A Moment with the Messiah: Day 15

No matter how you choose to celebrate Christ this season, let the Messiah–not the mayhem–reign in your heart. May you be richly blessed in Him!

Read: Matthew 2:1—6

1After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, ‘Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.’ 

3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born.5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:

6 “‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
    are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for out of you will come a ruler
    who will shepherd my people Israel.’

Reflect: King Herod wasn’t fond of the idea of a competing king–particularly a Jew. Furthermore, when he asked about where He was born, the chief priests and teachers of the law quoted the prophecy from Micah–yet those priests and teachers didn’t choose to go and worship. When we hear the Word, may our hearts be obedient!

Respond: Father, You have arranged my life down to the nanosecond and you’ve surrounded me with promises throughout Your Word to bring me encouragement and comfort. Help me to meditate on those truths so that when You call me to act, I am obedient.

Tot Time: Read Matthew 2:6 again. It says that Jesus will be a shepherd to people. Ask the children, “What is a shepherd? How does God shepherd your own life?”

--T

A Moment with the Messiah: Day 7

No matter how you choose to celebrate Christ this season, let the Messiah–not the mayhem–reign in your heart. May you be richly blessed in Him!

Read: Luke 2:8—12

8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

Reflect: During Jesus’ day, shepherding was not an upper-crust career. The angels first appeared to people living in fields, not city lofts. What a comfort to know that while the world influences us to “put on a good show,” God’s true desire is humility. Praise God today because He proclaimed to you the good news that caused you great joy! 

Respond: Giver of joy, how wonderful it is to declare Your truth of salvation. Thank You for the free gift of grace through Jesus and for bringing me the good news.

Tot Time: Have her or him share about exciting news she or he once received. What made that news so much fun? Parallel this idea with what the shepherds must’ve felt when the angel told them about the Messiah being born.

--T

A Moment with the Messiah: Day 2

No matter how you choose to celebrate Christ this season, let the Messiah–not the mayhem–reign in your heart. May you be richly blessed in Him!

Read: Luke 1:26—33

26In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”

29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”

Reflect: First off, you are highly favored. Favor wasn’t just for the mother of Jesus. God saw fit to seek you out and use you for His purpose, just like Mary. This was the work of the Holy Spirit in you. The Son of the Most High is not only your Savior; He sits on His throne and has granted you citizenship in His eternal kingdom. Oh, how glorious! 

Respond: Savior of the world, thank You for preparing my heart and sending Your Spirit to speak to my brokenness. You were sent to this earth for me, and I want to not only honor You as my King, but also remember that You are Most High and Most Holy. I stand in awe of You. 

Tot Time: Talk about the child’s name and how it was given to him or her. Then, teach the child how Jesus’ name means “God saves” and how God named His Son, just like the child was named. Names are a special gift and are given in love–just like God gave Jesus to the earth as an act of love.

--T

3 Days Until Advent! Choose the Messiah, not Mayhem!

Just a quick reminder that the Messiah, Not Mayhem 2017 study begins on Sunday, December 3. You have three, super simple options to join the journey this Christmas season:

1. Email (sign-up at www.divinelyinterrupted.com). If you're receiving this post via email, you're already signed up (see, you're ahead for the day...wahoo!). However, it's important you know that from December 3rd-24th, blog notifications will be sent to your inbox each morning. I typically only send studies out weekly, but because of our Christmas study, it will be daily for 22 days. We'll revert back to weekly studies starting in January when we begin Philippians. 
2. Social Media. You can follow along on Facebook or Instagram with our family as we have our time together each evening. I'll do my best to post in a timely manner, and include as much of the verse study as possible (as well as a photo). I might even "go live" on FB one night, just so you can experience the craziness behind the pictures that look oh-so-angelic. (Did I mention I have four boys? You're in for a real chaotic treat.) 
3. Download. For those of you who are perfect planners (I love you) and like to read ahead (cheaters), you can download and print the Advent study here.

Finally, I'd ask you to encourage your sphere of influence to sign-up at www.divinelyinterrupted.com and/or Follow along on a social platform. This is an opportunity to introduce others to Christ during a season when His name is mentioned more than usual, so let's guide them toward Truth. There’s nothing more this world needs than to know Christ and to have Him rooted deeply within the soul.

In Him,

--T