True Meaning of Christmas

By Kathy Carlton Willis –

What is the true meaning of Christmas? Why is it that Christmas somehow brings cheer? I think it is important to ponder the meaning of Christmas to reveal the special powers of this special holiday.

Is the meaning of Christmas found in all of the decorations? Houses and city streets are brightly decorated. The beauty and splendor of it all brings cheer to the heart, but it isn’t the true meaning of Christmas.

Maybe the meaning of Christmas is found in being with family. Certainly the holiday isn’t the same when you are apart from the ones you love the most. As much as we enjoy being with family for the holidays, the meaning of Christmas isn’t wrapped up in celebrating Christmas with our relatives.

Is the true meaning of Christmas found in gift giving? Shoppers spend hard-earned money to buy just the right gifts for their loved ones. Children can’t wait to flip through catalogs to make out their Christmas wish lists. Adults have learned it isn’t so much about receiving gifts, but about seeing eyes light up when someone you care for opens the gift you handpicked for them. But Christmas isn’t about gift giving either. Even if no one gave a single gift, Christmas would still exist.

The true meaning of Christmas is all about Who we celebrate. It’s actually a big birthday party in honor of the only One ever born to change our eternal destinations. Not only can Christ change where we go when we die, He changes who we are from the inside out, a real rebirth for us. We give gifts because the wise men came bearing gifts when they came to meet the Christ-child. We hang lights because the stars lit the sky on that nativity so long ago. And we long to be with family just like Mary longed to be with her cousin Elizabeth when she found out she was bearing the Holy One.

Everything we do to celebrate the Christmas season is all well and good as long as we remember why we celebrate in the first place. How important is the gift of Christ to you? Have you come to Him, just as you are, much like the shepherds and wise men, to allow Him to make a difference in your life?

“Come and see a man who told me everything I ever did! Could he possibly be the Messiah?” (John 4:29 NLT).

Today’s devotional is by Kathy Carlton Willis, Christ-servant, wife to Russ, editor, publicist, certified CLASSeminars speaker and faculty member. Kathy Carlton Willis Communications encompasses her many passions. Kathy’s tagline captures her essence—Light & Lively: His Reflection/Her Laughter. Schedule Kathy for a speaking event or contact her firm for promotional assistance. KCWC gets jazzed shining the light on God’s writers and speakers.

Remedial Nativity

By Kathy Carlton Willis –

One Sunday, I taught a lesson to my Junior High class I entitled, “Remedial Nativity.” Of course, my first order of business was answering their question, “What does remedial mean?” I thought for sure they would know—so I explained it was a sort of beginner or refresher course. Just the basics. We started by looking up the word “nativity” in the Bible. The teens were surprised to learn it just means birthday. So I asked them what was different about this birthday. They were right on target when they gave the following answers: Jesus was born God in a human body. He came to be our substitute on the cross. He was perfect. We needed Him to come to patch things up between us and God the Father. He grew up to be King.

We read through Luke 1 and 2 to set the scene and evaluated what it must have been like to be greeted by an angel. To use the words of a teenager, “Mary must have freaked out!” When they found out Mary was possibly their age, they immediately formed a connection with her. They were amazed at her maturity and spirituality. Even in this age of permissiveness, the teens admitted they would have told the angel to pick someone else. They would fear the ridicule of their friends and family. I explained that all Jewish girls prayed to be the mother of the Christ child. It was the biggest honor imaginable. Honor or not, it was also filled with potential problems.

We looked at the scenario through the eyes of Joseph, and then through the eyes of her parents and other friends. We discussed the culture of the time. One student brought up the fact that Mary came into Bethlehem on the back of a donkey. I explained that this showed the tender side of Joseph because many men would have made the women walk the journey while they rode the distance. To use another of their expressions, “that’s messed up!”

Of course the lesson wasn’t complete until another teen sat confused by the facts and asked, “Where does Santa fit in to all of this?” I’ll save that for another lesson!

AUTHOR QUOTE: Christmas—Keep It Simple, Saints.

“This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 1:18 NLT).

Today’s devotional is by Kathy Carlton Willis, Christ-servant, wife to Russ, editor, publicist, certified CLASSeminars speaker and faculty member. Kathy Carlton Willis Communications encompasses her many passions. Kathy’s tagline captures her essence—Light & Lively: His Reflection/Her Laughter. Schedule Kathy for a speaking event or contact her firm for promotional assistance. KCWC gets jazzed shining the light on God’s writers and speakers.

Christmas Carols

By Kathy Carlton Willis –

I don’t know about you, but for me, Christmas celebrations would not be complete without music. I love hearing Christmas songs in stores while shopping. The music uplifts me and it feels like I’m floating on air—transported to a different time and place without problems and trials.

At home I dig out all of my Christmas music. They include Windham Hill and Manheim Steamroller. I also have a peppy “Christmas on the Border” CD featuring Texas Blues, Hot Country, and Mexican Salsa-style Christmas tunes! And of course I have many of my favorite artists’ Christmas albums.

Churches also celebrate this sacred holiday with music. Most of our services have Christmas hymns and Christmas specials. Our children perform Christmas musicals. Children, music, and Christmastime—all of my favorite things!

I find myself humming Christmas tunes throughout the season and longing for an opportunity to join a group in Christmas caroling. I started caroling as a Girl Scout in third grade, and have caroled in some fashion almost every year since then.

