to die for our sins and rise again to give us hope and a future. Celebrate out Messiah!!
Merry Christmas!
Advent calendar scripture readings
December
1st - Psalm 16:8-11
2nd - Psalm 22:1,7,8,16-18
3rd - Psalm 110:1,4
4th - Psalm 118:21-23
5th - Isaiah 7:14
6th - Isaiah 8:13-15
7th - Isaiah 9:2,6-7
8th - Isaiah 11:1-5,10-12
9th - Isaiah 16:5
10th - Isaiah 28:16
11th - Isaiah 40:3-5
12th - Isaiah 52:13-15
13th - Isaiah 60:1-3
14th - Ezekiel 36:24-29
15th - Hosea 13:14
16th - Micah 5:2-5
17th - Zechariah 2:10-13
18th - Zechariah 9:9
19th - Zechariah 12:10-13:1
20th - Matthew 12:39-40
21st - Isaiah 53
22nd - Malachai 3:1 (John the Baptist)
23rd - Luke 1:26-79
24th - Matthew 1:18-25; 2:1-12
25th - Merry Christmas! - Luke 2:1-20
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