Bible Studies
Lighting the Candle of Love
READER #1: "17With your hand, strengthen the one you have chosen for yourself. 18Then we will not turn away from you. Give us life again, and we will call to you for help. 19Lord God All-Powerful, take us back. Show us your kindness so we can be saved." (PSALM 80:17-19)
READER #2: "When we recognize God as Creator, we will admire Him. When we recognize His wisdom, we will learn from Him. When we discover His strength, we will rely on Him. But only when He saves us will we worship Him."1
READER #1: "Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel." (ISAIAH 7:14)
READER #2: And God is with us. He has come into our lives in the most common and un-glorious way. God is with us in the every day moments of our lives. God is with us at home, school, and church. God is with us when we work and when we play. God is with us. God is with us. Immanuel! God IS with us.
READER #1: "18This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about. His mother Mary was engaged to marry Joseph, but before they married, she learned she was pregnant by the power of the Holy Spirit. 19While Joseph thought about these things, an angel of the Lord came to him in a dream… 24When Joseph woke up, he did what the Lord's angel had told him to do." (MATTHEW 1:18-19, 24)
READER #2: Each Christmas we listen to the story of how the birth of Jesus came about. It is a miraculous story. But the true miracle lies deep within our hearts. Like Joseph, once we hear the Good News of Jesus birth, we are to wake up, go out into the world, and do the things the Lord would have us do.
READER #1: "2This Good News was promised long ago by God through His prophets in the holy Scriptures. 3It is the Good News about His Son, Jesus, who came as a man, born into King David's royal family line. 4And Jesus Christ our Lord was shown to be the Son of God when God powerfully raised Him from the dead by means of the Holy Spirit." (ROMANS 1:2-4)
READER #2: In the bustle of life, especially during Christmas, a time filled with extra projects and overly full to-do lists, it is easy to forget the basics of Christian life. Today, as we light the Candle of Love, (Light the fourth Candle) we take time from our busy days to reflect on God's amazing gesture of love. His love for each of us is so intense that He brought His son into the world so that we can gaze upon His perfection and come to know, first hand, what the Kingdom of Heaven is like.
Closing Prayer:
Loving Father: Everything you have done for us reveals just how much you truly love us. We can gaze upon wonderful sunsets and experience you grandeur first hand. We can listen to beautiful music and hear your glory resounding from the rafters. We can embrace friends and family and feel your love coursing through their veins. The more we come to know you, the more we realize that, above all else, you are a God of love. But today, the concept of love takes new meaning. Today we have taken time from our busy lives to reflect on that glorious story of a baby born in Bethlehem. We have gazed into the manger and have seen perfection. Of all the acts of love we will ever experience in our lives there is none greater than this. Help us remember this greatest gift of all. Help us to take this gift deep into our hearts so that with this blessing we can, in turn, go out into the world and be the blessing you are calling us to be. Above all, we thank you for your love. Through Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.
1Life Lessons - Psalms 79:1-80:19, Excerpt from "In the Eye of the Storm" by Max Lucado, "The Devotional Bible - Experiencing the Heart of Jesus," New Century Version, Thomas Nelson Bibles, ©2003 Thomas Nelson, Inc., pp 691.
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