Category: Christmas

Jesus Is the Reason for the Season

Posted on by Susan Panzica
My friend, Susan Reinhardt, from Christian Writer/Reader Connection is sharing today’s message, a most excellent reminder to keep the main thing, the main thing.
Jesus Is the Reason for the Season



Growing up, my parents and I attended church a distance from our home. I recall waiting for buses and subways in the middle of winter. During December, the long rides never bothered me because my face was glued to the bus window. I’d count all the houses with cheery Christmas lights.


Yet my absolute favorite scene was a beautiful, lifelike nativity in front of a massive church. Every Christmas, my mind still travels that road although I have not been there in many years.


Our church always put on a Christmas Pageant. The tiniest child got a chance to say a one-line “piece” as they called them. Some of the older kids memorized long poems. The icing on the cake was the Christmas play.


While we enjoyed the big family dinners, shopping, presents, and cards, Christmas was about Jesus’ birth. He was and is the reason for the season.

Even back then, commercialization and distraction became an issue. A Christian group put up billboards saying, “Keep Christ in Christmas.” The fact is, without him Christmas doesn’t exist. Christmas without Christ is like a birthday celebration without the birthday boy.


As we spend time with family and friends, let’s make Jesus our first priority. Start a new tradition in your house:

1. Read the Christmas story on Christmas Eve or before the Christmas meal.


2. Play Christmas Carols and sing during the season.


3. Participate in Christmas activities at church.


4. Reach out to those less fortunate. Open your home to an elderly or single friend, who’d otherwise spend Christmas alone. Buy a toy for a needy child.


5. In your devotional time, think about the wonderful gift God sent us: His precious Son.

Stressed with the many details of Christmas? Relax, and have a talk with the One born in a Bethlehem stable over 2,000 years ago.


Copyright 2009 Susan J. Reinhardt

Lord, may we take note of Christ every time we see or hear the word Christmas. May our hearts quicken with Your presence as we contemplate the real reason for the season.

Susan

10… 9… 8… 7…

Posted on by Susan Panzica

10 Days until Dec. 25th…

10 days to shop
10 days to wrap
10 days to bake
10 days to decorate
10 days to attend children’s programs
10 days to sit in traffic, wade through crowds, send cards, visit family & friends, …
10 days

Yesterday, my friend, Adriane, updated her Facebook status to say, “This Christmas season I’m trying to focus on what’s REALLY important!”

I couldn’t agree more.

10 days…

We all have the same amount of time. We can’t make time, we can only spend it.

So what can we do to focus on what’s REALLY important? Share your thoughts, what you’ve done, what you still want to do…

Lord, You are what’s REALLY important, and I pray that we would keep you in the forefront of our minds as we go about our activities over these next 10 days. Help us to eliminate unnecessary distractions, and to spend our time wisely. May You speak to us and through us.

 
Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. Eph. 5:15-17

Susan

The Real Christmas People

Posted on by Susan Panzica

I received this devotion a last month from Ron Hutchcraft’s “A Word With You”, and thought it so worthwhile to share during our 40 Day Focus.

Nate Saint, better than anyone else I know, may have captured Christmas from heaven’s perspective. I’ve stood on that beach where Nate Saint, Jim Elliott, and the others died at the hands of the Aucas. But today, the men who murdered them are leaders of the Auca Church, and many, including me, were inspired by their example to serve Christ. On the eve of his last Christmas on earth, Nate Saint wrote his perspective on Christmas, and I can’t get it out of my mind. I hope you won’t either. I believe this is the heart of God about Christmas.



Here’s what Nate Saint wrote in his journal on December 18: “May we be moved with compassion as our Lord was. May we shed tears of repentance for these we have failed to bring out of the darkness. Beyond the smiling scenes of Bethlehem, may we see the crushing agony of Golgotha. May God give us a new vision of His will concerning the lost – and our responsibility.” Twenty-one days later, Nate Saint died, attemping to rescue some of those very people.


His words are hard to hear in the middle of all our Christmas activity. Aren’t they? It’s all about a spiritual rescue mission that cost the Son of God His life. That mission was clearly spelled out to Joseph when the angel announced the coming of Jesus to him in Matthew 1:21, our word for today from the Word of God. “You are to give Him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.” The very name Jesus means “the Lord saves” – that’s “save” as in rescuers saving people from the rubble at Ground Zero, or a firefighter saving people from a burning building. Sin is the burning building we’re in, trapped with no way out – except for heaven’s Rescuer, Jesus Christ, who gave His life rescuing ours with the “crushing agony of Golgotha.”


