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IN THE BEGINNINGMonday, December 2, 2013KING DAVID’S LITTLE TOWNSaturday, January 4, 2014 - Eleventh Day of ChristmasRead 1 John 1.Read Luke 2:1-7.TEXT: In the beginning was the Word (see John 1:1a).Before we jump into the hustle and bustle of preparing for Christmasof 2013, it is important to journey back in time to that first Christmas.John does just that in his Gospel. But he doesn’t stop at the mangerin Bethlehem. He goes back beyond the moment Joseph discovers hisbetrothed wife Mary is pregnant. He doesn’t even stop when the angel firstappears to the Virgin Mary. John keeps going backward in time, carryingus back all the way to the start of the Old Testament.John starts his account of the first Christmas with “In the beginning”—the precise moment God creates the heavens and the earth. The earth liesbefore us formless and void, covered with seas and wrapped in darkness.John writes “In the beginning was the Word .”Notice John did not write, “In the beginning is the Word.” At the beginningof the creation of the heaven and earth, the Word already was. Mary’s Son,the Word that would become flesh that first Christmas morn, existed longbefore. He existed before the world was created.Before we dive into all our Christmas preparations, before we startwondering if it’s worth all the time and work, let’s remember we are notmerely celebrating the birth of one more famous human baby. We arepreparing to celebrate the human birth of the timeless and eternal Wordof God, who was there at His Father’s side before God created the heavensand the earth.THE PRAYER: Heavenly Father, this Christmas help me see the Babe ofBethlehem differently. Help me see Him as He really is: Your eternal Son.I pray in His holy Name. Amen.4TEXT: But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be amongthe clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for Me One who is to be Rulerin Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days (Micah 5:2).The little town of Bethlehem didn’t have many claims to fame. Oh, therewas the seventh son of a man named Jesse who watched over his family’sflocks. One day his father sent him to take provisions to his older brotherswho were serving in Israel’s army. While at the camp he heard the tauntingof the giant Goliath and volunteered to go fight him. That was thebeginning of David’s rise to fame and the kingship.That was Bethlehem’s one claim to fame (unless you count it as the placewhere Jacob’s beloved wife Rachel died). But the prophet Micah announcedthe little town would see another of its sons rise to greatness and kingship.And here in the manger lies God’s promised Savior—King David’s Son—the great Ruler who had come to fulfill God’s righteous plan.Micah mentions something extremely important about David’s greatDescendant—something that we’ve seen over and over again in John’swords at the beginning of his Gospel. John had said, “In the beginning wasthe Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God. And theWord became flesh and dwelt among us.” Micah says the Son of David’scoming forth was from of old, even from ancient days.Once again that theme is repeated: Jesus Christ will be the great King,defending and delivering His people from all their enemies, and grantingthem a place of peace that will last eternally.THE PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank You for sending Your Son JesusChrist to be our Savior. Give us firm reliance and confidence that we willlive in peace with You forever. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.37

A NEVER-ENDING KINGDOMFriday, January 3, 2014 - Tenth Day of ChristmasWHAT WAS BEFORE THE BEGINNING?Tuesday, December 3, 2013Read Matthew 21:1-11.Read Psalm 139.TEXT: Of the increase of His government and of peace there will be noend, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and touphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth andforevermore (see Isaiah 9:7a).It was a troubled time when King David began reigning over Israel. Thenation was surrounded by many dangerous enemies. David had to lead hisarmy in numerous battles over many years to finally win peace from thenations all around. He left his son Solomon a large, prosperous and peacefulkingdom.Sadly, Israel didn’t stay at peace for long. In the last part of his reign KingSolomon turned away from the Lord and worshiped the foreign gods of hismany wives. After Solomon’s death 10 of the 12 tribes broke off and formedtheir own kingdom, and David’s descendants were left with only two tribes.Over the coming decades and centuries, God let the enemy nations stiragain and David’s peace vanished.That is why Isaiah reminded God’s people the coming Christ would beDavid’s Son. Like His father David He would go to war against our enemies.By His innocent suffering and death on the cross He would crush sin, death,Satan and hell.But unlike David, Jesus didn’t stay dead. On the third day He rose to life toguard and guide His kingdom forever. Since His blood washes away all oursins, we can be confident His kingdom will never