Advent Conspiracy Daily Devotionals: Week 3
In a season often marked by excess, we are called to shift our focus from material gifts to the priceless gift of Jesus’ love. These devotionals challenge us to approach Christmas with hearts aligned to God’s purpose, fostering a deeper sense of generosity and intentionality. Together, let’s discover the joy and freedom that come from giving thoughtfully and living out the true spirit of the season.
DAY 15
And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” – Luke 2:8-12
One ordinary night, as the shepherds settled into the routine of watching their flock, God interrupted with something extraordinary! The announcement of the arrival of the Savior of the world given to the shepherds included a sign to confirm it. The angel said they would find the sign, the proof of this good news, in Bethlehem… a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.
These shepherds are believed to be the Levitical shepherds who were raising and caring for the animals used for the sacrificial offerings in the temple in Jerusalem. They would have known to watch not only for signs the Messiah was coming, but signs of health among their flock. When lambs were about to be born, they would take the ewes to nearby caves for safety. Once born, the shepherds would examine the lambs for spots and blemishes. They would keep the lambs safely wrapped in swaddling cloths so they would not injury themselves. Passover lambs had to be perfect in every way.
There was no mistaking that this sign was the one that the Jewish people had been waiting for… the Lamb of God, Messiah, who takes away the sin of the world was here.
Just as the shepherds went to Bethlehem to worship the Lamb, we are invited to come to Jesus with a heart of gratitude and worship fully this Advent season. He is Immanuel, God with Us. We may not receive an angelic sign like the shepherds did, but God hears our prayers and asks us to draw near to Him in the waiting.
Reflect
Is there an answer or a prayer you’ve been waiting to receive from God? How does your prayer life influence your worship? Do you find yourself worshipping a lot these days, why or why not?
Pray
Father, We celebrate with gratitude that you provided Jesus, your Son, as the Lamb who takes away our sin. Thank you for the gift through your Holy Spirit of being present with me even today. Turn my need for signs and answers into songs of praise. Help me to notice your love at work all around me. Amen.
Devotional writer: Jan H. (Napa, California, USA)
Day 16
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” – Luke 2:13–14
Words are powerful. No doubt we can think upon words that we have offered and received that have brought us delight and affirmation; words that we might still cherish to this day. We hold too, with gentleness and the peace of Christ, words that we know have brought destruction and anguish for us and others.
The words shared in this passage, announced by these heavenly host, are words of wonder and witness. They give fitting glory to God and witness of the peace on earth that would be upon those on whom God’s favor would rest.
These words of wonder and witness play their part in what was taking place and are nestled amongst what was unfolding for these unlikely characters: the shepherds living out in the fields. Their initial terror at the encounter with the Angel of the Lord was suddenly transformed as good news was proclaimed and this awe-filled set of events would evoke action: they set out to go to Bethlehem.
These powerful words of wonder and witness play an incredible part in what took place in that field.
Words spoken, and the positive impact they have, are likely to be cherished long after the memories of whatever ‘must have’ gift have faded. How true this is when we join with these heavenly hosts in speaking words of wonder and witness. During this Advent season we have the opportunity to be a part of echoing a story that compliments that of the shepherds where good news is shared with those that we meet, wonder and witness is announced by God’s children and out of this yet more people come to seek out Christ.
Reflect
Think about the words you have used in the last few days. Are they ones that brought joy, peace, and encouragement to the people you encountered? Did you have any opportunities to share or be a witness of the gospel?
Pray
LORD, We thank you for the power and wonder of these words shared by the heavenly host and all that they witness too. Might we ever be captivated by this unfolding story of good news. Put upon my lips words that are powerful, precious and peace bringing. Minister to me, by your Holy Spirit. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Devotional writer: Stuart I. (Torrance, Scotland)
Day 17
When the angels left them and went back to heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, that the Lord has made known to us.” So they hurried off and located Mary and Joseph, and found the baby lying in a manger. When they saw him, they related what they had been told about this child, and all who heard it were astonished at what the shepherds said. – Luke 2:15-18
The shepherds had just experienced a wonderful moment while they were out among the flocks. Their routine nighttime became a brightly lit, enthusiastic, worshipful moment. The good news they had waited for, the coming of the Messiah, was announced to them!