Following Jesus means living to join Him in His rescue mission to save others.


Maybe even in these countdown days to Christmas, you can pray for God to open up some amazing opportunities to tell someone about Him – why He came, why He died, and what He does when we open our life to Him. Because Christmas is all about a rescue mission – to intervene for someone who is, in Nate Saint’s words, hurtling “headlong into a Christless night without ever having a chance.” You can be that chance.

Jesus, may we see your children as You do. Help us to have the words to share, the eyes to  see, the heart to love, to courage to reach the lost. 
 
Susan

How Can This Be?

Posted on by Susan Panzica

Has a phone call or conversation ever delivered incomprehensible news and you wondered, “How can this be?” You’re not alone…

A devout priest, Zechariah was a descendent of Aaron. When his priestly division was on duty at the Temple in Jerusalem, he was chosen to enter the Holy Place. A religious man, schooled in the Scriptures, he was in a religious place where one would expect to encounter God.


Yet, when the angel appeared to him, standing beside the altar of incense, Zechariah was gripped in fear. Gabriel comforted Zechariah, telling him not to be afraid and providing the reason for his visit. He was delivering good news. Zechariah’s elderly wife, Elizabeth, would bear them a son. Not just any son, but a son to be named John, who would be filled with the Holy Spirit and would prepare the people for the Messiah who was also coming to the world.


When Zechariah heard Gabriel’s words, he questioned him. “How can this be?” as he and his wife were well along in years and therefore could not bear a child. Gabriel discerned that Zechariah didn’t believe, and condemned him to silence until at the baby’s birth Zechariah demonstrated obedience by naming him John.

Mary also had a visit from the angel Gabriel. She wasn’t near the temple, but in a lowly village in Galilee, called Nazareth. She wasn’t schooled in the Scriptures. She was a simple devout young woman engaged to be married.

Gabriel greeted her, stating that she was highly favored and the Lord was with her. Troubled at his words (but not at the sight of him), he told her not to be afraid of what would happen to her, that she would miraculously bear a child. Hearing his words, Mary asked, “How can this be?” as a virgin cannot bear a child. Gabriel, discerning that she didn’t understand, explained to her about the Holy Spirit coming upon her, affirming that “nothing is impossible with God.” Mary responded in faith, “I am the Lord’s servant. May it be to me as you have said.”


Two appearances of the angel Gabriel
     -One is the place of highest esteem, the Temple
     -One in the lowest of villages (Can anything good come out of Nazareth? John 1:46)

Two expressing the same question, “How can this be?”
     -One an unbelieving, though devout, old man
     -One a believing, devout young woman

Two different responses by the angel to that same question
     -One was rendered speechless for at least 9 month
     -One was provided an answer to her question

So what can we glean from this?

Just because we are in a religious place doesn’t make us holy. You may have heard the saying, “Just because you are in a garage doesn’t make you a car.” Despite Zechariah’s expectation of meeting with God in the Holy Place, he was shocked and terrified at seeing the angel. Mary, however, fully experienced the presence of God in the humblest of locations. Unlike real estate, when it comes to experiencing God, physical location seems to be of little consequence.

What is of great consequence is the state of our heart. We can live a life as “devout and blameless” as Zechariah and still miss God. While it is fitting to “study to show ourselves approved,” it must not be just head-knowledge. The simple faith of a young virgin must inspire our desire to know Him, and to be willing to serve Him in whatever way He leads.

Fortunately, Zechariah’s song (Luke 1:67-79) makes it clear that he now possessed great understanding and belief in how his child would fulfill the Messianic prophesies. This encourages me to realize that even when I stumble, there always remains hope in the future to make it right.

In her song (Luke 1:46-55), Mary doesn’t appear to have the depth of comprehension that Zechariah had regarding the coming of the Messiah. What she does have is the simple understanding that she is blessed because He was “mindful of her, His servant.”

“Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!” Luke 1:45


Do you believe that He will accomplish what He said? Then you are blessed! When we ask the Lord, “How can this be?” let us be sure to ask with the heart of Mary, believing and trusting.


Susan

Happy Chanukah!