be snatched out of Hishands. Under Jesus Christ our peace will last forevermore.THE PRAYER: Lord Jesus, thank You for boldly defeating all our enemiesthrough Your suffering, death and resurrection. Let Your peace fill ourhearts and work through us to bring more and more people into Your holykingdom. Amen.36TEXT: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, andthe Word was God. He was in the beginning with God (John 1:1-2).If you didn’t buy all your Christmas presents on Black Friday, you mightwant to start thinking about what you’re going to put under the tree. Haveyou ever taken a short cut and just went out and bought the first thing yousaw? How did it feel sitting around the tree at Christmas and watching yourloved one open that present, knowing you could have done better? Now isthe time to start thinking about those special people God has brought intoour lives, and what they mean to us.The same is true of the Christmas Child. To grasp the full significance ofHis birth, we need to think about who He is. John begins his account ofJesus’ birth at the exact same moment Moses began the Book of Genesis,“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”The Word who would be conceived and born of the Virgin Mary was rightthere sharing an intimate, eternal fellowship and communion with God HisFather. But before we can jump to the false conclusion there must be twoGods, John immediately sets us straight, “And the Word was God.” There isonly one God, but He exists in three Persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.Long before Jesus was born a human baby and laid in Bethlehem’s manger,He already existed as the Second Person of the Holy Trinity. No, Christmasisn’t about any ordinary child. It’s about God’s one and only Son becomingone of us. What Christmas gift could be more special than that?THE PRAYER: Holy Father, the Baby born at Christmas was no ordinarychild. He was Your own, eternal Son. Give me faith and confidence to knowHe is with me always. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.5

HAND-MADEWednesday, December 4, 2013A PROMISE KEPTThursday, January 2, 2014 - Ninth Day of ChristmasRead Colossians 1:11-20.Read Isaiah 9:1-6.TEXT: All things were made through Him, and without Him was notanything made that was made (John 1:3).Do you want to give a really special, memorable gift this Christmas?Don’t buy something from the store; make it yourself. Your time, care andattention will show how important you consider that person. Of course, ithelps if you have some skill or talent in making things.John’s Christmas account carries us back to the very beginning of Genesis,to a formless and empty earth. Over the next six days God goes to workcarefully arranging it. He establishes the regular cycle of night and day;He separates the dry land from the waters; He sets the sun, moon and starsin place; He produces trees and vegetation; He creates all kinds of livingcreatures to fill the skies, waters and land. And finally He forms mankindfrom the dust of the earth.And where is the Son of God in all of this? John tells us He is at the Father’sside, making all things through His powerful Word. Read through Genesis1 again and see how many times Moses wrote, “And God said .” This isthe Word, the Second Person of the Trinity. John tells us, “All things weremade through Him.” To eliminate any misconception he adds, “and withoutHim was not anything made that was made.”Everything you can see bears His fingerprint, including your own body,mind and spirit. Each person, each creature, each blade of grass owesits existence to the Word. It was He who humbled Himself on that firstChristmas to become part of His creation and be laid in a manger—afeeding trough for the animals He had created long before.THE PRAYER: Heavenly Father, truly I am fearfully and wonderfullymade. Thank You for providing my needs and watching over my life. Drawme closer to You in the weeks leading up to this Christmas. In Jesus’ Name.Amen.6TEXT: For to us a Child is born, to us a Son is given; and the governmentshall be upon His shoulder (see Isaiah 9:6a).John’s Gospel clearly shows us the Child of Christmas is both God andhuman. His advent was promised centuries earlier in the Garden of Eden.There God announced the woman’s Seed would crush the serpent’s head(see Genesis 3:15). He promised Abraham his Offspring would be a blessingto all nations (see Genesis 12:3). He told King David one of his descendantswould sit on His throne and rule Israel forever (see 2 Samuel 7: 12-16). Inthe remaining days of this Christmas season, we will look at two more OldTestament prophets: Isaiah and Micah. They will tell us even more aboutthe Babe of Bethlehem.The first thing Isaiah reveals in chapter nine is that this Child, this Son, willcarry the nation upon His shoulder. Indeed, one day He will lift a cross toHis shoulder and carry the sins of the world.The fact the almighty Son of God became human is a mighty wonder andmiracle all by itself, but He also gives us foolproof counsel to escape God’swrath.He is the Mighty God, the powerful Son who will conquer all our enemies,especially Satan, sin, death and hell.Jesus is also an eternal father to us, protecting us from our enemies,providing all our needs, and teaching us how to live.And Jesus is the Prince of Peace, the Son of our Heavenly Father and King.He has won peace for all by taking our sins upon Himself and suffering thepenalty we deserve.That mighty sacrifice will be the subject of our Lenten/Easter devotionsbeginning in March.THE PRAYER: Holy Lord Jesus, You came to free us from sin, death andhell. Receive our thanks and praise now and forever. Amen.35

