Devotional for December 24th
You will become pregnant and give birth to a son. You must name him Jesus.
Luke 1:31
PAUSE: The promise of God to HIS people was about to be fulfilled. How would God come to His people? God chose to bring Himself down to Earth and be born as a small, helpless baby. When no one was looking, He came. A young girl names Mary was engaged to marry a man named Joseph. Joseph was one of King David’s descendants. One day, while Mary was at home, the angel Gabriel appeared. Gabriel said, “Do not be afraid! God is very pleased with you. I have some wonderful news. Mary, you are going to have a baby. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High God. Just as God promised long ago, He will be a king like Dave and His kingdom will never end. He’s the One you have waiting for! He’s the one to save God’ people from their sins. You must call him Jesus.” The news was hard for Mary to believe. But Mary trusted God and wanted to do whatever God wanted her to do.
Just as the angel said, A baby began growing in Mary’s belly. Some time after, an angel appeared to Joseph while he was sleeping. The angel said, “Joseph, take good care of Mary. She will give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be from the throne of King David. He will save his people from their sins.” Joseph woke up from his dream and he was filled with wonder. He might have known about the promises of God, but never dreamed he would be the earthly father of God’s son! “The child will be called Immanuel, which means ‘God with us.’ He will be the one to give us a new, clean heart. He is the one to make a way to God, so we can be close to Him.” The first Christmas Day was coming soon. The day Jesus Christ would be born. The little baby who would grow into a man and lead us to God, the Father, who loves us so much!
PRAY: God, thank You for sending your son, Jesus, to the earth in the form of a baby, who grew up and showed me how to have life forever by believing in Him. Thank you for loving me that much!
FAMILY ACTIVITY: Make an angel ornament. You can do an angel cookie shape or you can craft it with construction paper and ribbon. Hang them on your advent tree to remind you of the Angel Gabriel that appeared to Mary to tell her about the new baby Jesus.
This is the final devotional in our advent series. We hope that they were a blessing to you. Have a blessed Christmas!