Posted on by Susan Panzica
 
Today was the first day of Chanukah which began officially on Friday night at sundown. Chanukah was one of my favorites times growing up. 
  • Playing dreidel games! 
  • Eating potato latkes!
  • Eight nights of presents!
  • Lighting the Chanukah candles!
As the eldest child in my family, I was allowed to light the candles. The procedure was to the light tallest candle (the Shamash), and use that candle to light the others from right to left, lighting one the first night, two the next and so on for eight nights. As I lit the candles, I would say the following prayer:

 
Barukh atah Adonai, Eloheinu, melekh ha’olam
asher kidishanu b’mitz’votav v’tzivanu
l’had’lik neir shel Chanukah. (Amein)

which means:
 
 
Blessed are you, Lord, our God, sovereign of the universe
Who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us
to light the lights of Chanukkah. (Amen)

Little did I know what the menorah and its candles were a beautiful reflection of the Light of the world that was to bring me from darkness to light.

Chanukah is usually overshadowed by the many Christmas activities. It is not a particularly important Jewish festival, and not mentioned in the Old Testament. Chanukah, the Feast of Dedication is an eight day celebration commemorating the revolt and the unlikely victory of the Jewish Maccabbees over the powerful Syrian Greeks who had invaded and oppressed Israel in 167 -164 BC (the period of time between the Old and New Testaments).

Jesus observed Chanukah (John 10:20-30), and it was during this Feast that Jesus publicly declared Himself the Messiah by proclaiming “I and the Father are One.”

Celebrating Chanukah includes the telling of the story of how the Syrian ruler, Antiochus, brutally oppressed the Israelites, forbidding the practice of Judaism and descrating the Temple by sacrificing pigs on the altar. Mattathias and his 5 sons, including Judah (nicknamed Maccabbee, the Hammer), led a rag-tag army in guerilla warfare for 3 years, retreating to the hills after each battle.

Finally, the Jews defeated the mighty Syrian army and returned to Jerusalem to find the Temple all but destroyed and the oil for the lampstand gone, except for a tiny amount enough for one day. The eternal flame of the Temple Menorah, central to the worship of Israel, had been extinguished.  Although it would take eight days for the priests to consecrate more oil, by faith, they lit the Menorah. Miraculously, the one day’s supply of oil lasted those 8 days. Judah Maccabbee declared that these events would be commemorated annually at the Feast of Dedication, the Festival of Lights, Chanukah. A special menorah would be used that had nine candles, rather than the seven branched candelabra in the Temple, one for each of the eight days and one Shamash candle.

The lights of the menorah are symbolic of our relationship to Christ, the Light of the world. The tallest candle is called the Shamash which means “Servant.” The Servant candle lights the other candles. Likewise, Jesus who “came not be served, but to serve” (Mark 10:45) imparts His light to us. He is the Light of the world (John 8:12), but He says that we are the light of the world (Matt. 5:14).

The Temple no longer stands, but God’s Word declares that we are a temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 6:19) and the light of the word. How is our oil burning? Sometimes an oil change is necessary. Or perhaps we are simply a quart low. Maybe we feel like all we have left is one day’s supply. It is reassuring to remember that the Bible teaches that more oil is always available when the undying flame has been ignited in our souls.

 

Let us focus on the menorah, and remember that we have been illuminated by the Shamash, the Servant, and have an eternal supply of oil to keep the Undying Flame burning brightly in our hearts throughout the year.

 
Thank you, Jesus, for imparting Your light to us. May we reflect You, bringing light to people still in darkness. Thank you for the miracles You provided 2000 years ago, and still provide today.
 
Susan

Where You Gonna Get Your Fill?

Posted on by Susan Panzica

Many thanks to Laurie Hock for this excellent post. After reading it, I just want to yell, “Fill ‘er up!” Laurie and I met at She Speaks, and we are now part of a writer’s critique group. She is a dynamic ball of fire for the Lord.

The weeks leading up to Christmas are best described as…full. Christmas parties, decorating, purchasing gifts, performances, programs, and other unmentioned clamor. There’s no arguing our holidays are jam-packed, plum full, stuffed to the max. But let’s pause for a moment and ask ourselves, “What what kind of fillers are these?”


Our hearts, souls, and minds naturally need to be filled, but with what? God created us with a need for Him, a hunger for the Holy. This hunger has been misinterpreted in our rush-rush culture of over-scheduled and overtired men, women, and children.

The majority of us aren’t getting “full” on daily doses of the presence of God, nor by fellowshipping with Him through prayer and praise. Instead, most of us end up stuffing our lives with commitments, busyness, and a lot of other eternal unnecessaries. These earthly and temporal fillers are fake. They distract us from our true God-given purpose. These can never satisfy us the way God can.


Fake fillers end up making our schedules fat but leave our souls starving.


