by Kyra Daniels
Pages of reflection lay behind the pink, bedazzled cover of my journal. At the end of the day, I grabbed my journal from under my mattress and wrote about school crushes, future dreams, and secret fears. I thought if another person read its contents, I would have felt so ashamed.…
by Alexa Hess
While this prayer can be prayed individually, we encourage you to pray this prayer with a spouse, friend, or together as a family.
O God,
As we gather on this Eve of Christmas
anxiously awaiting for tomorrow to dawn,
we stop to consider the purpose of this season
While this holiday boasts of gifts made by hands,
we celebrate the ultimate Gift, Jesus
the best gift we could ever receive
As we gaze upon the twinkling lights on houses,
or the ones strung upon our tree,
we remember that the Light of the World has come
Although our world is desperately broken—
tainted by sin, sickness, conflict, and fear—
we rejoice that our Prince of Peace has come
Almighty God, the birth of Your Son was Your plan
Promised to ancestors past, sustained by Your grace,
fulfilled by Your faithfulness alone
We praise You, we bless You, we glorify You
for giving us Jesus
The true reason for this season
This world boasts in joy rooted in the perfect home
or the number of presents underneath the tree
We too can find ourselves consumed with these things
Often, we can find that our imagination has been captured
By what the world celebrates and desires this season
O God, humble our hearts
Often we can find ourselves jealous and discontent
Coveting the experiences or possessions of another
O God, humble our hearts
Keep us from being swayed by the consumerism of this season
Guard our minds from fixating on worldly gain
Help us focus on the purpose of Christmas
For this season is not about what we gain—
the perfect meal, the perfect house, or the perfect gift
This season is about Jesus
So as we gather together, awaiting tomorrow’s day
Let us rejoice over the baby born in Bethlehem
Come, let us adore Him
He left His throne to dwell with us
Come, let us adore Him
He took on flesh to be like us
Come, let us adore Him
He healed the sick and forgave the sinner
Come, let us adore Him
He offered mercy and grace to those in fear
Come, let us adore Him
He remained sinless and obedient, a perfect spotless lamb
Come, let us adore Him
He took our punishment upon the cross
Come, let us adore Him
He rose again in victory
Come, let us adore Him
His wondrous light has broken through our darkness
Come, let us adore Him
Jesus, may we be humble as you were humble
for you did not come to serve but to be served,
and did not come to gain but to give away
Jesus, may we love like you love
for you moved toward the broken and the hurting
and cared for those in need
Help us remember the angels’ song of good news of great joy
Sung thousands of years ago,
for the song of the gospel is greater than any carols we could sing
Fill our hearts with this song this Christmas
May it be on our minds as we awake in the morning
and on our lips throughout the day
Above all that we feel this good news this Christmas,
May we feel gratitude for the salvation we have received
and joy over our relationship with You
And when the day is done—
when all the gifts have been unwrapped, and we are tucked into our beds tight—
may we awake the next day with the joy of Christmas still in our hearts
For the message of this season isn’t for a season or for one day alone
The purpose of your coming Jesus, the salvation You would go on to achieve
is a message to remember every day of our lives
But for now, prepare our hearts for Christmas day
Fill us with your love, joy, and peace
Stir our affections for You
We rejoice that You have come to us
We rejoice that You will come to us again
Amen…
