Christmas

Celebrating Jesus’ Birth

“She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.’ All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: ‘The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel’ (which means ‘God with us’).“ – Matthew 1:21-23 Merry Christmas, friend. This is the day to celebrate the birth of Immanuel, God with us, and to rejoice in Jesus, our Lord, and Savior! It’s interesting that when we think of the nativity, we remember those who came — the shepherds, who were probably teenage girls, and the magi or wise men. Though Jesus was born in a water trough in a barn (definitely not a proper setting for a king), He broke down barriers and accomplished more than any other leader before or after Him

December 25, 2022 No Comments

Christmas Eve in Bethlehem

“After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, ‘Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.’ “ – Matthew 2:1,2 On this Christmas Eve, I am reminded of the first time I was fortunate enough to travel to Israel during the holiday season. I was a newly-minted adult back then at the tender age of 18 years old. I went with my grandpa, Dr. Robert Schuller — and because he was a minister, he brought 500 people with us! Israel is like Southern California in that it almost never rains. And because Israel is such a religious country, they always viewed rain as God’s blessing. I still remember that Christmas Eve, overlooking the city. It had been raining

December 24, 2022 3 Comments

The Gift of Provision

“While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.“ – Luke 2:6,7 Today, as we draw closer to Christmas, I have a thought I want to share — God always provides sanctuary for us. Even our beautiful church building here at Shepherd’s Grove is a place of rest and divine provision when we come to worship. Like shelter on a rainy day, a sanctuary reminds us that we have a safe home in the Lord. Interestingly, as we ponder the arrival of Jesus, we see that part of the miracle was God providing protection and a safe place for His Son to be born. Though His birthplace was less than glamorous, the manger in which our Lord

December 23, 2022 1 Comment

You Are a Treasure

“On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.“ – Matthew 2:11 Christmas is a great time to reflect on the treasures in our lives. Upon seeing the baby Jesus, the wise men opened their hearts and presented Him with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. In fact, it was expected — especially in the East — that one would never appear before royalty or a person of importance without bringing gifts. And knowing who they were visiting, they gave lavishly. However, their gifts were not the real treasure — Jesus was the treasure. Speaking of treasure, one Christmas, I received a BMX GTE Elite bike that I had been wanting for a long time, and boy, was I excited! I was thrilled with

December 22, 2022 No Comments

We Really Need Christmas

“When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.” – Matthew 2:10,11 I remarked to Hannah a couple of weeks ago, “I feel like this year we really need Christmas.” And I didn’t mean “we,” the Schuller family. I meant “we” the whole world. Christmas is both a sacred religious holiday and a worldwide cultural phenomenon. I know the world as a whole feels this need for Christmas. I am mindful of how so many of us have felt down for years for various reasons, with a proverbial gray sky emotionally hanging over our heads. But note how the Christmas spirit, as you see in the marketplace, media, and movies, has a way of hypothetically breaking

December 13, 2022 1 Comment

God With Us

“ ‘The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel’ (which means ‘God with us’).” – Matthew 1:23 It’s hard to imagine, but it’s December 9th and that means that Christmas is right around the corner. For the days leading up to the holiday, I encourage you to set aside a brief time each morning to be still and ponder the true meaning of the season. I pray these devotions will be helpful as you keep your eyes fixed on the One around whom this time of year truly revolves. If you’re anything like me, I tend to be way busier than usual during the holidays; yet these are the hours and days in which I should be most keenly aware of the Prince of Peace and His living presence in my life. I love the fact that the coming Messiah, our Lord

December 9, 2022 No Comments

Life With No Limits

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.” – Ephesians 3:20,21 One time when my Grandpa Schuller was on a plane, he met a mathematician who told him an incredible story. He told him how he was late for class one day in graduate school and arrived just as the class was about to end. Because of his tardiness, the young student missed the lecture on a math problem that was written on the board. He copied down the problem, assuming it was a homework assignment, and the teacher told him it was due on Friday. When he returned to his room, he began working on the problem, only to discover that it

December 22, 2021 No Comments

History’s Cornerstone

“For in Scripture it says: ‘See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.’” – 1 Peter 2:6 Today I have some excellent news for you: things may be becoming darker, but you’re becoming brighter. Even if the days are becoming colder, you’re getting warmer, because I think God works His greatest miracles in our lives when we’re at our lowest. Because of One Man, who changed the path of history from the moment of His birth, redemption is attainable. Everything changed in year zero, as you can see. The two epochs of human history, BC and AD, center around one thing: Christmas. Although BC stands for “Before Christ,” we can refer to it as “Before Christmas” for our purposes because it essentially implies the same thing. Year one corresponds to the birth of Jesus,

December 17, 2021 1 Comment

Winter is a Gift

“He made the moon to mark the seasons, and the sun knows when to go down.” – Psalm 104:19 If you’re anything like me, you are now completely immersed in the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season, which is (hopefully) filled with time with family and friends, the warmth of excellent food, the glow of decorations, and the shine of lights. It is, however, winter, which is naturally the coldest and darkest season of the year. As a result, the warmth of Christmas counters the chill of winter. The question I pose to you today is which one will you embrace? As we enter this season, there is a natural tendency to be negative. You might even hear that suicides are at an all-time high in December, but did you know that isn’t the case? It’s an old myth because the biggest rates of suicide occur in the spring.

December 16, 2021 2 Comments

The Splendor of Seasons

By Bobby Schuller It’s natural to love the warm and fruitful periods of life; those times when things seem to be orderly, productive, and peaceful. But how do we find comfort when the winds of change blow the last clinging leaf of familiarity from the branch of our existence and we feel cut off? To these questions, Jesus invites us to learn from the flowers of the field (Luke 12:27). Though they neither toil nor spin, they teach us that each season has a reason, and that hope will spring forth if we endure the process unto completion. Here are a handful of things we learn by studying the evolution of spring’s blooms: > Power is in the planting. Nothing grows unless it’s planted. Bulbs or seeds must be present in order for fruit or flowers to spring forth. Likewise, God has placed within each of us the seed of

March 31, 2021 1 Comment

Celebrating Jesus’ Birth

Christmas Eve in Bethlehem

The Gift of Provision

You Are a Treasure

We Really Need Christmas

God With Us

Life With No Limits

History’s Cornerstone

Winter is a Gift

The Splendor of Seasons

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