The 25 Songs of Christmas (#1 – Let It Go)

You might be Frozen but I’m not. When you are out shoveling that driveway… again. When the passing car splatters you with icky brown sludge… again. When you can’t find that stinking left hand glove… again. When your car is saying it is too cold to start… again.
Just remember to…

Starting Small

Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin. (Zechariah 4:10) Read: Zechariah 4:1-5:11, Revelation 14:1-20, Psalm 142:1-7, Proverbs 30:21-23 Relate: Small beginnings. Zechariah is talking about the beginning of the rebuilding of the Temple when God makes that prophesy through him. Those old enough were able to remember the former Temple. Those too young to…

Among You… Crazy As That Sounds

 The Lord says, “Shout and rejoice, O beautiful Jerusalem,  for I am coming to live among you. Many nations will join themselves to the Lord on that day, and they, too, will be my people. I will live among you, and you will know that the Lord of Hosts sent me to you. (Zechariah 2:10-11)…

You Got Your Days Wrong

Think about this eighteenth day of December, the day when the cornerstone of the Lord’s Temple was laid. Think carefully. I am giving you a promise now while the seed is still in the barn. You have not yet harvested your grain, and your grapevines, fig trees, pomegranates, and olive trees have not yet produced their crops. But from…

Don’t be Afraid

On that day the announcement to Jerusalem will be, “Cheer up, Zion! Don’t be afraid! For the Lord your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.” Read: Zephaniah 1:1-3:20, Revelation…

In Silence

But the Lord is in his holy Temple. Let all the earth be silent before him. (Habakkuk 2:20 NLT) Read: Habakkuk 1, Habakkuk 2, Habakkuk 3, Revelation 9, Psalms 137:1-9, Proverbs 30:10 Relate: In a crowd, silence is a rare experience. This is why it is so striking when it occurs. Walking through the Holocaust Museum…

Weeping Fathers

But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, are only a small village among all the people of Judah. Yet a ruler of Israel, whose origins are in the distant past, will come from you on my behalf. (Micah 5:2) Read: Micah 5:1-7:20, Revelation 7:1-17, Psalm 135:1-21, Proverbs 30:5-6 Relate: “But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, are only a small village among all the people of Judah. Yet a…

Wise Men Still Seek Him

People from many nations will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of Jacob’s God. There he will teach us his ways, and we will walk in his paths.” For the Lord’s teaching will go out from Zion; his word will go out from Jerusalem. (Micah…

Heaven Interrupted

Day after day and night after night they keep on saying, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty— the one who always was, who is, and who is still to come.” Whenever the living beings give glory and honor and thanks to the one sitting on the throne (the one who lives forever and…

The First Christmas Gift

Then I said, “O Sovereign Lord, please forgive us or we will not survive, for Israel is so small.” So the Lord relented from this plan. “I will not do it,” he said. (Amos 7:2,3) Read: Amos 7:1-9:15, Revelation 3:7-22, Psalm 131:1-3, Proverbs 29:23 Relate: How do you display mercy without compromising justice? This is the problem Amos was confronted with in…