We can’t afford to spend our energy filling up on temporal things while sacrificing intimacy with God. The world is stacked with alternative fillers the devil has disguised as good and seemingly godly. These may indeed be good things. But when these activities and obligations fill us up before we give God a chance to, we’re going to be running on empty. We’re not full at all in the way we should be. These fake fillers tend to take more out of us than they give to us.

God desires His children to depend upon Him. He is our ultimate satisfaction. He is the eternal fullness available for us to experience everyday here on earth and forever after. God is the answer to our every need and desire. Our hunger for Him must be quenched above all else. We must look to Him to get our daily fill.


It sounds spectacular to be filled by God, but perhaps intimidating, right? How do you begin to develop and deepen a relationship with Almighty God so He can fill you up? How does He become your fulfillment, your everything?

Psalm 81:10 gives insight. “I am the Lord your God…Open wide your mouth and I will fill it” (NIV).

It’s that simple. God asks us to ask Him. He responds with the promise He will fill what we set before Him. He is our satisfier. God exists to be our Father, our Provider, our Wisdom, our Grace and Guide. He holds all the answers, all the peace, and all of time. What better place to fill up?



Can you think of anything else that can offer you such satisfaction? Will you let God be your fill today? He will fill you up when you make time for Him. God fills us up when we start our day with prayer and praise. God fills us up when we show His love to His people.

God fills us up as we read, meditate on, and proclaim His Word and truth each day. God fills us up as we listen to songs offering Him worship and adoration. God will fill each of us the way He knows we uniquely need. To activate His loving power, we must tell Him that He’s where we want to get our fill. We must offer Him our heart, our time, our lives.

How do you need to rearrange the days leading up to the holidays so you can be full of God, His patience and love instead of stress, frustration and anxiety? Tell me… where you gonna get your fill today?

Laurie Hock

Years ago, my husband, Tony, wrote a song titled, Fill Me Up. Some of the lyrics are: “Fill me up, Holy Spirit. Fill my life to overflowing… that I might be a reflection of Your love.”

Lord, Fill me up to the brim with Your truth, Your Word, Your peace, Your presence… that I might overflow and be a reflection of Your love. Thank you, Jesus, that You desire to fill us with Yourself.

Susan

Live Nativity

Posted on by Susan Panzica

For those in NJ/NY, you are invited to attend an outdoor Live Nativity. Pictured above are my son, AJ as Joseph, and Sophie Boland as Mary. There is music, live animals (& petting zoo), refreshments. It’s a wonderful opportunity to experience the sights and sounds of the 1st Christmas in Bethlehem so long ago.

When:   Saturday, Dec. 12 @ 7:00 pm
              Sunday, Dec. 13 @ 6:30 pm

Where: High Mountain Church, 681 High Mountain Rd., North Haledon, NJ
For additional information, call the church at (973)427-2575.

If you don’t live nearby, check your local churches to see if there is a similar event in your area. It’s a wonderful experience for the whole family, and a great opportunity to invite friends who don’t know the Lord. Make the most of every opportunity … Eph. 5:16

Susan

The Real White Christmas

Posted on by Susan Panzica

Here’s a post of mine from last year:



Bing Crosby may have been dreaming of a white Christmas, but Jesus can make it a reality for you.




“Come now, let us reason together,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be white as snow.” Isaiah 1:18



Scarlet was the color of a deep-red permanent dye, virtually impossible to remove from clothing. The stain of sin may seem equally permanent, but God can remove sin’s stain from our life just as He promised to do for the Israelites. God’s Word assures us that if we are willing and obedient (v.19), God will forgive and remove our most indelible stains. He will make us “as clean as freshly fallen snow” (NLT).




“Cleanse me, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.” Psalm 51:7 Because David was truly repentent for committing adultery and murder, God mercifully forgave him. No sin is too bad to be forgiven! Sometimes, I feel separated from God because of having done something wrong. Do you? Well, nothing could be further from the truth. God is waiting for us to confess and repent, to “come clean” as the saying goes, so He can make us truly clean and restore that close fellowship that He longs to have with us.


May this Christmas be one of reconcilation with the God who emptied Himself, took on the appearance of a human and the position of a servant, died the death of a criminal – the death that we deserved, then rose from the dead in total victory! (see Phil. 2)

Oh Little Town of Bethlehem

O little town of Bethlehem,
How still we see thee lie!
Above thy deep and dreamless sleep
The silent stars go by;
Yet in thy dark streets shineth
The everlasting Light;
The hopes and fears of all the years
Are met in thee tonight.
 

