Christmas Songs - Psalm 101:1

Psalm 101:1 I will sing of your love and justice; to you, Lord, I will sing praise. (NIV)

            It’s that special time of year when we hear a lot of wonderful songs that we have learned and loved each Christmas. Whether we’re in church or at a mall, working at home or driving our car, we’re probably listening to carols and popular songs which stir our feelings and cause us to sing along with our favorite singers. As I write this, I’m listening to crooners like Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, and Bing Crosby sing some golden oldies, as well as enjoying country singers like Reba, Shania Twain, and Dolly Parton perform some well-loved hymns and new songs for Christmas. It’s a pleasant experience and makes me thankful to God for the gifts and talents of both singers and songwriters who keep alive the Spirit of Christmas.

            Today’s highlighted Bible verse reminds us that our traditional Christmas hymns celebrate God’s love and justice. As scripture elsewhere proclaims, God loves humanity so much that He sent Jesus into the world to save us from our sins and stop us being eternally separated from God. His justice is also shown through the unmerited gifts of mercy and grace – God gives us more than we deserve and accepts us more than we can ever achieve. So, when we hear or sing the songs of Christmas, we can actually feel God’s delight in healing humanity of unholiness and lovingly restoring us to His Kingdom.

Point to ponder

What is my favorite Christmas hymn? How does it express to me God’s love and justice?

Prayer: Lord God, thank You for this wonderful time of year when we celebrate the birth of Your Son and look forward to the moment when He will return among us. Fill our hearts with Your favor and love to enable us to share those gifts with everyone we encounter during this beautiful season of joy and goodwill. In Christ’s Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. Come and join us for worship on Sundays at 11:00 AM – you’ll be made very welcome. If you’ve felt blessed by this devotional, you can make an online donation to the church at this link: Erin Gifts.

Today’s image is one of John’s latest Christmas drawings called “Bliss.” If you would like to view a larger version, please click this link: Bliss.

Advent devotions: Heart of the Holidays - Galatians 1 v 11

Galatians 1:11            I want you to know, brothers, that the gospel I preached is not something that man made up.

There are so many fables and stories, customs and events attached to our current celebrations of Christmas that it is sometimes hard to distinguish what is real, important, and true. We spend so much energy and effort in promoting, upholding, and supporting Christmas traditions that we frequently forget the simple Gospel message at the heart of our holidays.

Most of the things that we do around this time of year have really no Gospel connection to the miraculous birth of Christ. We get so wrapped up with wrapping gifts up that we miss God’s message to the world: we can experience everlasting hope, the forgiveness of sins, and the promise of eternal peace with God through Jesus.

We can make ourselves ill with the burdens that we place upon ourselves. We can exhaust ourselves emotionally by trying to make everything perfect for everyone else. Instead of allowing Christ to be the Burden Bearer of our worries and the Perfecter of our peace, we busily battle our way through the commercial rush and allow peer pressure to dictate our lives.

Christmas was never meant to be like that. The Holy Mass of Christ was supposed to be a sacred time when we allowed Jesus to be the Light of our world and the Healer of our sorrows. He came to show us that life can sometimes be a delusion, and that we often deceive ourselves with our busy-ness. We really need Him at this special time, not only to save us from our sins, but also to save us from ourselves.

The gladness and goodness of the Gospel at Christmas is a glorious God-given opportunity when we can truly experience a little of the joys of Heaven on Earth through welcoming Christ into our hearts and homes. After all, when everything is said and done and our finite lives draw to a close, it won’t be the fables, customs, and traditions of Christmas that will get us into God’s Eternal presence; it will only be Jesus Christ our Savior, Lord, and King who can do that for us.

Prayer:                        Lord Jesus, as we advance into another season of food, festivities, fables and films which will strain our finances, remind us that faith in You and true fellowship with God are the most important parts of Christmas. Keep us from burdening our lives and loved ones with trinkets and tinsel, delusions and decorations that have no everlasting value. Remind us that You are the Heart of our holidays and the Center of our celebrations. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s message, please send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.

Today’s image is one of John’s 2010 Christmas drawings. It’s called “Christmas Candles.” You can view a larger version at the following link:

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4133/5119623018_6b4a062826_b.jpg