And then…the music was over. The lights went back out. And the shepherds faced a decision. They could choose to sit and bask in the moment. After all, it was a thrilling moment. The army of the Lord of Hosts had appeared to them, bringing Scripture like Psalm 46 to life. Each one had heard and seen things beyond imagining, they now had a great story to tell to their children and grandchildren.
Or they could reject the moment entirely. After all, who would believe them that the sky filled with angelic beings? Are they sure that’s what happened, anyway?
Instead, they took the third route: they went looking. They did not sit in the shiny moment of shouts and songs. They did not circle up and decide to just let it all drop. They went looking for themselves. The text says they “hurried off” and found Mary, Joseph, and Jesus exactly as they had heard.
These days, we tend to find ourselves as followers of Jesus hurrying off about many things. Work, busy schedules, checking off the Christmas to-do lists, running around after kids, extra hours serving at church. Occasionally, something causes us to pause, look up at the heavens, and remember that there is something bigger than us. What, then, do we do?
Let us consider that our best hurrying off would be in looking for Jesus. We will benefit from realizing that He is not found in the holiday lights and the piles of stuff. He is exactly where He came to be: in midst of people. Christmas is, remember, the celebration that God Himself put on flesh and dwelt among us, as John 1:14 reminds us. And that is where we still find Him today. We find Jesus near to the broken hearted and seeking the sheep that have gone astray.
Reflect
Does Advent feel stressed and hurried or slow and peaceful? What things are getting in the way of you slowing down and worshipping Jesus this Advent? What’s one thing you can do this week to Give More of yourself relationally to the people in your life, to soak up the memories and to be present with one another?
Pray
Jesus, In the midst of the ever-accelerating world I live in, help me set aside the chaotic hurrying. Help me to remember with every light, every song, that the only hurrying I should do matches the shepherds: that I would hurry to be in your presence. Amen.
Devotional writer: Doug H. (East End, Arkansas)
Day 18
But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told. – Luke 2:19-20
My favorite Christmas song is Mary, Did you Know? The singer asks what Mary knew about her baby boy. Did you know He… will walk on water? Save our sons and daughters? Make you new? Deliver you?
The angel Gabriel had already told Mary some incredible things about her Son—that she should name him Jesus (which means, “Yahweh is salvation”), that He will be great, will be called the Son of the Most High, and will reign on David’s throne forever.
But there are a lot of things that Mary was not told. She does not seem to have been told that by accepting God’s task for her, she would be labeled an adulteress. Or that shortly after her Son’s birth, Herod would try to kill Him, her family would flee to Egypt, and every baby under age two in Bethlehem would be slaughtered instead. And she does not seem to have been told that the process by which her Son would save us all required His rejection, torment and death—all while she stood watching.
That’s why this passage stands out to me. If we put ourselves in Mary’s shoes, we can see that she would endure “the dark night of the soul” time and time again during Jesus’s life and death.
These are times where it feels like hope seems to be lost, where God’s plan is not clear, and where God Himself may seem distant or unresponsive. This verse shows us how Mary remained faithful through these dark nights—how she could stand at the foot of the cross while her baby boy died as “heaven’s perfect Lamb,” and yet still choose to be in the room, praying with Jesus’ other disciples at the start of the book of Acts.
She pondered on what she had seen God do. To “ponder” means to weigh or reflect on repeatedly. As we are in the season of Advent, reflect on your own experiences with God. Where have you unmistakably seen God’s goodness? Even if He feels far away now, take some time to remember those moments where you have known, deep in your soul, that He is good. If none come to mind, listen to “Mary, Did You Know?,” and reflect on His faithfulness to Mary.
