Daily Dose of the Word of God - Dec 25, Xmas!

Gregg DeMey, Lead Pastor

Transcript

Gregg DeMey  0:10 

Good morning friends and Merry Christmas. Welcome to Elmhurst CRC's Daily Dose of the Word of God. This is Gregg DeMey, Lead Pastor at the church. And indeed, it's Wednesday December 25, a great day of celebration: Jesus Christ is born. God has done what only God could do, uniting the divine with the human.God has come to us to be with us, to rescue us and to save us.

Gregg DeMey 0:34 

This is going to be the last Daily Dose of 2024 - there's going to be a short break from now until New Year's day before we start feasting on the Word of God in 2025. There is going to be a special emphasis on reading, meditating and receiving the Word of God and taking it in in the new year. To prepare us for that, I invite you to meditate today on a modern parable called, "The Tale of Three Trees." It's a great kid's book and I encourage you to find a copy for you and your family if you don't have one.

Gregg DeMey  1:04 

The story goes something like this. There were three young trees and each was dreaming of a grand future. One wanted to be a beautiful treasure chest. Another desired to be a magnificent ship and the third tree wanted to be the tallest tree in the entire forest. And then they were chopped down, sawed, milled and waited on a lumber pile In time, the first tree was pieced together to become a manger. Humbling - a long way from the treasure chest that she aspired to be - until one day, when she was used as a crib in Bethlehem to hold a child named Jesus. The tree that became a manger was transformed into the most precious treasure chest of all time. Similarly awesome and surprising destinies lay ahead for the other two trees. You really should read the book!

Gregg DeMey 1:56  

Jesus didn't come to just lie in a manger, but to take up residence in our hearts. Whatever our dreams or desires, we can be like the tree that became a manger. So today, I invite you to find a few quiet moments amongst the celebration and the present unwrapping. Maybe alone or maybe with your people to invite the child of Bethlehem - that brave little boy, that courageous sacrificial man, Jesus, - to reside in your heart. To make room for him and his spirit and let him rest within the frame of your heart too. Merry Christmas to you and yours. Again, we'll be back on January 1. God's blessings to you.