THE CIRCUMCISION OF OUR LORDWednesday, January 1, 2014 - Eighth Day of ChristmasIN HIM WAS LIFEThursday, December 5, 2013Read Genesis 17:1-14.Read Psalm 104:24-35.TEXT: And at the end of eight days, when He was circumcised, He wascalled Jesus, the Name given by the angel before He was conceived in thewomb (Luke 2:21).The Son of God humbled Himself mightily when He took our human natureupon Himself and came down to this world. From the start it was clearHe would not lead a charmed life. At Christmas we see Him wrapped inswaddling cloths and lying in a feeding trough. After the wise men come tosee Him, King Herod will try to kill Him in a jealous rage. Throughout Hisministry He will be harassed and ridiculed. Ultimately, He will be arrested,beaten, unfairly convicted and nailed to a cross.But on this eighth day of Christmas we remember the first blood Jesus shedfor us. When God promised Abraham He would make a great nation ofhis descendants, God instituted circumcision. It was a seal and guaranteeof His promise to raise up the promised Savior from one of Abraham’sdescendants. Every male child of Abraham carried this deeply personalreminder that the God who had brought him under His great covenant withAbraham would raise up the promised Savior.Now on this eighth day, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, first sheds His humanblood to place Himself under God’s covenant with Abraham. He offers Hisbody and His blood to fulfill God’s plan to save the world. Now God offersa new sign to seal and guarantee our salvation through Jesus’ life, deathand resurrection. He washes us in the waters of Holy Baptism, uniting us inJesus’ death and resurrection.THE PRAYER: Lord Jesus, we praise You for offering up Your body andYour blood to save us by God’s righteous plan. Keep us firm in this faith allthe days of our earthly life. Amen.34TEXT: In Him was life (see John 1:4a).One of my favorite Christmas traditions is our Christmas tree. While everyother tree in the wood stands bare and dead, our pines and spruces still lookgreen and full of life. But once we cut down one of those trees and bring itinto our house it’s only a matter of time before it dries up and its needlesstart to fall. Even if we were to leave it in the ground it would still growold, turn brown, and die, after enough years passed.Every creature on earth is like that. Life is a gift we receive from God. Werequire food and drink to sustain that life, but no matter how hard we try,after enough years we grow old and frail, and eventually die.Not so for the Baby in the Christmas manger. John tells us, “In Him waslife”—the immortal life of God Himself. This separates Him from Hiscreatures. He alone possesses life as an element of His being. Not a singleone of us creatures can claim this. Not long before Jesus went to the crossfor us He said, “I lay down My life that I may take it up again. No one takesit from Me, but I lay it down of My own accord. I have authority to lay itdown, and I have authority to take it up again” (see John 10:17-18).That’s what makes Christmas such a joyous season: the mighty, living Wordcame to restore life to us in the midst of death and suffering. ThroughHis own death and resurrection He has conquered death and gives us lifeunending.THE PRAYER: Thank You for giving me life and sustaining that life inthis world, O God. Receive my praises for Your Son who laid down His lifethat I might live eternally with You. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.7

OUR LIGHTFriday, December 6, 2013New Year’s Eve - Tuesday, December 31, 2013 - Seventh Day of ChristmasRead John 12:35-36.Read Luke 1:26-38.TEXTS: The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over theface of the deep. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light(see Genesis 1:2a, 3).In Him was life, and the life was the light of men (John 1:4).We’re walking down the sidewalk on a dark and dreary December night.We tighten our collars and lean into the blustery wind as the cold bitesour cheeks. Then someone throws a switch. In the twinkling of an eye thedarkness is shattered by thousands of brilliant Christmas lights that warmour hearts and fill us with childlike joy.At the very beginning the world was shrouded in deep darkness. Then theWord spoke, “Let there be light.” Instantly, beautiful light burst forth overthe newly formed earth and the darkness was gone.STEPPING INTO THE SPOTLIGHTTEXT: Grace and truth came through Jesus Christ (see John 1:17b).All through this Advent and Christmas season we have