Christmas is only two days away, and my girls are excited. I've been doing my best to keep them both busy this week. We've had playdates and parties and hockey clinics, so they haven't really had a whole lot of time to get antsy for Christmas.
Kids anticipate Christmas better than any of us. They get excited about the day long before it gets here. When it finally arrives, no one is more excited than a young child, waking on Christmas morning and rushing to see what gifts are under the tree.
Christmas is exciting, not just because there are gifts to be opened and good food to eat. On a dark, Christmas eve night more than 2,000 years ago, a couple of shepherds rushed to see a gift in a stable. They were the first outside His family to see Jesus. They were the first to hear the good news of His birth.
As we approach Christmas (just two more days), we want to be as excited as a young child and as awed as the shepherds. It's easy to let the gift of Jesus become routine. Going to church on Christmas Eve can become rote. Talking about Jesus' birth can become an afterthought. We can miss the joy and wonder without realizing it.
As you celebrate Christmas on Sunday, make it a point to slow down, to look around and to see Jesus. As big as we've made Christmas, it's easy to miss that Christmas is a personal holiday. Jesus came to save each one of us. He loves us enough to die for us. He loves you enough to die for you.
When you hear the good news of Jesus' birth, let your heart be filled with wonder. Take time to talk with your kids about how amazing it is that Jesus became a man because He loves us. Use this simple illustration:
Give your child a crown or a tiara. Ask him what the crown or tiara signifies. Talk about what it means to be a king. Talk about all the perks and trappings that come with being royalty. Ask your kids if they think it would be hard to give all of that up. Explain that Jesus was more powerful than any king -- He is God. Yet he took off His crown and came to earth as a baby so He could die for our sins and create a path for us to be near God. Explain that that is what we celebrate on Christmas.
Jesus willingly gave up His rightful place at God's side to come to us. He came as a baby, the most helpless of creatures. He depended on a mom and dad to help Him grow. He learned a trade. He spent three years ministering to others. Then He made the ultimate sacrifice in dying on the cross. But He didn't stay dead. He defeated death and created a way for us to have a relationship with God.
When Isaiah said "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace" (Isaiah 9:6), he was giving us a glimpse of all that Jesus would be and do.
As you celebrate Christmas this weekend, remember that while Jesus came to save the world, He also came to save you.
Merry Christmas!
Showing posts with label Isaiah 9:6. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Isaiah 9:6. Show all posts
Friday, December 23, 2011
Monday, December 12, 2011
Memory Monday: Getting What We Need (Isaiah 9:6)
My 10-year-old daughter went to a birthday party this weekend, and she was the only girl there without a cell phone. She really wants a phone for Christmas.
I feel for my daughter. I know it can't be easy being the only one without a phone. Nearly every child in her class has one. But she's not getting a phone for Christmas.
While clearly the majority of the world doesn't agree with us, we don't see any reason for our 10-year-old to have her own phone. She doesn't walk home from school, she never comes home to an empty house, she rarely goes places where she would not have access to a phone and she doesn't talk on our land line that often. It's an extra expense that we don't need right now, and we don't want her tied to an electronic device, texting her friends, when we can't see what's being said at the time it's being said.
Sometime in the next couple of years, we'll probably get her a phone. When she's in middle school and needs a phone to call us to come pick her up after school and goes more places without us we'll probably add another phone to our cell plan. But our daughter is going to be disappointed this Christmas.
This is really the first year we haven't fulfilled the big wish on her Christmas list. She's gotten used to waking up on Christmas morning and finding the one thing she wanted more than anything in the world under the tree. This is the first year we've had to say, "we don't think what you want is the best thing for you."
I think my daughter will get an inkling of how the Jewish people felt when God sent Jesus. You see, the Jews were living under Roman rule. They were oppressed and taxed by the Romans. They had few rights and were subject to laws in which they had no say. It had been centuries since the Jews had been their own nation.
When they read the prophecies about Jesus, they were expecting a warrior -- not a baby. They wanted someone who would save them from their current situation, someone who would overthrow the Romans. They didn't expect that when the prophecy of Isaiah 9:6 was fulfilled -- "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." -- that it would be fulfilled in Jesus.
When they heard that "the government will be on his shoulders," they thought He would rule over them. After years of exile and mistreatment, the Jews thought their Savior would finally put them in charge.
Instead, God fulfilled His prophecies with a tiny baby, born in a smelly stable. He gave all of us what we needed, not what the Jewish people wanted. His Christmas gift didn't fulfill the wishes of the Jews. No, it was much better than that. God's Christmas gift fulfilled the needs of all mankind.
Two thousand years later, we realize that God's gift of Jesus was perfect. We have forgotten the disappointment of many of the Jews. When Jesus died, it was a crushing blow to many Jews. They couldn't see the rest of God's plan.
Our kids need to know that not everyone in Jesus' time was thrilled with God's gift. They need to know that the Jews were expecting something different. And they need to know that God's plan is always perfect.
Illustrate this for your kids by putting something really practical in a box and giving it to them. Put it in a box that's the same size as something they really want. When they open the box and find socks, ask them how they feel. Remind them that they need socks. Socks will keep their feet warm. Talk about how sometimes God gives us what we need rather than what we think we want. Remind them that the Jews wanted a warrior -- someone to throw off the burden of Roman rule. God gave them Jesus who would give them eternal salvation -- not just salvation from their current situation.
Talk with your kids about how God is still giving us the things we need, rather than the things we want. His plan sometimes requires that He withhold the things we think we want because we need something different. And that different thing is always better.
