The Gift of Presence | Wednesday

Christmas At C3 | Life Is Wonderful

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“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” (John 1:14)

Post by Alisha Miller

Merry Christmas C3!  

My husband and I started a Christmas tradition with the kids when they were really little. It sounds kind of cheesy, but on Christmas Eve we would bake cookies for Santa and a birthday cake for Jesus. When our youngest was around 3 she decided that baking Jesus a cake wasn’t enough. She wanted a full on birthday party for Jesus. So the dining room was covered in red and green streamers, and Happy Birthday Banners. I thought it was cute that she wanted to throw Jesus a “real” Birthday party. Little did we know this tradition would carry on for years to come. Every year the kids were excited for Christmas festivities and the big birthday party. My extended family started to join in too, so on Christmas Eve the house was piled with kids baking cookies and cakes. As the kids have gotten older the dining room is no longer decorated, but they still ask every year what kind of cake are we baking on Christmas Eve? As cheesy as this tradition sounds, it’s one that brings us all together on the same night. It allows us to slow down, and remember what the Christmas season truly is about. It’s a tradition that I hope my kids continue to do for years to come with their own families.  

On the first Christmas, God didn’t send a checklist or a set of instructions—He sent Himself. Jesus came to be with us, to show us that we matter more to Him than anything else. Today, as we celebrate Christmas, let’s remember that the best gift we can give or receive is presence.

The holiday hustle often makes us focus on perfect gifts, perfect meals, and perfect plans. But the heart of Christmas is found in relationships—being present with the people you love and embracing the joy of simply being together. Just as Jesus gave us the gift of His presence, we can give that same gift to others by truly showing up and cherishing the moment. Merry Christmas!

Prayer for the Day

God what are you  showing me?  What am I going to do about it? 

God help me to see one person that I can serve through a kind word, random act of kindness, or simple gift today?

Make sure you complete the reading or comment today.

Read The New Testament In A Year

4 x 6 Plan | 4 minutes a day/ 6 days a week

Read: Acts 28:11-16

It was three months after the shipwreck that we set sail on another ship that had wintered at the island—an Alexandrian ship with the twin gods as its figurehead. Our first stop was Syracuse, where we stayed three days. From there we sailed across to Rhegium. A day later a south wind began blowing, so the following day we sailed up the coast to Puteoli. There we found some believers, who invited us to spend a week with them. And so we came to Rome. The brothers and sisters in Rome had heard we were coming, and they came to meet us at the Forum on the Appian Way. Others joined us at The Three Taverns. When Paul saw them, he was encouraged and thanked God. When we arrived in Rome, Paul was permitted to have his own private lodging, though he was guarded by a soldier.

Read: Revelation 21:1-5

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.” And the one sitting on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new!” And then he said to me, “Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true.”

Bible Project Overviews: Acts, Revelation