Merry Christmas...and congratulations to our December Writing Challenge winners!
Merry Christmas from your friends at the Southern Christian Writers Conference! We pray that this season will continue to be one of hope, peace, love, and joy as we celebrate the great gift of the Christ Child.
As our Christmas gift to you, we're excited to share the winners of December's Writing Challenge with you. Get cozy and comfortable and enjoy these inspiring devotions written by our members.
(We received so many amazing submissions to the challenge to write a devotion based on a Christmas song or hymn. We wish we could have shared all of them with you. And please continue to submit to our monthly challenges. You may be one of our winners next month! And if you're not part of our Facebook SCWC group--where we share the challenges and other content--join it today.)
Congratulations to the winners of the December challenge:
1st place: Joyce McCullough
2nd place: Suzanne D. Nichols
3rd place: Debra Woodworth Mattison
Honorable mention: Ellen Kolman
Honorable mention: Vicki Moats
We hope you enjoy these wonderful stories!
"What Can We Give Him?"
by Joyce McCullough
As an English teacher, symbolism speaks to me. While Rossetti may not have purposely given her words an underlying meaning, I see a connection.
When I once hosted an author for my writers’ group, an audience member asked the author if she had intentionally meant a particular passage to serve as a symbol. The author responded that if the passage had spoken to her at that moment, then it was meant to be. I personally believe writings speak to us all in different ways at different times, and Rossetti’s song brings a message today that can speak to us all if we will open our hearts and hear it.
I did not grow up hearing this Christmas song, but I learned it as an adult when I became a member of our local community choir. The haunting melody and the last stanza soon became the reasons I now claim this as my favorite Christmas hymn.
Rossetti beautifully sets the stage for Christ’s birth as she weaves the manger scene and all the key players into her lyrics. From God the Father and the maiden mother to the Heavenly angels and the lowly animals, the birth of Christ takes place in a humble stable.
If we zoom in on that manger scene, we see Mary bending over the Christ child to worship him with a tender kiss. Another familiar Christmas carol contemplates whether Mary knew this face she had kissed was also the face of God. I believe she knew! I believe she knew it in her heart.
As the poor shepherd boy stands in awe of the Babe, he is moved to gift Him with a lamb—another appropriate symbol for the precious Lamb of God.
History tells us the first Christmas probably did not occur on a cold day in Bethlehem. The book of Matthew also indicates that the wise men did not visit Baby Jesus on the night of His birth. Nonetheless, Rossetti’s work helps us focus on all those who came to worship the Christ child. The material gifts of those wise men—the gold and frankincense and myrrh—simply symbolize the perfect gift we should be willing to offer.
What is that perfect gift? Whether we are rich or poor or whether our status is high or low, Jesus does not want or need a material gift to celebrate His birth or His life. He has, however, given us the option of doing our part in this scenario. He invites us to give Him our hearts.
While snow may literally cover our worlds and moaning winds may blow, we can find warmth and comfort in the birth of the Christ child.
If all of us will choose to seek Christ and worship Him, those iron-hard feelings can melt away. We can find hope within the bleak midwinter or within any other season of our lives.
Bible Verse: “You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:13)
Prayer: Lord, help me to put aside my petty differences with the rest of the world. Help Your words speak to me the message I need to hear. Help me to find the hope You offer the world and help me to offer You my heart in return.
"My Messiah"
by Suzanne D. Nichols
The stirring instrumentals and powerful lyrics of Handel’s Messiah filled the house as I placed the finishing touches on our beautiful ceramic Nativity. The heavenly angel, perched atop a mantel clock, looked down on the scene arranged across the cabinet in our foyer. All the figures, in their gilded clothing and painted expressions, focused on the central piece—the Christ-child in the manger.
“And His name shall be call-ed, Wonderful … Counselor … The Mighty God … The Everlasting Father … The Prince of Peace!” rang Handel’s bold proclamation of the Messiah prophesied by Isaiah some seven-hundred years before His birth.
Seven-hundred years. Such a long-awaited promise. Generation after generation relayed that promise, watching and waiting for His appearance.
I surveyed the Nativity scene and wondered, “What did each generation tell the next? How did they interpret Isaiah’s prophetic titles for the child to be born as their Messiah?”
Perhaps, as the Wonderful Counselor, they envisioned a wise leader with great ability to guide His people. In their expectations of Him as the Mighty God, biblical history shows they longed for a powerful warrior, victorious over their enemies. They were certain an Everlasting Father would always care for them, always provide for His children. And they longed for an end to all worry and strife with their Messiah reigning as the Prince of Peace.
