JOIN THE JOURNEY JR.
Families Abiding in Jesus together
With shorter reading assignments and kid-specific focus areas, Join The Journey Jr. is designed to help parents disciple their kids and engage with Scripture in the best ways for their age.
This month's memory verse
For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
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For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
10but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. 11The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! 12And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.”
13Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying,
14“Glory to God in highest heaven,
and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”
Devotion:
“Let us go … and see this thing that has happened,” the shepherds said. For the last 25 days, we’ve opened God’s Word to see all the things that happened leading up to that first Christmas day. We’ve seen the miracles God has worked for his people, the battles he has won for them, the messes that his people made that God turned around to use for good, and the promises that he’s kept. All of the stories pointed to this moment in history, that people might meet this newborn King—Jesus!
Just as God sent angels to announce the good news of Jesus’ birth to the shepherds, he speaks to us today through his Word, the Bible. Over these 25 days of Advent, we’ve seen how Scripture tells one incredible story of God’s plan to rescue his people through Jesus. We’ve read about a God who parts seas, defeats giants, restores broken families, walks with his people through fire, and cares for the weak and vulnerable. Each story reminds us of God’s faithfulness and points us to the greatest news of all: Jesus Christ, our Savior, has come!
The question for us on this Christmas day is this: Will we be like the shepherds? Yes, the shepherds listened intently to the message of the angels, and yes, they went to see Jesus wrapped in swaddling clothes in that manger. But the Bible tells us that the shepherds became messengers themselves when they returned from the stable “glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen.”
On this Christmas day, there are still many who do not really know why Christmas matters. They think Christmas is about toys, reindeer, and Santa, and they need to hear the good news of great joy that God sent his only Son to save them! Spread the good news!
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