Why We'll Always Celebrate Christmas!
The Mind of Christmas
Monday, December 1, 2003
My Prayer Today
Heavenly Father, I worship You. You alone are worthy of all my worship and praise. As I start a new Monday, a day when many folks dread getting out of bed because of work or school, I praise You that I am alive, and that I have You to worship and praise. I praise You for Jesus the great Shepherd of our lives and the Word who became a human and lived among us. God I pray that You will fill me with Your Holy Spirit that I may worship You in Spirit and in truth as I live my life today. Let me worship You with my words, my heart, and my body. Let all that I say and do today glorify You and lead others to give You the glory and honor You alone deserve. This I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Bible Verses
John 1:1-14
1In the beginning the Word already existed. He was with God, and he was God. 2He was in the beginning with God. 3He created everything there is. Nothing exists that he didn’t make. 4Life itself was in him, and this life gives light to everyone. 5The light shines through the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it. 6God sent John the Baptist 7to tell everyone about the light so that everyone might believe because of his testimony. 8John himself was not the light; he was only a witness to the light. 9The one who is the true light, who gives light to everyone, was going to come into the world. 10But although the world was made through him, the world didn’t recognize him when he came. 11Even in his own land and among his own people, he was not accepted. 12But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. 13They are reborn! This is not a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan—this rebirth comes from God. 14So the Word became human and lived here on earth among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. (grace and truth) And we have seen his glory, the glory of the only Son of the Father.
Reflecting on Scripture
Today, we’re focusing on worship as we turn again to John 1:1-14. We find here that Jesus is the one who comes to live among us, even though He has every right to stay in heaven with God, His Heavenly Father. As a result our primary response to Jesus’ coming is worship and praise! What is there about Jesus, that makes it most clear to you that He is truly the Son of God, and worthy of your worship?
Exploring the Scripture
Review John 1:1-14 again. As you do, what aspects of the reading draw you to worship? For example: We read in John 1:1, “In the beginning the Word already existed. He was with God and He was God.” Therefore, we find that the Word, that is, Jesus, IS God. Therefore, He is worthy of our worship and praise. Another example, is that Jesus created everything that exists (vs. 2). Therefore, Jesus is worthy of our praise and adoration for the awesome job He did in creating the universe! What response do you have to someone who could design the universe?
Take some time and review the rest of John 1:1-14 and use the space below to record some of what you find that is worthy of our worship and praise:
Understanding the Scripture
If John 1:1-14 was all you knew about God and Jesus, what would make them worthy of your worship and praise?
We’re told that the people didn’t recognize Jesus when He came to the world. How do you think the folks Jesus healed, or fed, or encouraged responded about who He was? (For one example, turn to John, chapter 9)
Applying the Scripture
What is one practical application of today’s reading for your worship of God on a daily basis?
Worship - The True Light
Jesus is known by many names and descriptions in the Bible, but one of the Apostle John’s favorite titles or references for Jesus is LIGHT. Jesus is the light of the world. Jesus is the “true light.” Jesus is the one who overcomes darkness. In John 3, after the famous verse 16, John goes on to tell us that the reason many did not receive Jesus is that they preferred the darkness to the light. One of the primary reasons for our worship of Jesus, the Son of God, is that He IS the light of our world. When we can’t see what’s coming in our lives, either because of literal darkness, or because of the darkness of sin, the Light who is Jesus shines His light so that we may see and be saved! As the song tells us Jesus is worthy of all our praise. Soon, we’ll be singing Christmas Carols. Some of them focus on the Light, Jesus. Others are simply festive songs about the seasons. Every time we hear one of the carols that highlights Jesus as the Light of the world, as the light in our darkness, as the Son of God, let’s pause and worship. As we learned during the 40 Days of Purpose, worship isn’t an activity reserved for Sunday mornings. Worship is the first of five biblical purposes for which we were created by God in the first place! As we go about this Christmas seasons, may we prepare our hearts, minds and spirits daily to welcome Jesus into our hearts and into the world in which we live—our homes, our schools, our workplaces, our places of fun and entertainment. May we recognize that the Light of the world, came to bring meaning and purpose to every moment. May we honor Him daily with our worship!
To view other studies from the Why We Celebrate Christmas series, click here.