As strains of the Messiah played on, I gazed around the room from the Nativity, to the Christmas tree, to the gifts beneath it. One of the most enjoyable aspects of the Christmas season is a sense of anticipation and eagerness for what is to come. Still, a pang of uncertainty gripped me as I considered my surroundings and wondered how all this showiness, the parties, and the gifts, became our way of expressing the arrival of the long-awaited Savior. Does all this celebrate His titles, His attributes, or His purpose appropriately?
As the music continued, I bowed my head and whispered to my Messiah, my Savior, “Lord Jesus, as my Wonderful Counselor, You lead me with unmatched wisdom. As my Mighty God, You conquer sin and bring victory to my life. As my Everlasting Father, You are my ambassador to the throne of God. As my Prince of Peace, You comfort me with hope, love, and joy.”
I lingered before the Nativity, allowing the words of my prayer to soak into my soul as the music drifted around me in that worshipful moment.
With a new awareness, I realized the scene needed one more bit of decoration.
I hurried to collect the necessary art supplies and returned a short time later with a small, hand-lettered sign—Isaiah’s prophetic declaration from Isaiah 9:6. I placed it next to the angel perched above the Nativity and then stood motionless before the scene as the music intensified, “And He shall reign forever and ever!”
O God of My Salvation, You have provided for all my needs in Christ Jesus, my Messiah. May my Christmas celebrations express my daily worship of Him as King of kings and Lord of lords.
In the powerful name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.
"White Christmas or Blue Christmas?"
by Debra Woodworth Mattison
Every year I dream of a White Christmas. There’s just something about waking up on Christmas morning to a landscape glistening with snow. Perhaps it’s a throwback to my childhood growing up in central Illinois where most of our Christmases were white, or maybe I’ve listened to too many Christmas songs that celebrate a marshmallow world or insist we let it snow! Whatever the case, to me a perfect Christmas must be a white one. However, when I was nine years old, I was confronted with the reality that not everyone dreams of a white Christmas.
Vacationing with my parents in Hawaii one summer, we met a couple from Australia. Situated in the southern hemisphere, where the seasons are the exact opposite of my own experience, they were escaping the Australian winter that July as we shared a meal together. As we talked and learned more about each other, the subject of our Christmas traditions arose. They were astounded that we celebrated Christmas with snow. Christmas, they declared, was the day you went to the beach!
Wait. What?
It was the first time I had pondered that to some people, the perfect Christmas was not white but blue, ocean blue, with balmy temperatures, not blustery ones. Clambakes instead of baked ham. Surfing as opposed to sledding.
My nine-year-old mind was blown. And I thought our new friends from the Land Down Under were just plain wrong. I desperately wanted to argue the point with them, bring them around to my enlightened way of thinking where the color of Christmas was concerned. However, I knew my parents would be mortified at my lack of respect for a differing point of view, so I remained silent and let them continue extolling the virtues of a blue Christmas.
I learned something that day. My lived experience was not the same as everyone else’s. I left that conversation with a different perspective on how Christmas might be celebrated. And while it isn’t how I’d like to celebrate Christmas, that didn’t make it wrong.
Looking back on my conversation with our Australian friends so many years ago, I wonder if there isn’t a lesson there for Christians.
So then, let us aim for harmony in the church and try to build each other up. (Romans 14:19 (NLT)
We humans tend to believe that our way of thinking is the only correct way of thinking, and Christians are not exempt from that belief. Whether it’s how often communion should be served, the color of the carpeting in the sanctuary, proper worship attire, or the correct version of the Bible to read, we Christians have definite opinions on such matters. Too often, arguments erupt over these types of issues because both parties believe that only they are right.
These types of arguments distract from the cause of Christ. Instead of a focus on furthering the Kingdom, we are focused on furthering our agenda. Too often this has led to resentment and hurt among believers. As Christians, we should do better. Scripture entreats us to live in harmony while we build each other up, keeping our eyes on Jesus Christ, the Author or our salvation, and not on petty differences that will divide us as a body of believers.
It’s Christmas, a time for reflection on what really matters. As we take time this advent season to reflect on those things which are truly important, let’s resolve to treat each other as brothers and sisters in the faith, keeping our hearts open to consider opinions that may not always reflect our point of view.
Even when that opinion includes dreaming of a blue Christmas.
Lord, as we reflect on the way we interact with others, please bring to our mind those areas in our thinking where we insist on our own way. Forgive us and give us the grace and vision to see others as You see them, as fellow image bearers of Christ.
