Valuing Relationships at Christmas
Matthew 1:18-25 – 18 This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit. 19 Joseph, to whom she was engaged, was a righteous man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly. 20 As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. 21 And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet: 23 “Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’ ” 24 When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife. 25 But he did not have sexual relations with her until her son was born. And Joseph named him Jesus. (New Living Translation)
What Makes Us Rich?
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Psalm 41:1 – Oh, the joys of those who are kind to the poor! . . . /(New Living Translation)?
Proverbs 22:9 – Happy is the generous man, the one who feeds the poor. ?(The Living Bible)?
Psalm 112:5 – All goes well for the person who is generous . . . ?(God’s Word Translation)/
Proverbs 21:26 – But people who obey God are always generous. ?(Contemporary English Version)?
2 Corinthians 9:13 – . . . For your generosity to them and to all believers will prove that you are obedient to the Good News of Christ. (New Living Translation)
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The value of relationships is at the heart of the first Christmas
2 Corinthians 8:9 – You know the generous grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty he could make you rich. (New Living Translation)
Store Up Treasures that Last
- God’s Word calls us to invest in true riches
- The lasting treasure of godly _____________________
Acts 20:35 – . . . You should remember the words of the Lord Jesus: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” (New Living Translation)
1 Corinthians 13:3 – If I gave everything I have to poor people, and if I were burned alive for preaching the Gospel but didn’t love others, it would be of no value whatever. (The Living Bible)
- The lasting treasure of ____________________________
- We get rich as we invest in lives
- Christmas is about _____________________
Luke 16:9 – Here’s the lesson: Use your worldly resources to benefit others and make friends. Then, when your possessions are gone, they will welcome you to an eternal home. (New Living Translation)
- We need to treat other people as more important than ___________________
Philippians 2:7-8 – 7 But he gave up his place with God and made himself nothing. He was born to be a man and became like a servant. 8 And when he was living as a man, he humbled himself and was fully obedient to God, even when that caused his death – death on a cross. (New Century Version)
Ways to Care for Those God Brings into Our Lives
1. Do something for someone who can do nothing in return for you.
Who is someone special you could celebrate by spending time with this season? Do you need to reconnect with a long-lost friend or relative? Or what about someone who has helped you in the past, and whom you’ve never thanked in the way you’d like? Or, consider someone from another country who is struggling with the adjustment. Set a time this week to get together. Why do this? So you can share in Tiny Tim’s rejoicing that Christmas is about people, and people matter to God.
2. Take a child out for the day (appropriately) and spend time one on one to encourage your new little friend.
Children and Christmas go together. Often children have high expectations for Christmas, and often those expectations aren’t met. Are there any children in your life? Take a child out for the day. As you spend time one on one, find ways to encourage your little friend and to explain the true cause for excitement at Christmas.
3. Get a photograph of your family when you were young, and pray over it, offering thanks for what has happened in your life since.
Stop now and to take inventory of your relationships. What do you discover about where you have invested? Where have you neglected to invest? Are there any significant 'debts' you owe to others, or feel they owe to you? If so, how can you take a step to invest in rebuilding those relationships? While there are many steps we can take to value our loved one, I would like to suggest a few that may be fresh ideas: Take a family portrait from some time ago (from the time when you were a child, or when your children were younger), and pray over it. Give thanks for the positive things that have happened over the years, and offer to God the sadness, pain, disappointment and regret that you may feel. Then ask God to help you make this the richest season ever with your loved ones.