Christmas Countdown, TV Schedule and Quick Thought – Wednesday, December 6, 2023

19 Days Until Christmas!

Song: “The Little Drummer Boy,” by Pentatonix
Christmas Album: “Peace on Earth,” by Casting Crowns
Christmas DVD: “The Shop Around the Corner”
Netflix Movie: “Christmas With a View”
Amazon Prime Movie: “The Christmas Train”
Disney+ Movie: “The Nutcracker and the Four Realms”
Hulu Movie: “Five Star Christmas”
Hallmark Movie: “A Christmas Melody”

On TV:
New Programming in Bold
• “A Fabled Holiday,” 4 p.m., Hallmark
• “The Santa Clause,” 4:15 p.m., Freeform
• “Jack Frost,” 5:30 p.m., AMC
• “Holiday Road,” 6 p.m., Hallmark
• “The Santa Clause 2,” 6:25 p.m., Freeform
• “Christmas With the Kranks,” 8 p.m., AMC
• “Home Alone,” 8 p.m., FX
• “A Not So Royal Christmas,” 8 p.m., Hallmark
• “The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause,” 8:55 p.m., Freeform
• “Four Christmases,” 10 p.m., AMC
• “Catch Me If You Claus,” 10 p.m., Hallmark
• “Home Alone 2: Lost In New York,” 10:30 p.m., FX
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,” you have to 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.