been looking atJohn’s description of Christ’s coming into the world. Verse by verse Johnhas shown us increasingly more about this Second Person of the HolyTrinity—God’s Son. John first introduced Him to us as the Word who waswith God and was God, the Son who was one with the Father and the HolySpirit from all eternity.Next he told us this Word was intimately involved in creation, and thatnothing was made without Him that has been made. Indeed, life is anessential element of His being, and He shares that life with His creation, alife that gives light to all mankind.On the sixth day God placed our first parents in a beautiful, abundantparadise. But Adam and Eve plunged our world into the darkness of sin,guilt and misery by eating the fruit God had forbidden. As their children weare all born in the darkness of sin. We grope our way blindly through thislife unable to find our own way back to God.But surprisingly after John tells us the Word was coming into the world hedescribes the poor reception He received when He arrived: “He was in theworld, and the world was made through Him, yet the world did not knowHim. He came to His own and His own people did not receive Him” (John1:10-11). Finally, John wrote of the fulfillment of God’s great promisesthroughout the Old Testament, “The Word became flesh and dwelt amongus” (see John 1:14).But God did not leave us in darkness. The Word who first spoke andscattered the darkness comes to shine His light into our hearts. He shows usGod’s love and forgiveness, and promises us all the joys and delights of theeternal paradise He won for us by His perfect life, death and resurrection.He is our light shining through the darkness and in the shadow of ourdeath.But something has been missing all through this first chapter of John.The Word, the mighty Son of God has remained unnamed. Now, finally inthe 17th verse, the Word emerges from the shadows into the spotlight. Onthis New Year’s Eve, the eve of the eighth day of Christmas, the Babe ofBethlehem, the Son of the Virgin Mary, the mighty Word of God receivesHis human Name: Jesus.THE PRAYER: Lord Jesus, thank You for lighting my darkness, forgivingmy sins, and promising me eternal life in Your presence. Scatter thedarkness that still clings to me, and cheer me with Your light. Amen.THE PRAYER: Lord Jesus, we rejoice in Your holy Name which means,“The Lord saves.” Indeed Your Name sums up everything You accomplishedin Your first coming into our world. Prepare us to always be ready for Yoursecond coming. Amen.833

LOOKING UPON GODMonday, December 30, 2013 - Sixth Day of ChristmasA PERFECT HOME FOR PERFECT PEOPLESaturday, December 7, 2013Read Exodus 33:12-23.Read Genesis 2:4-23.TEXT: No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side,He has made Him known (John 1:18).Is John correct that no human has ever seen God? What about Moses? Intoday’s reading Moses made a special request; he asked to look upon God.The Lord permitted him to see His “back” but not His “face.” The graciousGod was protecting His servant Moses when He told him, “You cannot seeMy face, for man shall not see Me and live.” Like staring into the sun, thesinner Moses could not tolerate looking upon the full expression of God’sholiness and glory, only a portion of it. So John is correct, no sinful humanever sat gazing upon the fullness of God’s glory.But Christmas marks the birth of a new Man, One who is holy andspotless—the Word who has spent all eternity looking upon the beauty ofGod’s glorious face. For the first time in his Gospel, John names the firstPerson of the Trinity: he calls Him the “Father.” The Word has come tomake His Father known to us.None of us has ever seen God. Left to our own experience and imaginationnone of us even comes close to knowing what God is really like. Thestruggles and difficulties of life distort His true image. He comes off lookingangry and vindictive on one hand, or unknowing and uncaring on the other.But Jesus came at Christmas to make God known to us. He revealed Him asour merciful, gracious, loving Heavenly Father—the God who so loved theworld that He gave His only-begotten Son.TEXT: The Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground andbreathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a livingcreature (Genesis 2:7).“All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was madethat has been made” (John 1:3). The Son of God rejoiced in the beautifulworld that was made through Him: the rugged mountains, green hills andlush valleys, the gently flowing streams, the winding rivers, the deep, bluelakes, and the spacious oceans. He reveled in the amazing beauty of flowers,plants and trees that spread through His forests and meadows. He relishedthe birds soaring across the skies, the fish teeming through the waters, andthe animals cover

and Dwelt among Us Written by . Rev. Wayne Palmer Rev. Wayne Palmer is the theological editor/writer at St. Louis-based . Lutheran Hour Ministries. He completed his master of divinity degree at Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, Indiana, in 1992. Following graduation he ser