A savior for the world was a much better gift than a savior from Roman rule, don't you think?
For more practical ways to get your kids focused on Jesus during the Christmas season, check out Lori's new e-book Everyday Christmas. It's available for Kindle, Nook and as a PDF file.
I feel for my daughter. I know it can't be easy being the only one without a phone. Nearly every child in her class has one. But she's not getting a phone for Christmas.
While clearly the majority of the world doesn't agree with us, we don't see any reason for our 10-year-old to have her own phone. She doesn't walk home from school, she never comes home to an empty house, she rarely goes places where she would not have access to a phone and she doesn't talk on our land line that often. It's an extra expense that we don't need right now, and we don't want her tied to an electronic device, texting her friends, when we can't see what's being said at the time it's being said.
Sometime in the next couple of years, we'll probably get her a phone. When she's in middle school and needs a phone to call us to come pick her up after school and goes more places without us we'll probably add another phone to our cell plan. But our daughter is going to be disappointed this Christmas.
This is really the first year we haven't fulfilled the big wish on her Christmas list. She's gotten used to waking up on Christmas morning and finding the one thing she wanted more than anything in the world under the tree. This is the first year we've had to say, "we don't think what you want is the best thing for you."
I think my daughter will get an inkling of how the Jewish people felt when God sent Jesus. You see, the Jews were living under Roman rule. They were oppressed and taxed by the Romans. They had few rights and were subject to laws in which they had no say. It had been centuries since the Jews had been their own nation.
When they read the prophecies about Jesus, they were expecting a warrior -- not a baby. They wanted someone who would save them from their current situation, someone who would overthrow the Romans. They didn't expect that when the prophecy of Isaiah 9:6 was fulfilled -- "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." -- that it would be fulfilled in Jesus.
When they heard that "the government will be on his shoulders," they thought He would rule over them. After years of exile and mistreatment, the Jews thought their Savior would finally put them in charge.
Instead, God fulfilled His prophecies with a tiny baby, born in a smelly stable. He gave all of us what we needed, not what the Jewish people wanted. His Christmas gift didn't fulfill the wishes of the Jews. No, it was much better than that. God's Christmas gift fulfilled the needs of all mankind.
Two thousand years later, we realize that God's gift of Jesus was perfect. We have forgotten the disappointment of many of the Jews. When Jesus died, it was a crushing blow to many Jews. They couldn't see the rest of God's plan.
Our kids need to know that not everyone in Jesus' time was thrilled with God's gift. They need to know that the Jews were expecting something different. And they need to know that God's plan is always perfect.
Illustrate this for your kids by putting something really practical in a box and giving it to them. Put it in a box that's the same size as something they really want. When they open the box and find socks, ask them how they feel. Remind them that they need socks. Socks will keep their feet warm. Talk about how sometimes God gives us what we need rather than what we think we want. Remind them that the Jews wanted a warrior -- someone to throw off the burden of Roman rule. God gave them Jesus who would give them eternal salvation -- not just salvation from their current situation.
Talk with your kids about how God is still giving us the things we need, rather than the things we want. His plan sometimes requires that He withhold the things we think we want because we need something different. And that different thing is always better.
A savior for the world was a much better gift than a savior from Roman rule, don't you think?
For more practical ways to get your kids focused on Jesus during the Christmas season, check out Lori's new e-book Everyday Christmas. It's available for Kindle, Nook and as a PDF file.
Monday, December 20, 2010
Memory Monday: Isaiah 9:6
The months before a child is born are a time of excitement for everyone involved. The parents-to-be anticipate the birth by getting a nursery ready, choosing names and wondering what the new member of their family will be like. Friends and family anxiously anticipate the new little person's birth. We give gifts and celebrate the impending arrival of a new person. For nine months, everyone involved waits for their special baby's birth.
Imagine how much the Jewish people were anticipating the birth of Jesus. Way back in the time of Isaiah, Jesus' birth was prophesied. Isaiah 9:6 says "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." For hundreds of years the Jewish people had been anticipating the arrival of Jesus. The birth of Jesus was the arrival of the hoped-for Messiah.
As you go through this last week before Christmas, take a moment to anticipate the celebration of Jesus' birth. As you memorize Isaiah 9:6, work to create a sense of excitement about celebrating Christmas. Channel your kids' excitement from the presents to the opportunity to celebrate Jesus' birth.
Imagine how much the Jewish people were anticipating the birth of Jesus. Way back in the time of Isaiah, Jesus' birth was prophesied. Isaiah 9:6 says "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." For hundreds of years the Jewish people had been anticipating the arrival of Jesus. The birth of Jesus was the arrival of the hoped-for Messiah.
As you go through this last week before Christmas, take a moment to anticipate the celebration of Jesus' birth. As you memorize Isaiah 9:6, work to create a sense of excitement about celebrating Christmas. Channel your kids' excitement from the presents to the opportunity to celebrate Jesus' birth.
- Plan a birthday party for Jesus. Hang streamers, bake a cake and invite some friends to celebrate. Make the story of Jesus' birth a central part of the celebration. Let your kids help plan the party so it will build anticipation.
- Create a tradition of setting out a piece of your nativity set every day before Christmas. Build up to Chrismas Eve when you will place Jesus in the manger. This gives your kids the opportunity to anticipate Jesus' "arrival."
- Talk with your kids about how excited they are about Christmas. Compare that excitement to how excited the Jewish people would have been to hear of the arrival of Jesus.
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