For Christ is born of Mary,
And gathered all above,
While mortals sleep, the angels keep
Their watch of wondering love.
O morning stars, together
Proclaim the holy birth!
Praises sing to God the King,
And peace to men on earth.

How silently, how silently,
The wondrous gift is given!
So God imparts to human hearts
The blessings of his heaven.
No ear may hear his coming,
But in this world of sin,
Where meek souls will receive him, still
The dear Christ enters in.
Where children pure and happy
Pray to the blessed Child,

O holy Child of Bethlehem!
Descend to us, we pray;
Cast out our sin and enter in,
Be born in us today.
We hear the Christmas angels
The great glad tidings tell;
O come to us, abide with us,
Our Lord Emmanuel!


Susan

Have a Mighty Christmas!

Posted on by Susan Panzica

Jean Matthew Hall of Encouraging Words for Writers is sharing today’s devotion which has spoken loudly to my heart and mind.

Have a Mighty Christmas

I’m reading a little book by Ace Collins, 25 Days, 26 Ways To Make This Your Best Christmas Ever. In the reading for Day 3, Collins explores the Christmas carol “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen.” He takes a serious look at the word merry in this song. In Old English, the word could mean happy, but it had several other meanings. One of them was “mighty.”


That sets me to thinking about our greeting of “Merry Christmas.” Is that what we really want for everyone? A happy, jolly Christmas? Or do we want the people we love and respect to have a Mighty Christmas?

Do we want them to go through Christmas after Christmas laughing, singing, eating and drinking too much? Or do we want them to let God make Christmas mighty in their lives?


Do we want those around us to be caught up in all the trappings and traditions of Christmas? Or do we want them to be caught up in the saving love poured out on us by that child whose stable cradle was overshadowed by a cross?


Do we want people to simply have a Merry Christmas? Or do we want them to know the mighty power of God through Christ our Lord this Christmas? For that to happen they must surrender their hearts, their lives, and their all to Christ.


I’ve made my own little private promise to God this year. I’ve promised that each time I say a cheery “Merry Christmas” to someone, I’ll silently pray he or she’ll have a “Mighty Christmas” by accepting Christ as Savior.

Want to join me? Want to make your Merry Christmas a mighty one? Wish all those people well, but also pray for God to save their souls and change their lives into true celebrations of the Mighty Savior—to make every day Christmas in their hearts.

“For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.” Luke 2:11

Jean Matthew Hall, 2009

Lord, You are mighty, and we pray that You will be mighty in us. When we hear “merry”, may we think “mighty.”

Susan

The Right Gifts

Posted on by Susan Panzica

Today, I am grateful to Sonya at Truth 4 The Journey for this excellent post. Sonya also writes parenting pointers for Titus 2 In Action. As you read this, you’ll see why. Be sure to visit her at  http://truth4thejourney.blogspot.com.



Only 18 days remain until Christmas! Have I bought the right gifts? Have I made my lists, and checked them twice? These are common thoughts for many of us right now. We need to make Christmas special and memorable, right?


Wait! Whose birthday is it, anyhow? Most likely it’s not someone in your family or circle of friends. It’s Jesus’ birthday. So where is He on your list? After all, it is His birthday. Shouldn’t He be on your list?


I know that in today’s society we are pressured to make a list of loved ones and to put down the perfect gift idea for each one. But what if we put the name Jesus first under each loved ones name. Next, pray and ask what God would want you to give that person. I’m not talking about material things here. No, I’m talking about relational gifts.



Here are a few examples:


Christmas List:

1) My husband
a. Jesus – Pack his lunch at least once per week with a love note.


2) My daughter (toddler)
a. Jesus – Plan a play date for just the two of you and play what she wants to play.

3) My daughter (teen)
a. Jesus – Go online together to find a child to sponsor (this was her desire for Christmas this year). Then take her shopping to buy gifts for that child.


4) My daughter (tween)
a. Jesus – Put a love note from God (He inspired me to write love notes based on scriptures. If you are interested in them you can contact me) under her pillow every Monday this month.

5) My son
a. Jesus – Spend the time to read the Bible with him two nights per week.

These are a few examples from my own Christmas list. As I study the Bible, I find that God is not interested in the material things that we can give as much as the relational things. He is all about relationships and we need to put those at the top of our lists.


I pray that God will lead you and guide you this holiday season as you remember that relationships are far more important than material things.
 
Dear Lord, I thank You and Sonya for this precious reminder to keep the Giver of all gifts at the forefront of our gift-giving. Help u’s to remember that it’s relationship that is most important – with You and with each other.
 
Susan