Reflect
Read John 16:33 and remember that no matter how dark the night feels, Jesus, the Light of the World, is still in control. Write down a memory of a time where God carried you through a hard season or answered a prayer that seemed impossible.
Pray
Father, Please bring to mind times where I have known your goodness personally. Even though the night is dark, I will trust that you are faithful and will never leave me. Help me to trust you, even when I feel like my circumstances are out of control. Thank you, King Jesus, for becoming that baby who did save the world. Amen.
Devotional writer: Josh H. (Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA)
Day 19
After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” – Matthew 2:1-2
These two verses herald the outcome of learning, wisdom, and assumption. These Wise Ones (or magi) probably had spent many years studying the signs of nature and the heavens to understand the world around them. Weather forecasting, particularly for the months and year ahead probably depended on people like these Wise Ones reading the signs long before science began to model the physics of our atmosphere, Sun and Moon.
To them the sign was clear – “a king’s star has risen and we have come.” It was a sign of hope in a challenging world – why else bring special gifts to honour this foreign ruler? Some suggest the Magi came from Chaldea or Arabia – places of great learning and exotic woods and spices – and may have even been of Abraham’s line. But that’s based on likely connections. Maybe even assumptions – just like the Magi assumed such an important King would be in the region’s seat of power and authority – Jerusalem. Even today many know the story of three wise men who visited baby Jesus in the stable in Bethlehem. Yet only the location and that they were magi is part of the recorded story of this visit to Jesus – the scriptures don’t tell us other details about this encounter.
Jesus doesn’t fit our stereotypes or our expectations formed based on worldly practice or standards. He is happy to be born in a small little town, probably in a guest room. God of the Universe here is vulnerable, dependent on the protection and care of new (and probably bemused) parents.
Yet these Wise Ones are not disappointed when they do locate the young child. They recognise the one who would save God’s people, would defeat the darkest forces of evil and death, and usher in ‘the Kingdom of God on Earth – as in heaven.’ How do they respond? They bow – and they worship with all they have and are.
Reflect
When we turn our mind to Jesus, what do we expect to find? When was the last time you were filled with awe and wonder, like the Magi, when you were in the presence of Jesus? Is there anything holding you back from worshipping Jesus fully this Advent?
Pray
Loving God, As we I through these days of anticipation and beyond, may I be always ready to discover your presence in unexpected places, encounters or experiences. Please give me a heart that readily open to your embracing love and inspiration – in worship. Amen.
Devotional writer: Lloyd W. (Queensland, Australia)
Day 20
When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written: “‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’” – Matthew 2:3-6
Yesterday we read about the Magi from the East, who, upon noticing the first Christmas star ornamenting the night sky, set out on a journey to seek the Messiah and worship Him. In stark contrast, today read that when King Herod and “all Jerusalem” heard about Jesus’ birth, they were disturbed.
Disturbed! In the original Greek that word can mean agitated, stirred-up, troubled and afraid.
Isn’t it interesting that you don’t have to look far to see the same wide spectrum of responses to Jesus’ birth today? You may not even have to look past your own family or group of friends to see such different reactions to Jesus.
And yet, nobody could argue with Micah’s prophecy, written some 700 years earlier. Herod demanded answers, and a voice from the past echoed truth down long corridors of time. Maybe if Herod had not been so worried about losing his status, his position, his perceived control, he might have noticed something sweetly significant in that last prophetic sentence.
“‘…a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’”
This Ruler is different. He’s come to lead, but in the humblest way.
On the list of dirty jobs, it doesn’t get much worse than shepherding. This was not a glamorous position for a king to take.
What kind of Ruler loves like this? These days I find myself asking, what am I so worried about losing that I’d let it keep me from seeking my Messiah and worshiping Him?
Reflect
What are you holding onto so hard that the idea of Jesus ruling your life is, frankly, unsettling? Disturbing? Just like a shepherd tending to his flock, Jesus wants to lead you, love and tenderly care for you. Will you let Him?
