The Preparation for a Savior

Scripture Reading

Isaiah 11:1-10

Psalm 72

Matthew 3:1-12

Think of a time when you have been exited to share good news with someone.
What made that message so special?
What made it special for the person(s) you were sharing it with?

Devotional Thought

Think for a moment of all the preparation that goes into the Christmas season: meals to plan, food to purchase and prepare, travel plans to coordinate, wish-lists to be created, gifts to purchase, cookies to be made and eaten, decorations to be setup, etc. This time of the month is in full swing preparation mode!

What Jesus was going to mean to the world is beyond what we can fully comprehend. There were some who would see Jesus only as a miracle worker. Others would only see him as a political zealot. But there would be those who would see Him as He was, the Savior of mankind.

It is an exciting time of year to prepare our homes for friends and family. There is nothing more special then the time of togetherness that this time of year offers us. But let us not forget to prepare our hearts in celebration of the Savior who came to us so long ago to fulfill His promise of salvation for mankind!

Reflection

Think about the responsibility that John the Baptist had. What made his role so important? Why do you think he was so passionate about the coming of Jesus?

What are you passionate about? Why?

What is something that God wants you to be passionate about for His cause?

Respond in Action

How can you share Christ with someone this Advent season? Choose at least one individual that you have a relationship with that you can share Christ with.

Pray that during this Advent season God will give you both opportunity and courage to share the hope of Advent with that individual.

Songs of the Advent (Click HERE to listen)

Silent Night

O Holy Night

God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen

Activity

As a family, couple, small group, or individual purchase a gift(s) this week to donate to a local homeless shelter, local church ministry, Salvation Army, or Goodwill. Make sure to attach a note about the true message each of us should reflect on this Advent season.

One of the things my wife, Marcie, and I have been doing since the arrival of our first son was to begin some Advent traditions.

Something Marcie did was take a string and attach snowflake cards with something special written on it to do each day leading up to Christmas. It would be from anything such as going out for a donut and chocolate milk with Daddy, baking cookies for a neighbor, to buying a small gift to donate. It was a variety of things that were both giving and receiving.

The Christ focus came as we reflected on why we get to do these special things. It is so important to be excited about the preparation for the celebration of the coming Christ child. And this is one way we have been able to create a set of events to give a platform to talk about Christ with our kids.

It is so fun to do Christmasy things, but make sure the Christ connection is always there!

Here is a similar activity that you might be able to use for your family!

Click HERE for a fun family activity!

Praying for a meaningful Advent season this year!

Pastor Josh

Looking for more? Check out my Advent: Week 1 post!