God remembers. God keeps his promises. That’s what Zechariah’s and Elizabeth’s names mean in the Hebrew. If we can remind ourselves that God remembers us, maybe like Zechariah we can believe in the impossible. He hasn’t forgotten you. He knows your needs. He hears your prayers.
Ask yourself this Christmas: How is God inviting you to reject the lie that somehow, he has forgotten you? Do you see that the miraculous good news of Christmas is for you, too? Ask yourself: Do you believe God keeps his promises? If we can remember that God keeps his promises, maybe like Elizabeth we can rejoice. Ask yourself this Christmas: Where is God wanting to produce joy in your life? Have you taken a moment recently to look around at all the good things God has done for you – even if you don’t have everything you want? Think of Elizabeth’s ministry to Mary: who in your life needs a hug or a word of encouragement? Christmas changes everything. This Christmas, let’s not be bystanders at the Nativity. Let’s be present.
Advent. The word comes from the Latin verb “to come.” In the church, we use it to describe the Christmas season: the time of God drawing near. But in our much too busy schedules, our time shopping (online and in malls), and our ever-increasing debt, it is easy to miss Him. This year, instead of being bystanders to the nativity, what if we became participants in the story? Present in Bethlehem is a sermon series inviting you to move from observer to participant this Christmas. Let this beautiful story change you.