Pray
Lord Jesus, Help me to let go of anything that is coming between me and you. You deserve my wholehearted worship! Break down any walls that are keeping me from you. Amen.
Devotional writer: Scott B. (Canton, Ohio)
Day 21
Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.” – Matthew 2:7-8
Deception at its finest – Herod was a master of his craft, but he could not hide the truth of the matter – what was most important to him was being threatened. The word about “this newborn King of the Jews” had spread fast. Matthew 2:3 goes as far as to say, “he [Herod] was troubled, and everyone in Jerusalem was troubled with him.”
For Herod, the arrival of Jesus was not good news. The prophecy foretold another kind of ‘ruler’ who would lead like a ‘shepherd.’ Jesus’ Kingdom would be a topsy-turvy reversal of the power structure – the high and mighty would be brought low, and those of low status would be elevated – a direct threat to someone whose power lies in accumulation – influence, status, and wealth.
God’s arrival, Advent, is meant to stir us up. It’s meant to shake us from our need to accumulate worldly things and awaken us to a different reality – one where true power and authority are not derived from power, influence, status, or wealth.
The truth is clear – Herod had no intention to ‘honor’ the Christ-child because he was not willing to yield his life, his status, his influence, or his power.
The underlying message of the Advent Conspiracy is to avoid the temptation to accumulate more so that we can be fully present with Christ and those we love. Are there things in your life that keep you from yielding to Christ? Are there practices or habits that keep you from fully honoring the Christ-child?
Reflect
The four tenets of Advent Conspiracy are there to help us avoid “the temptation of more” so that we can be fully present with Christ and those we love. Are there things in your life that keep you from yielding to Christ? Are there practices or habits that keep you from fully honoring the Christ-child?
Pray
Immanuel, Stir up within me the desire to give myself and my life fully to you and your Kingdom, where true power lies in humility and simplicity. Remove from within me the temptation to accumulate, and grant me the willingness to worship, serve, share, and love so that I might fully honor you. Amen.
Devotional writer: Austin R. (Zachary, Louisiana, USA)
Day 22
After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshipped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route. – Matthew 2:9-12
On a morning with a cloudless sky and a gentle offshore breeze, I was surfing with some friends when a pod of dolphins started swimming and jumping all around us. Some of the dolphins were so close I could reach out and touch them. Feelings of awe, joy, and some fear rose up in all of us.
Sometimes I go out surfing when I’m feeling stuck or I’m praying for God to speak. I go into creation and try to listen better and notice God.
As I came in and was walking to my car a woman was smiling at me and asked with excitement, “Did you get to surf with the dolphins?” I told her I did. She let out a sigh mixed with glee and envy. Then she said something that surprised me: “Did they have a message?”
Now I will admit, when that woman on the beach asked me if the dolphins had a message for me, my reaction was to laugh and brush it off. Until I got back to thinking about this text. Matthew’s gospel highlights the ways in which the created world pointed to the glory of God’s arrival. As the psalmist writes, it was “telling the glory of God.”
Consider the magnitude of Christ’s Incarnation. This news was so big it took prophets to foretell it, angels to declare it, and stars in the heavens to proclaim it. This was a message of universal impact and the universe itself was responding. As the psalmist declares, the “heavens are telling the glory of God; and the firmament proclaims his handiwork.”
Of course, as part of creation, the magi heard the message and responded. In fact, there is a poetic reciprocity with the gifts they bring to Jesus. Gold, frankincense, myrrh. These are gifts based in creation, developed with human creative expression, and then given back to the One who was there as God created in the beginning.
In this season of Advent, perhaps a way we can engage in a more full expression of worship is to take time and notice, the ways creation continues to proclaim God’s glory. The question becomes, do I have the eyes and ears to notice?
Reflect
Is there a way you can engage with God’s creation today? As you do so, in what ways might the created world also be anticipating the arrival of Christ?
