Unwrapping His Christmas Presence
Renee Swope
“… The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’).” Isaiah 7:14 (NLT)
“Then he said to the crowd: ‘If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me.’” Luke 9:23 (NLT)
“Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.” 1 John 3:2-3 (NIV)
“But as for me, I am like a green olive tree in the house of God; I trust in the faithfulness of God forever and ever.” Psalm 52:8 (NASB)
“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.” John 15:9-11 (ESV)
“… the LORD restored his fortunes. In fact, the LORD gave him twice as much as before!” Job 42:10 (NLT)
“This is what the LORD says—he who made a way through the sea, a path through the mighty waters … ‘Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.’” Isaiah 43:16,18-19 (NIV)
“But he answered, ‘It is written, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”’” Matthew 4:4 (ESV)
“This is why I remind you to fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you when I laid my hands on you.” 2 Timothy 1:6 (NLT)
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16 (NIV)
“Then Jesus told him, ‘Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.’” John 20:29 (NIV)
“… The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’).” Isaiah 7:14 (NLT)
“And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” Genesis 3:15 (NIV)
“When the angels had left them and returned to heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let’s go straight to Bethlehem and see what has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.’ They...
Gracious God, on this fourth Sunday of Advent, we open our hearts in quiet expectation and love. As we draw near to the celebration of Christ’s birth, help us to welcome Him with faith and...