Thanksgiving and a Word for the Christmas season...

Happy Thanksgiving Dear Friends!! It’s been a busy season of cleaning, shopping and hosting the Thanksgiving meal. Tim graciously reminded me that the party was God’s idea. In the Old Testament, God commanded the Jews to celebrate many feasts in order to remember all God had done for them. So the Wrinkle’s followed suit, and celebrated in feast-like fashion thanking God for all He has done for us!!

Spiritually, I am thankful for His unfailing love and His undeterred pursuit of me. I am thankful for you and the journey we share through Him. I am thankful He has revealed His unconditional love for me. I am thankful He continues to teach me how to love Him.

Practically, I am thankful for hot water, dr. pepper and naps!!

I am also thankful His Spirit gives us new insights into His Word.

As we shift gears into the Christmas season, I want to share some of the insights the Spirit has given me surrounding the birth of our Savoir. I am confidant many of you have heard the story. But maybe that’s why it is so satisfying when the Spirit reveals fresh insight into a well-known passage.

You may also be familiar with the practice of some to determine God’s word for them for the year. The idea being that you ask God to reveal a word for the year that will serve as a “theme” for that year.

As I have prayed and asked God what He has for us on the blog this Christmas season, the word-theme kept coming to mind. And although I am not 100% sure as of the writing of this post what my word for the season will be, there are several themes that God keeps drawing out. I encourage you to read the first two chapters of Matthew and Luke at the beginning of the Christmas season and ask God for your word/theme. The posts this season will come from these four chapters surrounding the birth of our Savior.

Below I have presented several Word/theme ideas from these four chapters. I have expanded on the Word to demonstrate “a possible” theme.

The goal is that we ask God what truth, Word or theme He wants to draw out for us. We ask God to give us greater understanding and revelation of this theme in His Word. We ask God how He desires to manifest His Word/theme in our lives over this season of celebrating the birth of Christ.

Possible Word/themes for the Christmas Season:

Immanuel: God with us. Lord, help me to understand you what it means…God with me. Help me to see You in all I do this season. Teach me to experience Your Presence while decorating the tree, wrapping gifts, sharing meals. (“The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means ‘God with us)’. Matthew 1:23)
Favor: Lord, grant me Your favor and teach me to rest in Your favor. Lord I realize Your favor may seem difficult at first. At first glance, Your favor on Mary may have seemed like she would have been stoned because she was unwed and pregnant. But, Your favor meant so much more. Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. (Luke 1:30) Elizabeth claimed God’s favor twice–Luke (1:25; 44)
Gifts: Lord, teach me how to give gifts with intention, meaning and prophecy. Teach me how to give gifts that will point others to You and bring Your Kingdom into their lives. …presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh. (Matt. 2:11) Interestingly, these gifts had meaning and prophecy. Gold–gift for a king. Incense–gift for God. Myrrh–a burial spice.
Wise Men: Lord teach me to seek You. The wise men saw what others missed. They saw the star that leads to You. This season, don’t let me miss the things that lead to you. (Matt. 2:1-2)
Peace: Lord when you announced Christ’s birth You proclaimed glory and peace. Teach me to proclaim your peace and dwell within it. May this be a season where I rest in Your peace. …on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests. (Luke 2:14)
Joy: Your birth brought great joy. Teach me to experience your joy this season…good news of great joy…(Luke 2:10)
Belief: The holiday season can be difficult. There are many who are hurting, anxious and fearful. I see these emotions demonstrated throughout the gospel account of Christ’s birth. Every time an angel appeared announcing Your favor, people were afraid–Zechariah, Mary, Joseph, the Shepherds. Your will required hardship, sacrifice and a lot of unknowns. This season especially, Lord, teach us to put our hope, trust and BELIEF in You. Remembering despite what we see, feel or are tempted to believe…nothing is impossible with God. (Luke 1:37)
Contentment: The angel pronounced Mary’s favor with God. But God’s favor might have seemed hard for Mary. Would Joseph still marry her? Would she be stoned as the law required?? Would she be cast out?? Yet Mary said…May it be to me as you have said. (Luke 1:38) Mary was Content. She was content with what God had assigned to her in life. Lord teach me how to be content with Your will for my life in this season. Content to rest in where and what I have.
Silent or Savored: But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. (Luke 2:19) Lord teach me how to treasure and savor what You have given me. Teach me sometimes the best thing to do is to ponder things in my heart with You alone.
Blessed: Simeon’s response to encountering Christ in the temple was to bless others. Lord teach me that one of my best responses to encountering you is to BLESS others. Then Simeon blessed them…(Luke 2:34)
Worshiped/Praised/Glorified: Lord Your birth was inudated with praise and worship. Let me remember You are worthy of my praise. You alone be glorified. More than ever Lord teach me how to Worship You. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. (Matt. 2:11) Other references to worship/praise/glory-glorified: (Luke 2:20; 1:46, 1:68; 2:9; 2:14)
Generous: Although technically, this word is not mentioned in the account of Christ’s birth it is demonstrated. Christ’s birth was the most extravagant, generous gift God has ever given man. We love because He first loved us. (1 John 4:19 KJV) We give because He first gave to us. Lord You gave generously, teach me how to give generously.

God’s Word is rich. As I have studied the gospel account, I am once again amazed by the Holy Spirit’s ability to bring the same truths to new light in my life. So many of these themes are applicable for me. I realize how my understanding and willingness to let God demonstrate them in my life is limited by busyness and distractions. Lord show me this season what Word or theme from Your Word you want to bring to fruition this holiday season. Bring me into a deeper walk with You.