Pray
I praise you Father, for you are our Almighty Creator. I thank you Jesus, for your presence and promised return. Guide me Holy Spirit as I long for my life to join in with all of creation in proclaiming your glory. Amen.
Devotional writer: Justin N. (Monterey, California, USA)
Day 23
But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God. – Galatians 4:4-7
When I was growing up, we had school meals where we sat down at tables together and we ate the food that was presented to us. We had no choice in what food was served that day. We might like it, we might not like it; it might be well cooked, it might be badly cooked. We had no choice in the matter. My least liked day was sauerkraut day. If you’ve never had sauerkraut – it’s a bitter form of cabbage. Some people love it. I find it hard to even put it in my mouth. But, if it was sauerkraut day at school, it was sauerkraut day.
Turning to today’s passage: the book of Galatians challenges its readers, including you and me, to live a life that is rooted solely in faith in Jesus Christ. A life in which other forms of “living right” are given up in favour of one great approach: trusting in Jesus and the gift of the Holy Spirit. Indeed, the reality of a life apart from grace and faith is compared to living like a child with a guardian – limited. The inheritance may, in theory, be yours, but you can’t get to it. It’s a grey, constrained, world.
But now, bursting forth in glorious colour, is one of the most amazing consequences of faith in Jesus Christ. We aren’t simply forgiven – after all, Jesus’ death on the cross could have changed us from unforgiven slaves to forgiven slaves. No! Jesus was sent so that, by faith in him, we might become the chosen children of heavenly Dad.
The passage is really very bold here – we were constrained and unable to actually live right but now we are God’s children. And not just his children, but his adopted children.
Compare my school dining experience – you get what you’re served – with going to a restaurant. You’ve chosen the restaurant. You’re given the menu. You select food, maybe even multiple courses, from the menu. And, being wise, you choose exactly what you want. The tastes, the flavours – everything that you love and want to eat. You know how good that perfectly cooked dream meal is, and you choose it.
This word adoption is one of the most profound points in this passage: knowing exactly who we were, and exactly who we are today, God chooses to adopt us. In other terms, you weren’t just a no-option meal plonked in front of God. No! God had an option, and he willingly chose to adopt you. Yes – you. He looked at the whole of humanity and chose you, to welcome home as a child. Not a forgiven slave, a wanted, chosen, delighted in, loved child.
Wow! Let that truth sink into you for a moment.
Reflect
Consider the significance that, as a Christian, you haven’t ‘just’ been forgiven by Jesus’ death on the cross, amazing as that is. You are a chosen, child of the living God. How does this impact your gratitude to God? How might this transform how you worship, and how you love others this Christmas?
Pray
Heavenly Father, Thank you that when I chose to trust Jesus for forgiveness you chose to adopt me as your child. Help me to know more how deeply loved I am and help me to live in that reality and the security that it brings. Give me the courage and awareness to love everyone I meet as someone who you value as a child, even if they haven’t turned to you yet, just as Jesus did in coming to earth. Amen.
Devotional writer: Neil T. (Oxford, England)
Day 24
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this. – Isaiah 9:6-7
Fifteen years ago, inspired by an Advent Conspiracy video, the congregation I was serving in embarked on a clean water project for a small community in Ecuador. When I went to Ecuador for the ribbon cutting and blessing of the project, some of the people took me over to a neighboring community that was built on a garbage field. It is as heartbreaking as you can imagine. One of the many things that goes along with a lack of clean water is a myriad of skin diseases, which were visible on the bodies of the people. After seeing more need, the hope was that our church could do something to help.
While we were there, some people in the community took me to their church – a spot of pounded ground with four poles holding up a corrugated metal roof and twisted-wire cross. They told me other pastors and priests rarely visited them here, so they asked if I would celebrate communion, the Eucharist, with them saying to me, “Please. Jesus is all we have.”
They were right. Jesus is all we have.
