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{From the Archives}: Let Every Heart Prepare Him Room: Jesus, Simply Jesus

Kathie Phillips

“Let every heart prepare Him room…”

“In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David.  The virgin’s name was Mary.  The angel went to her and said, ‘Greetings, you who are highly favored!  the Lord is with you.'”

“Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be.  But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God.  you will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus.  He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High.  The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.”

“‘How will this be,’ Mary asked the angel, ‘since I am a virgin?'”

“The angel answered, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.  So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.  Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month.  For nothing is impossible with God.'”

“‘I am the Lord’s servant,’ Mary answered.  ‘May it be to me as you have said.'”  Then the angel left her.

(Luke 1:26-38)

nativity1

“In those days, Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world.  [This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.]  And everyone went to his own town to register.”

“So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David.  He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child.  While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son.  She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.”

(Luke 2:1-7)

Jesus, Simply Jesus

Merry Christmas!

It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas!

Kathie Phillips

Hi friends! Several weeks have passed since I’ve last posted.  Like you (I’m sure), we have been busy getting ready for Christmas.  Here’s a snippet of what’s been going on in my kidmin world as we’re making final preparations:

For Everyone

Our Worship Arts department selected “For Everyone” as our theme & sermon series for Advent. We are learning how Jesus came for EVERYONE.  Each year our Children’s Ministry provides Advent devotionals for our families, so we wanted to try our best to factor this theme into our decision regarding our selection.  Originally, the theme of “Born for the World” was tossed around, so we chose one that fit that theme (even though it was reworded to “For Everyone”).  We landed on this devotional from Creative Communications.  We have heard a few parents tell us this was the best Advent devotional we’ve selected so far.  Yay!

MANGER-ON-THE-MANTEL-HANDOUT (1)

Deck the Halls

On the first Sunday in Advent (Sunday, November 30th), my church held an all-church event where our entire congregation (including children) were invited to come out to decorate the church, make crafts (including an Advent wreath) and enjoy a meal together.  Started last year, Deck the Halls is one of the few all-church events we offer throughout the year and it’s so much fun!

Sunday Programming

All of our kidmin Sunday programming for Christmas will obviously center around the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ.  For younger children (toddlers & preschoolers), the lessons will be simple, as this might be the first time many of them hear about the Christmas story.  Since many of our older children (elementary students and preteens) have heard the Christmas story before, we are being intentional about helping them personalize the story in a different way, while having lots of fun of course.  I’ve incorporated some ideas from ideas I’ve collected on Pinterest.  You can check out my kidmin Advent & Christmas board here.  There are over 230 ideas!

Worship Time

Each year, our Pre-K children – 5th graders lead the worship for our family Christmas Eve services, so on each Sunday during Advent (during their regularly scheduled kids’ worship time), they practice the songs they will sing.  This year, we added our 3 year-olds to our worship time and they are just precious. Songbooks, CDs and a video showing the motions are provided to families so that children can rehearse at home.

Christmas Eve Services

Every year, our church holds four (4) Christmas Eve services, with the first two being designed for families.  Children’s Ministry works closely with our Worship Arts department to plan and implement these two services, which will include:

  • a welcome/call to worship given by yours truly
  • lighting of the Advent wreath by two families
  • our 3 year-olds – 5th graders leading the families in worship
  • several older students sharing a special reading
  • a solo by one of our older students
  • a family friendly (and shortened) sermon
  • candlelight ceremony (we provide battery-operated candles for children)

Just a few things we’re doing to get ready for Christmas.  I’d love to hear (and see!) what you’re doing.  How are you getting ready for Christmas?

{From the Archives}: Let Every Heart Prepare Him Room: Jesus, Simply Jesus

Kathie Phillips

“Let every heart prepare Him room…”

Today concludes our Let Every Heart Prepare Him Room series, posts dedicated to Christmas reflections.  Each Monday in December, through Christmas, we’ve looked at different ways that you can make room for Jesus this Christmas.  You can find past posts here, here and here.

