Prayer To Receive The Christ Child This Christmas Day

Christmas Day – Promise Kept

"With God, nothing will be impossible."  This is what the angel told Mary when he announced God's intention to have her give birth to His Son, Jesus.  Mary discovered that these words were possible on the night of Jesus’ birth just over 2000 years ago.  Even before she held Baby Jesus in her arms, her response to God's choice for her life was an ecstatic song, flooded with praises to God and full of confidence in God's promise to accomplish His purposes through her, a humble Jewish girl.

Oh, how my soul praises the Lord.  How my spirit rejoices in God my Savior! For he took notice of his lowly servant girl, and from now on all generations will call me blessed. For the Mighty One is holy, and he has done great things for me.

He shows mercy from generation to generation to all who fear him. His mighty arm has done tremendous things! He has scattered the proud and haughty ones. He has brought down princes from their thrones and exalted the humble.

He has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away with empty hands. He has helped his servant Israel and remembered to be merciful. For he made this promise to our ancestors, to Abraham and his children forever.  Luke 1:46-55

God is righteous, and His wisdom is infinite.  There’s nothing harsh or unkind in God’s nature.  We were created to be like God but sin spoiled God’s creation.  However we've gathered or stayed apart as we celebrate Christmas in 2020, we have experienced both the joy of God's goodness and the sadness of our own failures and limitations.  We say and do things that disappoint and anger one another. 

We truly are sinful broken people living in a sinful broken world.  The joy of the Christmas story is that Jesus came to earth to show us God’s love and to provide a way for us to be free from sin and brokenness.

When Jesus was on earth He paid special attention to the poor, the despised, the hurt, and the sinful.  He rejected no one.  He ignored no one.  God hasn’t changed.  No one is beyond the scope of God’s love or His ability to save. When our lives seem most unmanageable and we feel that no one cares, we need to remind ourselves that God both understands and cares. 

The birth of Jesus is God's message to us that He loves and tenderly cares about each one of us.  Whatever it takes to provide healing and restoration in our lives, God will supply. Along with Mary, we can safely turn our will and our lives over to His care.

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.  God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.  Romans 6:23, Ephesians 2:8

Many new devices and gadgets received as gifts will need to have batteries installed or powered up.  The new life God is offering us requires that we invite Jesus into our lives and connect to His power through the Holy Spirit.  Each day, as we meditate on His word in the Bible, God will teach us how our lives are meant to be lived and will support and direct us as we seek Him in all our ways.

The Lord says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life.  I will advise you and watch over you.  Psalm 32:8

Heavenly Father, Thank you for the gift of new life You are offering me through Jesus. with You, nothing is impossible.  No matter how hard we've tried to be good and do things right or whether we know we've really skidded off the path and fallen into a pit, we turn to you today because we know we need You.  That's why You were born, because we needed You.  We needed forgiving.  We needed healing.  We needed new life.  We needed relationship with our Heavenly Father. 

And so today we celebrate this Christmas by receiving the gift You paid so much to provide for us.  We are willing to have You come and take over control of our lives and make us truly alive, to guide and direct us in all our ways going forward, and to live the life of peace and joy we so long for that the Christmas story so fills us with hope and longing to experience.  Thank you for this free gift.  We give ourselves to You in grateful response. Amen

Joy to the world the Lord is come.  Let earth receive her king,  Let every heart prepare Him room and heaven and nature sing.

Merry Christmas friends.  Emmanuel.  God is with us.