"Worship With Jingle Bells"
by Ellen Kolman
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Recently, I was finishing up my 1st – 2nd grade Readers Theater class and suggested we sing Jingle Bells. Immediately, several hands went up and the children exclaimed they had a “Jesus version” of Jingle Bells. I told the kids I had never heard of it yet, and to please sing it for me. I loved it. I had no idea this version of Jingle Bells existed and frankly I felt quite out-of-the-loop for not knowing! Here is a portion of these wonderful lyrics:
Jesus Jingle (Bells)
(To the tune of "Jingle Bells".)
by Mary Beaudry
CHORUS:
Jingle bells, Jingle bells,
Jingle all the way.
Oh what fun to sing and praise
Our Savior born today-ay!
Jingle bells, Jingle bells,
Listen while we say,
Jesus came into my heart
And washed my sins away!
To shepherds in the field,
An angel came to say,
That Jesus Christ is born,
In Bethlehem today!
The shepherds ran to town,
They hurried down the street,
And when they found the Son of God
They worshipped at his feet!
Watching my students sing this song with such joy and understanding, it suddenly struck me this is childlike faith! The certainty in their voices and faces sent me back to when I was in first-grade and we would sing “Jesus Loves Me” every morning after saying the Pledge of Allegiance. I knew when I sang that song that Jesus was real and He loved me. I didn’t understand theology, Biblical languages, or exegetical teaching, I just trusted that Jesus loved me. My students are the same. They believe Jesus was born on Christmas day, He has washed their sins away, and we all need to “sing and praise our Savior born today!”
Psalm 116:6, “The Lord protects those of childlike faith,” (NLT)
Dear Lord, Thank you for coming to the earth as a baby to save us all from sin and death. Thank you for making salvation completely life changing while making it simple so a little child can understand. Help us to never lose our childlike faith and continue to completely trust you with our lives. We love you Lord Jesus, Amen.
"We Three Kings"
by Vicki Moats
So many stories in the Bible center around journeys. There is the journey of Abraham from Ur, the Israelites through the wilderness, and Paul’s missionary journeys to name a few. One of the journeys we sing about at Christmas is that of the wise men, yet we know so little about this celebrated trek.
Who were these wise men? What country or countries did they come from? How many were there in this entourage? How did they hear about a Jewish king (messiah)?
While we may never have answers to all our questions, we can confidently focus on what we do know. One thing we can know for certain is that, like Abraham, they had to be men of faith. Why else would they travel 2,000 miles or more by camel to see a baby king they had only heard of? Just as Abraham’s faith was credited to him as righteousness, these men believed that the end of their quest would be Jesus, so they left family and safety to find Him.
Another fact we are given is that they were led by God’s providence, a star. Just as God provided pillars of cloud and fire to guide the Israelites through the desert, He guided the wise men by the light of a star. All they had to do was follow.
Finally, we know that when they found Jesus, they worshipped him. Imagine the humble status of Mary and Joseph’s abode that kings would bow down and worship their infant son. They had to recognize Christ’s divinity, and that recognition led to worship.
In retrospect, we can see that the story of the wise men is the story of each of us. Just like the wise men, we are all on a journey. As Billy Graham said, “My home is in Heaven. I’m just traveling through this world.” God continues to lead us to His son, not with a star, but through the power of the Holy Spirit. When our hearts recognize Christ as our true king, we, too, are compelled to worship Him.
Finally, we have questions to ask ourselves during this Advent season: Are we on a journey to worship the Christ child, or have we become tangled in the tinsel and the lights on our way to visit Santa? Are we being led by the Spirit or by popular culture? When we reach the Christ child, do we recognize Him as our redeemer, the savior of the world, or has he become incidental to all the other festivities? As we examine our hearts before the celebration of God’s greatest gift to mankind, may we all be wise men.
Prayer: Dear Father, help us continue to follow you rather than the temporary allure of the world. Please give us the faith to see our journey through to the end. And help us to worship your son with the most precious gifts we have: our time, talents, and our obedience. In His precious name we pray. Amen.
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Thank you again to everyone who submitted to this month's challenge. And join us for the January challenge; we'd love to receive your submissions. (Stay tuned for the announcement of that challenge on Dec. 30.) If you ever have any questions for us or we want to know more about the Southern Christian Writers Conference, email us at scwritersconference@gmail.com.Merry Christmas 2024!
May your season--and your writing--be blessed.
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