“In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David.  The virgin’s name was Mary.  The angel went to her and said, ‘Greetings, you who are highly favored!  the Lord is with you.'”

“Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be.  But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God.  you will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus.  He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High.  The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.”

“‘How will this be,’ Mary asked the angel, ‘since I am a virgin?'”

“The angel answered, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.  So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.  Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month.  For nothing is impossible with God.'”

“‘I am the Lord’s servant,’ Mary answered.  ‘May it be to me as you have said.'”  Then the angel left her.

(Luke 1:26-38)

nativity1

“In those days, Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world.  [This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.]  And everyone went to his own town to register.”

“So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David.  He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child.  While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son.  She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.”

(Luke 2:1-7)

Jesus, Simply Jesus

Merry Christmas!

{From the Archives} Let Every Heart Prepare Him Room: Preparing Your Heart for Christmas

Kathie Phillips

“Let every heart prepare Him room…”

Last year I introduced our Let Every Heart Prepare Him Room series, posts dedicated to Christmas reflections.  Each Monday in December, through Christmas, we looked at different ways that you can make room for Jesus at Christmas.  Today’s guest post was written by Kathy R. Bruce, my beloved Mom.  Please visit her blog, The Looking Glass.

One year, a friend of mine wanted me to add more commitments to my already hectic schedule at Christmas. I told her that I could not squeeze anything else on my plate, to which she replied, “You need a bigger plate!”

things to doAre others’ expectations of and for you crowding out the true meaning of Christmas?  Are you so busy that you are forgetting what Christmas is all about?  Is busyness stealing your joy? How can you prepare your heart to receive the Christ for Christmas?

I love Christmas. It’s one of my favorite times of year. Approximately a month before the big day, I begin to prepare my house by making room for all my treasured Christmas items. I pack up my photos, everyday dishes, mantel clock, and loads of trinkets to make room for my decorations, trees, gifts and cards. All of these things are carefully put in the perfect places where they can be beautifully displayed.  I want everyone who visits our home to enjoy them as much as I do.

In all the preparations making room for my things, I can easily forget to make room for the main reason for the season. Yes, Christmas is for giving, loving, fellowship and glad tidings. But the main reason for this season is to celebrate the coming of The Lord Jesus Christ.

My desire is to celebrate His great love for me. To worship the One who put skin on and came to earth (via a humble birth) just to save me. That’s worth celebrating! So this and every Christmas going forward, I want to be intentional about preparing my heart for Christmas. I want to receive ALL He has for me.  I want to be intentional about recognizing that He is The Lord of Lords and The King of Kings. No more stumbling over the manger on my way to embracing the good but not the best.

If you want to be intentional too, here are some ways to prepare your heart for the Christ of Christmas:

1. Tell God how much you desire to focus on Him.

2. Confess that you can become easily distracted and caught up in the ‘hoopla’ of the holidays.

3. Ask Him to speak to your heart and show you what making room for Him would look like in your life.

4. Listen to His voice. Is He asking you to stop the frenetic pace of life so that you can spend time with Him?  Is He desiring that you spend your days in His Word rather than devouring latest Christmas magazines searching for ways to make your Christmas festive and meaningful?

5. Intentionally set time aside to be with the One whose birth you’re celebrating. How about the first moments of your day?  Offer the day and its schedule to Him.

6. Go and offer the Hope of the World (and the real reason for Christmas) to everyone you meet. Offer Jesus.

In all your preparations to make this the merriest Christmas ever, remember that Jesus is the reason for the season.  Jesus, Simply Jesus.

Kathy R. Bruce answered the call from God to ‘come to Me’ on Monday, June 23, 1980.  Her journey with God so far has been transformational, to say the least.  She has seen God enlarge her borders in many leadership capacities.  In 2008, Kathy earned a certificate in Leadership from the Women’s Leadership Development Institute.  Kathy is married to her biggest cheerleader, her husband John.  They are parents to 4 grown children and grandparents to 7 grandchildren.  She blogs regularly at The Looking Glass.  You can also follow her on Twitter.  

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