Christmas Countdown, TV Schedule and Quick Thought – Sunday, December 5, 2021

20 Days Until Christmas!

Song: “The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting On an Open Fire),” by Nat King Cole
Christmas Album: “Merry Christmas,” by Johnny Mathis
Christmas DVD: “Four Christmases”
Netflix Movie: “A California Christmas”
Amazon Prime Movie: “Crazy for Christmas”
Disney+ Movie: “Prep & Landing” and “Prep & Landing: Naughty vs. Nice”
Hulu Movie: “My Santa”
Hallmark Movie: “A Majestic Christmas”
On TV:

New Programming in Bold
• “A Wedding for Christmas,” noon, ION
• College Football Playoff Selection Show, noon, ESPN
• “One Royal Holiday,” noon, Hallmark
• “The Flight Before Christmas,” noon, Lifetime
• “The Big Holiday Food Fight,” noon, OWN
• “Arthur Christmas,” 12:10 p.m., Freeform
• “Christmas Cookie Challenge,” 1 p.m. – 7 p.m. , OWN
• “Christmas Together,” 2 p.m., ION
• “An Unexpected Christmas,” 2 p.m., Hallmark
• “A Gift Wrapped Christmas,” 2 p.m., Lifetime
• “A Loud House Christmas,” 2 p.m., Nickelodeon
• “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” 2:15 p.m., Freeform
• “Christmas … Again?” 3:40 p.m., Disney
• “Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town,” 3:55 p.m., Freeform
• “Christmas Matchmakers,” 4 p.m., ION
• “The Nine Kittens of Christmas,” 4 p.m., Hallmark
• “Dancing Through the Snow,” 4 p.m., Lifetime
• “Frosty the Snowman,” 5 p.m., Freeform
• “Home Alone 4,” 5:25 p.m., Disney
• “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” 5:35 p.m., Freeform
• “A Christmas Witness,” 6 p.m., ION
• “A Very Merry Bridesmaid,” 6 p.m., Hallmark
• “Merry Liddle Christmas Baby,” 6 p.m., Lifetime
• “Home Alone,” 6:40 p.m., Freeform
• “The Christmas Thief,” 8 p.m. and 10 p.m., ION
• “The Grinch,” 8 p.m. and 10 p.m., FX
• “Sister Swap: A Hometown Holiday,” 8 p.m., Hallmark
• “My Favorite Christmas Melody,” 8 p.m., Lifetime
• “A Loud House Christmas,” 8 p.m., Nickelodeon
• Sunday Night Football: Denver at Kansas City, 8:20 p.m., NBC
• “The National Christmas Tree Lighting,” 8:30 p.m., CBS
• “Disney Holiday Magic Quest 2021,” 8:40 p.m., Disney
• “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York,” 9:10 p.m., Freeform
• “The 23rd Annual Home for the Holidays at the Grove,” 9:30 p.m., CBS
• “Switched for Christmas,” 10:01 p.m., Hallmark
• “A Christmas Winter Song,” 10:03 p.m., Lifetime
• “Disney’s Magic Bake-Off,” 10:35 p.m., Disney
Recipe: Green Bean Casserole

Quick Thought for Christmas

Read

Philippians 2:1-10

“And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth…”
Philippians 2:8-10

Reflect
Who is the richest most powerful person that comes to your mind? These days, it might be Bill Gates or Donald Trump. Let’s go with Bill. (He is one of the richest men in the world, and he’s a lot less recognizable and less controversial than the former president…)

There are times when I’d like $100. Put a capital B on the end of that and you have Bill Gates. Yes, he’s worth more than $100 billion. The man wants for nothing. He lives in a 66,000-foot mansion called Xanadu 2.0 that has an underwater music system and artwork that changes on the wall at the touch of a button. He’s on top of the world and will be for the rest of his life.

Now, imagine that Bill Gates decides to do away with all of that. One day he simply disappears, leaving a note that he is going away to live a simpler life. He uses some of his money to give himself a new face and invite a new persona. Several months later, this new man appears – Tom Smith. He has a job making just enough money to make ends meet. He eats junk food. He drives an old used car.

Who would do that? I doubt Bill Gates would and I wouldn’t either.

But that’s what Jesus did. He gave up the greatest riches ever known, even Heaven itself, to come and live among us. And it wasn’t just a social experiment. He did it so that at the end of a perfect life, He could give that life up so that we would have a way to spend eternity with Him. His sacrifices – both in Heaven and on Earth – are our ticket to Heaven.

When you look at the manger this Christmas, take a look both backward and forward. Look at where that baby’s journey started and ended. It started at the right hand of God in Heaven. And it ended nailed to a rough-hewn cross. Those are some sacrifices worth taking to heart, and definitely worth thanking God for.