Articles Tagged 'Christmas' (Page 2)

Unlikely Heroes Who Sacrifice

by James Nored & Phil Ware · Philippians 2:1-11

James Nored and Phil Ware remind us of that inner part of us that still bears the stamp of God's divine nature, the part that is touched by stories of self-sacrifice.

Their flesh yearned for a mighty conqueror who would slay their enemies. Jesus made it clear that he would not be that kind of hero!

Jesus Came to Be One of Us! (SOR 4.1)

by James Nored & Phil Ware · Matthew 1 · Jesus

James Nored and Phil Ware remind us to push past the glittering lights of Christmas and see that God came to be one of us in the gritty and dangerous birth of Jesus of Nazareth to a virgin named Mary and her faithful to Torah husband to be, Joseph the car

God didn't come to our world as a heavenly tourist with special arrangements to keep him safe and to give him special treatment in his journey through mortality with all its grit and danger.

The Birth of Jesus

by The Holy Spirit · Matthew 1:18-25

This is the Biblical account of Jesus' birth from Matthew 1 and Luke 2 from the NIV 11 version of the Holy Scriptures.

Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.

Merry Christmas

by Heartlight Team · Luke 2 · Christmas

A Christmas prayer from the teams at Heartlight.org and verseoftheday.com.

We Wish You a Very Warm and Happy Christmas!

He Came to a World We Know

by Phil Ware · Hebrews 12:1-3 · Incarnation

Phil Ware reminds us that the grit and gore that surrounds Jesus' birth is there to help us know that he came to a world like our own to redeem it.

Jesus entered a world we recognize as our own. He did it to redeem us from the messes we have brought on ourselves.

Advent: Drawing Near to Jesus in December

by Phil Ware · John 1:1-18 · Advent

Phil Ware shares the Heartlight.org team's reading plan for December to help prepare our hearts to welcome Jesus.

God came to earth as Jesus of Nazareth. God chose to come to us as one of us.

Unlikely Heroes

by James Nored & Phil Ware · Philippians 2:5-11 · Hero

James Nored and Phil Ware remind us of that inner part of us that still bears the stamp of God's divine nature, the part that is touched by stories of self-sacrifice.

Their flesh yearned for a mighty conqueror who would slay their enemies. Jesus made it clear to Peter that he was not that kind of hero!

Teach Us to Pray 09: Recalibrating Need

by Phil Ware · Matthew 6:9-13 · Negative · Need, Bread

Phil Ware with Andy Johnson remind us that our prayer is for the bread we need today, not the extravagance we want for ourselves.

Our prayers often treat God as if he is the free Amazon delivery service for our every whim and want.

Jesus Came to Be One of Us!

by James Nored & Phil Ware · Matthew 1:18-25 · Incarnation

James Nored and Phil Ware remind us to push past the glittering lights and see that God came to be one of us in the birth of Jesus of Nazareth.

How can God know experientially how hard life can sometimes be for us?

Christmas Ends Where It Begins

by Phillip Morrison · Matthew 2:1-23

Phillip Morrison reminds us that the Magi, the Wise Men, came later on after Jesus was older; but rather than this putting a damper on our Christmas, we need to use this truth to extend our Christmas past the first of the year.

12 days of Christmas are not about calling birds and lords a leaping, but about an extended celebration of Christmas.

What I Don't Remember about Christmas

by · John 1:10-11 · Christmas

Jordan shares this powerful post that was highlighted on The Today Show with our Heartlight.org audience.

Jesus picked this beginning because he knew our idols would someday reek of perfectionism and opulence, of measuring up and looking the part, of vanity.

Far Beyond the Monotony of Low Expectations

by Phil Ware · Luke 1 · Jesus · Christmas · Advent

Phil Ware reminds us to celebrate Advent and not simply settle for Christmas.

Advent is rooted in the work of God in history through real people to do the miraculous in the most human of things, the birth of a child.

Prepare Him Room

by Phil Ware · Mark 1:1-6 · Christmas · Advent

Phil Ware shares how Mark's gospel, which doesn't even mention the birth of Jesus, fits into the Advent season.

'Prepare Him room': Inviting Jesus to reign in our hearts is how the strange beginning of the Gospel of Mark fits into the Advent season.

On Tiptoes with Angels

by Phil Ware · 1 Peter 1:11-12

Phil Ware begins a five-part series on Jesus at Christmas. This week is focused on waiting for Jesus to come.

Christmas, like the coming of Jesus, is about waiting!

Every Heart a Manger

by Max Lucado · Revelation 3:20 · Christmas

Max Lucado reminds us to make our heart a manger and every day Christmas.

Have you invited him in?

The Story of Our Savior's Birth

by Scripture · Matthew 1

Jesus' birth stories from Matthew and Luke are shared in straight Scripture from The Voice Bible.

Sometimes we just need to hear the familiar story told simply with fresh words.

Jesus or Religion?

by Phil Ware · Matthew 2:1-23 · Jesus · Christmas

Phil Ware reminds us that in the familiar story of the wise men is a challenging and life-changing question we must all answer with our choices and with our lives.

Am I more like the wise men who passionately sought to find Jesus or the religious leaders who chose their traditions, positions, and power over Jesus?

The Perfect Tree

by Max Lucado · 1 Corinthians 6:20 · Christmas

Max Lucado reminds us that just as we carefully pick out the perfect Christmas tree, God has carefully chosen and placed us.

The search is on for the perfect Christmas tree!

Jesus, Be Born in Me

by Phil Ware · Matthew 1:28-35 · Jesus · Christmas · Mary, Jesus' Mother

Phil Ware reminds us of the gritty reality of Jesus' birth and Mary choosing to accept the challenge of being Jesus' mother and reminds us of our need to commit to have Jesus born in our lives.

Like Mary, we don't know fully what we are committing to do, but we know that our ultimate destination is Jesus.

Christ our Hope!

by Max Lucado · John 1:11-13 · Christmas

Max Lucado reminds us that Christ is our hope and that we can invite him into our lives anew, and to stay, this Christmas.

You offer the invitation, and Jesus brings the blessing!

Indescribable

by Phil Ware · Acts 20:35 · Christmas · Giving · Generosity

Phil Ware shares a quick thank you for all who have donated and then focuses on establishing a new tradition of teaching his grandchildren to share what they have with others.

Wow! What a precious addition to our Christmas with these boys. We hope to do something like this every year.

Until...

by Phil Ware · 1 Corinthians 11:26

Phil Ware reminds us that The Lord's Supper is not a time to just look back, but also a time of great anticipation and eager expectation for the Lord's return.

We wait in eager expectation until we share in our reunion with Jesus in glory!

Merry Christmas!

by Phil Ware · Matthew 1:23 · Christmas

Phil Ware shares a Merry Christmas greeting from all of the Heartlight.org and VerseoftheDay.com family.

Our prayer is that the Lord Jesus and his abiding presence can be real to you during this special season of grace and joy.

The Christmas Interruption

by Max Lucado · Luke 2 · Christmas

Max Lucado reminds us that the first Christmas was one big gigantic interruption in the life of unknown shepherds.

Pause and let God speak hope rather than giving way to fear and panic.

Give Me Jesus: Now

by Phil Ware · Matthew 2 · Christmas

This is part of a 4 part series on Jesus' birth called, "Give Me Jesus," and this one focuses on finding him now.