Christmas music was a part of that very first Christmas. The angels sang, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” I can’t even imagine what it was like to hear the angelic choir as they sang. But we can sing a different kind of song than the angels. The angels knew the Christ-child as the Son of God who dwelled in heaven prior to His earthly birth. But we can know the Son of God as our personal Savior, something the angels will never know.

Don’t you think that gives all of us something to sing about? Joy to the world, the Lord has come!

PRAYER: Author of Christmas, sing Your songs into my heart that I might sing Your songs to others this holiday season and throughout the coming year.

“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men” (Luke 2:14 KJV).

Today’s devotional is by Kathy Carlton Willis, Christ-servant, wife to Russ, editor, publicist, certified CLASSeminars speaker and faculty member. Kathy Carlton Willis Communications encompasses her many passions. Kathy’s tagline captures her essence—Light & Lively: His Reflection/Her Laughter. Schedule Kathy for a speaking event or contact her firm for promotional assistance. KCWC gets jazzed shining the light on God’s writers and speakers.

The Benefits of Personal Worship

By Art Fulks –

The Book of Psalms is filled with the passionate, personal worship of David and others. Its variety gives us confidence that God desires us to sing to Him in both the good and bad times, with transparency of feelings and genuineness of faith. God desires and deserves to be worshipped by surrendered followers for both what He does and for Who He is.

But could there be supplemental benefits to our acts of worship, such as the praise we offer in song? I believe there is. There are two similar passages of Scripture found in Ephesians 5:19 and Colossians 3:16. Both refer to singing or speaking to ourselves and others in “psalms and hymns and spiritual songs.”

During the years of worship wars, both have been used as proof texts for worship styles. However, in the context of both passages, I found an interesting similarity. Both are sandwiched between texts that speak about the difficulties of being conformed to the image of Christ and living out our faith in the context of family relationships.

True personal worship is achieved when what we believe about Who God is and what He has done is allowed to change us and then lived out. Many of us know it is often most difficult to live out our faith in the context of family relationships. So what does this have to do with personal worship through singing songs?

God has given us the gift of music to help us not only praise Him, but to also help us remember and apply His Word. As the words of biblical truth pass from our minds through our lips to the melody of whatever style best fits our personality, it often gets to our heart. And when those words of truth are consistently engaged, they begin to be used by the Holy Spirit to change us—transform us—into the image of His glorious Son.

Recently, one of our kids picked up a guitar and learned a few chords. It is amazing how fast they learn and progress.  He tries to get his sisters to sing the praise songs while he plays, but often ends up going solo—not always singing on key. But over the past few months, I have noticed a difference in how this group process has impacted relationships in our family. There is more singing in the house and car. And the phrase, “I love you” is being said more. Sing on!

AUTHOR QUOTE: “True personal worship is achieved when what we believe about Who God is and what He has done is allowed to change us and then lived out.”

“Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God” (Colossians 3:16 NASB).

Today’s devotional is by Art Fulks, a church planter / pastor at Connection Fellowship in Greenville, South Carolina. Married for 22 years and father of four, Art is a graduate of The Ohio State Univeristy and Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is a passionate Bible teacher, speaker, musician, worship leader, and life coach. Read more at http://www.connectionfellowship.org or walk the journey with him daily on Facebook., a refreshing oasis in our journey today.

Walking Before God in the Land of the Living

By James H. Pence –

Not long ago, some dear friends of mine received news their son had died suddenly. If this wasn’t bad enough, their youngest son died in an auto accident about ten years ago. Another friend of mine learned last year that his eight-year-old daughter has an extremely rare and aggressive form of cancer. Someone else I know lost his wife and two sons to murder. Nevertheless, in spite of their terrible tragedies, all of these people are praising God in the midst of their grief. More than that, they are taking that sorrow and using it to bring glory to God and influence others for him.

How is it possible to praise and worship God when you are experiencing unspeakable pain? The psalmist gives us a key when he writes, “For you, O LORD, have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before the LORD in the land of the living” (Psalm 116:8-9 NIV).

Believers in Jesus Christ can worship and praise God in the midst of tragedy because He has worked a three-fold deliverance in our lives. First, He has delivered our souls from death. We know that when this brief life is over, we will enter into God’s presence and enjoy Him forever. Through His death, Jesus Christ removed death’s sting, and that has a powerful impact on our outlook.

Second, God has delivered our eyes from tears. The Bible reminds us on many occasions that God will wipe all tears from our eyes when we’re in heaven. But it also says He is our comforter now. Paul told the Corinthians that God is “the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles” (2Corinthians 1:3-4a NIV). Because God is constantly wiping the tears away from our eyes, we can press on through trial and tragedy, bringing Him glory.

Third, God has delivered our feet from stumbling. While it’s true that all believers stumble and fall at times, God always raises us up and heals us. Jude reminds us that God “is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy” (Jude 24 NIV). Even though our circumstances may feel unbearable, we can rest assured that our God will preserve us through them and bring us safely home.

AUTHOR QUOTE: Because of the ongoing, sustaining grace of God, His people can pass through the worst fires human experience has to offer and come out victorious.

“How can I repay the LORD for all his goodness to me? I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the LORD” (Psalm 116:12-13 NIV).

Today’s devotion is by James H. Pence. James is an author, speaker, singer, and gospel chalk artist, but prefers to be known as a storyteller. To learn more about James and how he draws the stories of your heart, visit his website at: www.jamespence.com.

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