Why We'll Always Celebrate Christmas!
The Mind of Christmas
Tuesday, December 2, 2003
My Prayer Today
Heavenly Father, in Jesus’ coming to the earth, I see that You desired fellowship with us so much that You did what only You could do in order to restore the broken fellowship that human sin had caused. I praise You for Your willingness to send Jesus to die so that I may truly live! Fill me with Your Holy Spirit today and every day that I may know the reality of divine fellowship in my life, and thus share that fellowship with those around me today. I pray that You will open my mouth to speak Your praise wherever I may be today. I also pray that for any of the folks at New Life who are feeling as if fellowship is lacking in their lives right now, that you would touch them and motivate others in our fellowship to reach out to them, that all may know the joy of true fellowship. 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
Fellowship is the second of the five biblical purposes of our lives. As we look again at John 1:1-14 today, we will examine it through the “lens” of fellowship! What does this time of year do for your understanding of fellowship? In other words, do you draw nearer to people during this time, or is this a tough time for you fellowship wise?
Exploring the Scripture
The first fellowship ever experienced was that experienced by God within Himself. God, the Father, Jesus, the Son and the Holy Spirit are one God and yet within that oneness they experience fellowship. How does today’s Scripture make that truth evident? (1:1-3)
What hinders fellowship among human beings according to today’s Scripture? (1:10-11)
What happens to our fellowship once we respond to Jesus’ invitation to new life? (1:12-14)
Understanding the Scripture
What deepens our fellowship with God and one another, according to today’s Scripture?
What role, if any, did John the Baptist play in seeing that human beings have fellowship with God?
Applying the Scripture
What would be the best single action you could carry out in order to increase your fellowship with God and/or others as a result of reading today’s Scripture?
Fellowship - God's Desire to be in Relationship With Us!
If any reality points out God’s desire to be in fellowship with us, it’s Jesus’ coming to the earth! Jesus, The Word, who became flesh and lived among us proves that God will go to any length in order to have fellowship with us. Human sin separates us from God. God is holy and just as well as loving, so God cannot look upon us in our fallen state as sinners. Since we could not eradicate the sin from our lives, Jesus came to carry out the task Himself! In the process Jesus showed each of us what it means to have fellowship with God. Jesus constantly referred to the close relationship with God, whom He called “Father,” making it clear to us that we may, indeed, have fellowship with Him. God is not some inapproachable, omniscient being. God is our Heavenly Father. We may come to Him in times of joy or sorrow. We may shake our fists at Him when we’re angry. We may relate with Him, because He is in fellowship with us, through Jesus. What a true gift we have received from God in His Son, Jesus. And what an amazing reality that we may know the very presence of God through His Spirit in our lives. As we move into this Christmas season, may we pause frequently to consider the implications of Jesus’ coming to the earth as an infant so long ago. He came to restore fellowship between heaven and earth! As we gather with friends and loved ones during this season, may we include God in the fellowship. In that way, the season will have its fullest meaning, and we will honor Christmas as a celebration of Jesus’ birth.
To view other studies from the Why We Celebrate Christmas series, click here.