Christmas Countdown and Quick Thought – Sunday, December 6, 2020

19 Days Until Christmas!

Song: “Good King Wenceslas,” by Bing Crosby
Christmas Album: “Home for Christmas,” by Susan Boyle
Christmas DVD: “Jingle All the Way”
Netflix Movie: “The Knight Before Christmas”
Amazon Prime Movie: “Christmas Cupcakes”
Disney+ Movie: “The Christmas Star”
Hulu Movie: “This Christmas”
Hallmark Movie: “Marrying Father Christmas”
On TV:
• “A Christmas Cruise,” 3 p.m., ION
• “Legend of Frosty the Snowman,” 3 p.m., AMC
• “Jack Frost,” 3:30 p.m., Sundance
• “Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town,” 4 p.m., Freeform
• “Christmas in Evergreen: Bells Are Ringing,” 4 p.m., Hallmark
• “A Very Charming Christmas Town,” 4 p.m., Lifetime
• “Holiday Affair,” 4:15 p.m., TCM
• “Frosty’s Winter Wonderland,” 4:30 p.m., AMC
• “Christmas Matchmakers,” 5 p.m., ION
• “Twas the Night Before Christmas,” 5 p.m., AMC
• “Jingle All the Way,” 5 p.m., TBS
• “Frosty the Snowman,” 5:05 p.m., Freeform
• “The Year Without a Santa Claus,” 5:30 p.m., AMC
• “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” (2000) 5:30 p.m., FX
• “Toy Story That Time Forgot,” 5:35 p.m., Disney
• “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” 5:40 p.m., Freeform
• “Good Morning Christmas,” 6 p.m., Hallmark
• “People Presents: Once Upon a Main Street,” 6 p.m., Lifetime
• “Christmas in Connecticut,” 4:15 p.m., TCM
• “Rudolph’s Shiny New Year,” 6:45 p.m., AMC
• “Home Alone,” 6:45 p.m., Freeform
• “Christmas Together,” 7 p.m., ION
• “Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” (1966) 7 p.m., TBS
• “The Elf on the Shelf: An Elf’s Story,” 7:30 p.m., TBS
• “Elf,” 8 p.m. and 10 p.m., AMC
• “The Grinch,” 8 p.m. and 10 p.m., FX
• “Christmas She Wrote,” 8 p.m., Hallmark
• “Christmas Ever After,” 8 p.m., Lifetime
• “MTV Movie & TV Awards: Greatest of All Time,” 8 p.m., MTV
• Denver Broncos at Kansas City Chiefs, 8:20 p.m., NBC
• “A Holly Dolly Christmas,” 8:30 p.m., CBS
• “Good Luck Charlie, It’s Christmas!” 8:30 p.m., Disney
• “Rent-an-Elf,” 9 p.m., ION
• “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York,” 9:15 p.m., Freeform
• “Write Before Christmas,” 10 p.m., Hallmark
• “The Christmas Listing,” 10:03 p.m., Lifetime
• “Jingle All the Way,” 10:30 p.m., TBS
• “A Cinderella Christmas,” 11 p.m., ION
Recipe: Sweet Potato Souffle

Quick Thought for Christmas

Read

John 1:1-18

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
John 1:14

Reflect
How long do you think Jesus has existed? Did His story start in the manger? Did it start when the angel gave Mary the good news nine months before that?

The Bible actually tells us that Jesus has been with God the Father since the very beginning. Follow this train of thought:

• “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1) So God’s Word has always been there, but what is that Word?
• “He was in the beginning with God.” (John 1:2) So this Word isn’t a what, but a who? Who is this Word?
• “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14) This Word is Jesus! He’s been there with God the entire time!

Knowing that Jesus has been around since “in the beginning,” it makes you wonder how long He’s known about the sacrifice He would have to make. Once again, the answer is, “the beginning.” God, being the loving, all-knowing Creator He is, has always known the choices we would make as frail, sinful humans. So He has always known that He would have to make a way for us to spend eternity with Him.

And that choice, that option, has always been Jesus.

Since the beginning of time, Jesus has known that He’d have to give up perfection in Heaven in order to live a few decades in poverty on Earth, followed by a brutal death on the cross. His sacrifice, life and death has always been the plan. For Jesus, Christmas wasn’t a holiday – it was his eternal destiny.

Today, think about the journey Jesus took from the throne room to the manger. Thank Him for being willing to take that journey. And think about what it means to you, and what you can do in response to what He’s done for you.