Sunday, December 24, 2017

Merry Christmas!

by Andrea Renee Cox

As we gather with our families to celebrate our Savior, Jesus Christ, let us remember our heavenly Father's divine design to bring us back home to His Presence.


The Fellowship

"So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him;
male and female He created them."
Genesis 1:27

"And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day."
Genesis 3:8a

The Fall

"So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate.
She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate."
Genesis 3:6

"Therefore the Lord God sent him out of the garden of Eden
to till the ground from which he was taken."
Genesis 3:23

The Prophecy

"For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given;
and the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor,
Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."
Isaiah 9:6

The Birth

"And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths,
and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn."
Luke 2:7

The Calling

"Then He said to them, 'Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.'"
Matthew 4:19

The Teaching

"Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life,
and there are few who find it."
Matthew 7:14

"Therefore whoever confesses Me before men,
him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven."
Matthew 10:32

"Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child
is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven."
Matthew 18:4

"Jesus said to him, ' "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind." This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." ' "
Matthew 22:37-39

"Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect."
Matthew 24:44

The Sacrifice

"Then they crucified Him."
Matthew 27:35a

"And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit."
Matthew 27:50


The Burial

"When Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth,
and laid it in his new tomb which he had hewn out of the rock;
and he rolled a large stone against the door of the tomb, and departed."
Matthew 27:59-60

The Resurrection

"And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat on it."
Matthew 28:2

"He is not here; for He is risen, as He said."
Matthew 28:6a

The Homecoming

"And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, 'Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.' Then He who sat on the throne said, 'Behold, I make all things new.' And He said to me, 'Write, for these words are true and faithful.' And He said to me, 'It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son.' "
Revelation 21:3-7

"And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him. They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads. There shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever."
Revelation 22:3-5



Note: All verses borrowed from the New King James version of the Bible.

~~~


What is your favorite Christmas carol?

What is your favorite Christmas tradition?


Join the conversation!
I love hearing from you.
Like this article? Share it!
Want more? Follow by e-mail.


Last chance! If you're participating in my Autumn 2017 Reading Challenge, visit this page to let me know which book you've read for each category.

We will have new monthly challenges in 2018, so please visit Writing to Inspire again soon for more information. The first one heads your way on January 1, 2018.


4 comments:

Paula Shreckhise said...

Thanks Andrea! Yes we need to remember that the first advent leads through the cross to the second advent! The blessed hope of being with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit for all of eternity. Blessings!

Andrea Cox said...

Paula, thank you for your encouragement. This was my favorite article to write all year, and I loved collaborating on it with God through prayer. I hope you had a happy Christmas.

Rebekah said...

Can I still wish you a late Merry Christmas? ;)

Here's the information for my Reading Challenge. http://readanotherpage.com/2018-spring-reading-challenge And I'm looking forward to seeing your new one!

Andrea Cox said...

Of course! Merry Christmas to you too! Your reading challenge looks like great fun. How do I sign up? I didn't see a comment section.