12 Days Until Christmas!
Song: “Christmastime Is Here,” by the Vince Guaraldi Trio
Christmas Album: “The Spirit of Christmas,” by Ray Charles
Christmas DVD: “Disney’s A Christmas Carol”
Netflix Movie: “Dolly Parton’s Christmas on the Square”
Amazon Prime Movie: “A Bride for Christmas”
Disney+ Movie: “Dashing Through the Snow”
Hulu Movie: “Merry Liddle Christmas”
Hallmark Movie: “Frozen in Love”
On TV:
New programming in bold
• “The Polar Express,” 4 p.m., AMC
• “A Shoe Addict’s Christmas,” 4 p.m., Hallmark
• “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York,” 4:30 p.m., Freeform
• “Four Christmases,” 6 p.m., AMC
• “The Santa Clause,” 6 p.m., FX
• “A Cozy Christmas Inn,” 6 p.m., Hallmark
• “The Naughty Nine,” 7 p.m., Freeform
• “Elf,” 8 p.m., AMC
• “The Santa Clause 2,” 8 p.m., FX
• “Three Wise Men and a Baby,” 8 p.m., Hallmark
• “Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch,” 9 p.m., Freeform
• “The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause,” 10 p.m., FX
• “Round and Round,” 10 p.m., Hallmark
Recipe: Blueberry Peach Frozen Salad
Quick Thought for Christmas
Read
Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!
Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem!
Behold, your king is coming to you;
righteous and having salvation is he,
humble and mounted on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
Zechariah 9:9
Reflect
God is very good about telling us what to expect. That was the major role for Old Testament prophets – bringing messages about God’s plans and purposes for the future. And when it came to the Messiah, God painted a very clear picture about what He would look like.
But in spite of God’s prophetic messages, people have consistently managed to overlook God’s plans and instead place their own expectations on Him. Today’s scripture is a great point.
The people of Israel desperately wanted a deliverer – someone who would overthrow and destroy their oppressors. They looked for a regal king who would be a warlike Messiah who would exact revenge for the hundreds and hundreds of years that they were kept in submission to people who had nothing but contempt for them.
But who did God tell them to look for? A good and righteous king who would come riding on a donkey.
That’s an important image because, throughout the Old Testament, kings who rode on horses brought war. But kings who rode on donkeys always brought peace. And God was telling them to expect a peaceful king who was gentle and kind.
Jesus started out life in peace and humility, and when he entered Jerusalem a few decades later, he was the prophetic picture of peace and humility – riding on a donkey. (Matthew 21)
Today, spend at least a few minutes thinking about the peace that Jesus brings to your life. If you don’t have any peace, pray for just that. And pray that the peace of Christ will reside in you throughout this Christmas season so that you can have a truly joyous celebration on Christmas Day.
Reflection copyright © 2023 by Doug DeBolt.
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
