Light a Candle | Luke 2:1-6, Isaiah 9:1-2

Christmas is coming and all this week we are going to make preparations for the celebration of our Savior’s birth.  Invite the light of Jesus into your home and into your heart. This is the first day, the first exercise, the first meditation. Jesus Christ is the light of the world. Let’s lean into this all week, beginning today.

Special thanks to Seattle’s Union Gospel Mission, for bringing us the Bible For Busy People this Christmas season!

Show Notes:

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Transcription:

Purposely your life, God’s purpose. [email protected],

When somebody you love says, I’m coming to visit, there are preparations that need to be made right? Suddenly you’re pulling down the good towels from the top shelf of your closet. You’re examining your furniture for dust, and you might even go to the store and get a beautiful, bright, fresh bouquet of flowers to put ,in the guest room because you want your guest to feel welcome and special and loved. Well, the King of Kings is coming once again. Christmas is coming and all this week on the Bible for Busy People, I’m Erica, your host by the way, we are going to make preparations for the celebration of our savior’s birth. Are you with me? Think about the Christmas Carol. We all know and love, Joy to the World.

Joy to the world. The Lord is come let earth receive her King. Let every heart prepare him room, and heaven and nature sing. And heaven and nature sing.

Okay this Christmas. What if you and I each prepare a room for Jesus in our hearts? What does that mean? Well, join me now in Luke chapter two beginning in verse one.

At that time the Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire. 2 (This was the first census taken when Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 All returned to their own ancestral towns to register for this census. 4 And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David’s ancient home. He traveled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee. 5 He took with him Mary, to whom he was engaged, who was now expecting a child.

And of course, you and I know that child to be Jesus our savior. Verse six now.

And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. 7 She gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them.

In every cute, adorable Christmas pageant that I’ve ever participated in, I was an angel when I was in first grade in Sunday school, or have ever seen when my children participated, there’s always an Innkeeper portrayed, right? A little boy or a little girl who stands with their arms crossed in front of a door and says, There’s no room in the inn. Well, the Bible never references a specific innkeeper. We can only infer from the verse that you and I just read from Luke, the gospel writer, that there was in fact an innkeeper, or maybe more than one who said, no, we have no room. And we want to be the opposite of the innkeeper this Christmas. We want to open our hearts wide. I know I do and say, “Come in, Lord Jesus.” I want to make preparations in my heart to receive him. Like this is a different Christmas. A Christmas where I am not going crazy, trying to wrap a million gifts and send out a million cards and bake a million cookies. I want this to be a deep breath Christmas. How about you? A time where the door of my heart is wide open. That my heart is clean, that I’ve gotten rid of anything that stands between God and I. Kind of like I would get rid of dust in my home if I knew somebody was coming. It’s a time to sweep my heart and your heart clean and prepare a place for the Christ child to come. Of course, God is always with us. He’s Emmanuel. That’s one of his names.

Remember when we studied it recently? Emmanuel means God is with us, but what we’re doing here near the end of the year is honoring Jesus. Instead of speeding up and going crazy, we’re going to make an effort to slow down, to remember that silent night, to feel a little heavenly peace, to just respect the fact that this was the beginning of hope for mankind and we know about it. Or maybe you’re hearing about it for the first time.

I want to invite you to join me now in Isaiah chapter nine. You remember we’ve talked about Isaiah recently too. He was one of the prophets that God chose and tapped to deliver his messages through. So, join me now, Isaiah nine verse one.

Nevertheless, that time of darkness and despair will not go on forever. The land of Zebulun and Naphtali will be humbled, but there will be a time in the future when Galilee of the Gentiles, which lies along the road that runs between the Jordan and the sea, will be filled with glory. 2 The people who walk in darkness will see a great light. For those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine.

This is Isaiah prophesying about the coming of the Lord Jesus. Remember earlier when we talked about how Joseph and Mary traveled from Galilee? Do you see how the prophecy came true and unfolded just like God said it would? And so today, in celebration of the fact that light came to the world, that Jesus is the light of the world, I want to invite you to take some time and make some space to light a candle in your home. Take five minutes, whatever time of day it is, there’s something about having a candle flickering near you and the wonderful scent filling the room. And if you have one that crackles… even better. Take some time to be quiet and to sit with the light of the world in the light. I think that you are going to feel a little bit of that heavenly peace that you and I long for in this broken dark world.

Invite the light into your home and into your heart. This is the first day, the first exercise, the first meditation. Jesus Christ is the light of the world and the light of your world and mine. Praise be to you Lord Jesus Christ.

Next time we’ll look at another way to prepare our hearts for the coming of the King of Kings, our savior. Never thought of your heart as an in before, right? Me either. Till next time, you are really loved.

Thank you for making space to study the Bible with me today. If you feel something stirring in your soul, that’s the God who made you, saying, “I love you and I want to know you.” It’s what Christmas is all about. Jesus came for you so that your soul would know its worth. He came to bring joy to the world, and to your world. It’s the most beautiful love story ever written, and it’s true. It’s the greatest rescue mission in history, and it was for you. If you want to respond to that stirring in your soul to know Jesus a little better, please take a moment and check out our show notes where you’ll find lots of hope and encouragement for your journey.

The Bible for Busy People is brought to you this Christmas season by Seattle’s Union Gospel Mission. Every day and every night, their team is on a mission to share the good news with our neighbors who are homeless. Like the angels who came on the night Jesus was born, they make sure that every person who walks through the doors of the Mission, knows that there is hope because Jesus came, and how much He loves them. Every person they meet on the street encounters the love of Christ through a friendly smile, a warm blanket, a cup of cocoa, and an invitation to take that next step toward healing from addiction or mental illness. If you want to be part of making sure every soul knows its worth in Seattle this Christmas, volunteer or donate at ugm.org. Thank you and Merry Christmas.

This podcast is one branch of a Christmas tree called Purposely, a network designed to connect you with life-giving conversations, and to inspire you to find and live out God’s purpose for your life. If you’ve got a pulse, you’ve got a purpose.