December 11
Bible Verses Covered
Devotion: Psalm 145 reminds us, "the Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love." As parents, this is what we all aspire to. To be the loving father and mother to our children that we know God is to us. This psalm uses rich imagery to praise "the glorious splendor of God's majesty". Reading it made our kids think about the wonder of all that God created, especially animals.
One of their favorite pieces of mail to receive during December is, "The world's most important catalog” from Heifer International. Along with all the toy catalogs I keep asking not to receive (but keep showing up in our mailbox) I am happy that they are excited to receive this one. In this catalog you can choose to send animals as gifts to people all over the developing world. They will use these animals to provide income and a source of livelihood for their families; bees for honey, goats for milk, chickens for eggs, a water buffalo for plowing and the list goes on. We love picking out animals as presents for their grandparents each year. "We're giving a gift to Nana, whose gift is a gift to a child who needs something. So it is like we're passing the gift on to each person," explained our daughter. "The presents remind me that God loves me, because they are an expression of God's love" said our son.
This is what God did for us through Jesus' birth. God passed on the gift of grace and forgiveness to all the people of the world. This is what Christmas is all about.
Prayer: Loving God, amidst all the preparations and parties, the celebrations and singing, help us to stay centered on the true meaning of Christmas. We thank you for the greatest gift you have given to us, the birth of Jesus. Help us to pass Jesus' gift of love and grace on to others. Amen.
Devotion: Psalm 145 reminds us, "the Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love." As parents, this is what we all aspire to. To be the loving father and mother to our children that we know God is to us. This psalm uses rich imagery to praise "the glorious splendor of God's majesty". Reading it made our kids think about the wonder of all that God created, especially animals.
One of their favorite pieces of mail to receive during December is, "The world's most important catalog” from Heifer International. Along with all the toy catalogs I keep asking not to receive (but keep showing up in our mailbox) I am happy that they are excited to receive this one. In this catalog you can choose to send animals as gifts to people all over the developing world. They will use these animals to provide income and a source of livelihood for their families; bees for honey, goats for milk, chickens for eggs, a water buffalo for plowing and the list goes on. We love picking out animals as presents for their grandparents each year. "We're giving a gift to Nana, whose gift is a gift to a child who needs something. So it is like we're passing the gift on to each person," explained our daughter. "The presents remind me that God loves me, because they are an expression of God's love" said our son.
This is what God did for us through Jesus' birth. God passed on the gift of grace and forgiveness to all the people of the world. This is what Christmas is all about.
Prayer: Loving God, amidst all the preparations and parties, the celebrations and singing, help us to stay centered on the true meaning of Christmas. We thank you for the greatest gift you have given to us, the birth of Jesus. Help us to pass Jesus' gift of love and grace on to others. Amen.