Christmas Devotional
Davis Carman shared this Christmas devotional via video on the Apologia Facebook page. As your family enjoys his message on the 4 characteristics of Christ and keeping Christ as the center of the Christmas season, we invite you to download a 14-page scripture activity printable for children based on Luke 2:7-14 to help continue the message of this Christmas devotional.
What are your childhood memories of Christmas? If you are a child listening to this Christmas devotional, you might be thinking about the white beard, the Santa hat, the gift giving and receiving.
What are you looking forward to this Christmas? What are you working hard to make happen this Christmas season?
Last week Rachael and I celebrated our 30th wedding anniversary in New York City. We went to a Christmas show at Radio City Music Hall. It was a very commercialized production with major sponsors. As the storyline progressed, the characters were working to make one of the boys in the story believe in Santa. That was the meaning of Christmas they were trying to promote. In addition, sprinkled in were promotions for the show sponsors.
There was a point an hour into the show when both Rachael and I were thinking about how hard people work to not mention Jesus during Christmas programs or discussions. Then two-thirds of the way through this show, the narrator, who was Santa, told this teenage boy, “You know what? All this time I’ve been trying to make you believe in me, but the real meaning of Christmas is the star…the light that shined on the stable in Bethlehem.”
Suddenly, for the last 30 minutes of the show, I was shocked and amazed that they told the gospel story. They read scripture straight from Matthew 1 and Luke 2. There was a full-fledged nativity scene with live animals and the three kings.
We left smiling, surprised, hopeful, and pleased that thousands will be hearing the real story of Christmas at that show
As you are in this Christmas season, what are you working hard to make happen?
Maybe you’re working hard to make sure the meals are just right or the house decorations are perfectly symbolic and representative of Christmas. Maybe you are celebrating with an advent wreath and candles. Maybe you have a Jesse tree, or you sing Christmas carols. Maybe you are going to participate in a Christmas program and are attending services on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.
What are you working on to make sure happens this year?
I hope it is to make Christ front and center.
I want to share 4 characteristics of Jesus to help in your endeavor to make Christ the center of this month and December 25 as it approaches.
- Jesus is the Son of Man. He was the Son of Joseph, the Son of Mary. He is the Son of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Matthew 1 is a great genealogy to read this time of year. In fact, it’s a great genealogy to memorize during this time of year. There were 14 generations from Abraham to King David, 14 generations from David to the deportation into Babylon, and 14 generations from the deportation into Babylon to the arrival of Jesus. That whole genealogy is documentation that Jesus is the Son of Man.
- Jesus is the Son of God. He is divine. He is called Immanuel, which means God with us. He was God in the flesh. He is the incarnate God. He was conceived from the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary. No wonder she pondered everything that the angel said to her. She pondered as she watched the Son of God do and say in her home. She had a front row seat.
- He is the Christ, the Messiah, the Anointed One, our Hope, our Deliverer, our Savior, the coming King. As the Christ, He is all those things. Jesus takes on some significant characteristics. He is worshipped, He is praised. All of this can help make Him front and center as we remember Son of Man, Son of God, and the Christ.
- Jesus is the great I Am. He is he Word, the Living Water, the Bread of Life. Are you thirsty for Christ? Are you hungry for Christ? Can you not get enough of His Word, what He says in His Word, and what He does in His Word?
His is the Light of the world, the Good Shepherd, the Lamb of God, The Vine, Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace, The Way, The Truth, The Life, The Resurrection, King of kings, Lord of lords, The Great I AM.
In Exodus 3:13 Moses asks, “And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them?” God responded, “I Am that I Am.”
Yaweh, the great I Am, God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit, three in one, Christ.
Son of Man, Son of God.
The Christ. The great I Am.
Come and behold him, born the King of angels
O come, let us adore Him, Christ the King
I wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas with Christ as the center.
Scripture copywork and activity pages for Christmas are available for free here on Homeschool-101.com. I hope these enrich your child’s Christmas celebration. Click here to view the available downloads.
Davis Carman
© 2018 Davis Carman
Homeschool-101.com
Apologia.com
If you enjoyed this devotional by Davis Carman, enjoy reading his devotional entitled Fearfully and Wonderfully Made.
Davis is the president of Apologia Educational Ministries, the #1 publisher of Creation-based science and Bible curriculum. He is the author of four illustrated children’s books designed to help kids learn a biblical worldview. He believes that if there was ever a time to homeschool, it is now!