The words of the prophet in Isaiah today are often interpreted as promise, but in their original setting they must have been words of hope. There would be a day when God will send a ruler, just and faithful, restoring joy and justice and reestablish the nation as it was under David. Isaiah’s vision was not spiritual but tangible and physical in a broken world.
When the early Christians thought about the work of Jesus, his healing and feeding, driving out demons, and eating with all sorts of excluded people, they believed they saw a fulfillment of the prophet’s vision. God’s renewal of Israel was, has always been, a renewal of this world. They also knew that Jesus was the embodiment of this hope of the restoration of God’s world. And they knew that Jesus called and empowered them, the disciples, to embody this hope, in his name, in this world.
Embodying Jesus’s presence with our lives. Jesus is all they had, all we have, and it is enough.
At times seems we struggle to believe that God truly wants the transformation of the world. We look at the world and it’s hard to believe it could ever change. But the words and hope of Isaiah still ring true for us today. Jesus is enough for that change. Jesus is all we have. Jesus is all we are given. And it is enough. Enough to change our lives. Enough for God to change the world.
That’s the story of Christmas, of the Incarnation, isn’t it? Jesus is all we are given.
Reflect
Which name and character trait of Jesus are you clinging to from the promises of Isaiah? Why?
Pray
Jesus, On this Christmas Eve, I remember the gift of your Incarnation. Be present in me so that I can make you present in the world through my life. Empower me with your Holy Spirit and help me to trust that the promises and hope found in Isaiah are still true for our world today. You are enough, Jesus. Amen.
Devotional writer: Gary E. (Fort Wayne, Indiana, USA)
Day 25
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. – John 1:14
Nativity sets are usually colorful, artistic, even ornate. The stable is surrounded by shepherds kneeling with lambs, magi bearing jeweled gifts, archangels pouring forth praise. Mary looks ready to host a party despite just enduring hours of labor pains. Joseph seems more tired, leaning on his staff. It’s appropriate for a manger to be magnificent since, as John’s Gospel says, this is where we see the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father.
Yet visitors to the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem are often surprised by two features. Jesus’ birthplace is a cave under the altar. His manger is a trough carved in the rock. Though adorned with candles and icons today, the birthplace was anything but glorious on that holy night. Try to sense this unsanitary scene: the aroma of animals, a delivery room so dark and cold you can see your breath. It’s here the Word became flesh.
All this is a sign of an even greater sacrifice when the Creator of the Universe put on human skin. Jesus willingly accepted our limitations and weaknesses, our temptations, trials, and troubles. For thirty years he lived a poor, simple, anonymous life enduring all that is foul, frail and fragile about our existence. Then, coming full circle, He was wrapped and laid in another cave just up the road in Jerusalem after bearing the crushing weight of all our sin on the Cross.
Sometimes, when we don’t dress up Christmas, when we peer into the darker, painful side of His Nativity and life, we see the greater glory of His grace and truth. He came to be among us, to be one of us, to be with us even in the darkest caverns of our world. He came to be the Light which the darkness has not overcome. He came to lead us into the Light. He came so we would be His Light in the world.
His mission is our mission. Celebrate His birth this year by taking a step into someone else’s darkness. Offer a listening ear, a helping hand, a comforting presence, an invitation to believe, a generous gift that provides a need. Enter in as He did, quietly, anonymously, humbly.
For that is the other feature which surprises visitors to Bethlehem. The only way to enter the massive Church of the Nativity is through a tiny door so low that all who approach His manger must humbly bow down.
Reflect
Where in the midst of this Christmas Day do you long to find Jesus most? Look for opportunities today to slow down and worship, to get low and remember the weight and the sacrifice of what it meant for the Word to become flesh.
Pray
Word of God, Please become flesh in each one of us so that, through our words and deeds, those walking in darkness will see Your glory, grace and truth. Help me not to move through today so quickly that I miss the beauty and the mystery of the Incarnation. Let today be full of worship and adoration to you, our King. In the Strong Name of Jesus, Amen.
Devotional writer: Doug H. (Yardley, Pennsylvania, USA)