DEVOTIONAL GUIDE - Park Cities Baptist Church

Saturday, December 24
Sunday, December 25
Some years ago I had the brilliant idea
to recreate the Christmas manger
scene in a barn for a music video. We
had some dairy farmers in our church
who graciously offered their barn to
us. We spent days preparing the barn
for filming…moving cows, spreading
hay, running power cables, hanging
lights…everything needed to make
the scene look authentic.
When the day of the video shoot arrived
we got there very early to make sure
everything was in place. We chose the
perfect cows to be “lowing,” some
sheep, a donkey, and a manger. With
the actors in place we began to film
the scene where the Son of God was
born on earth. It was magical. It was
moving to everyone who was there.
We filmed most of the day.
What we didn’t know was that the
video lighting was overloading the
electrical transformer out on the
street. With a sizable explosion, the
transformer went out and all the
power to the farm went with it. The
good news was that there was no fire.
The bad news was that without power
all the milking machines would not
work and it was time for all the cows
to be milked. So….we all learned to
milk by hand. I’ll never forget it. I
got home very late and very tired. I
had spent the day in the barn with all
the animals and I smelled like it.
Our dog, Alex, who was half terrier
and half basset hound (think about it)
went crazy. He was on smell overload.
I smelled like I had spent the day in
the lowliest of places…covered with
the stench of the place where farm
animals live. Then it occurred to
me…I have been where Jesus was
born. I had been in the place where
Jesus came to find me…..the lowliest
of places. Jesus Christ, the Son of the
Living God, had left heaven and all of
its glory to come to earth and bring
me home. He humbled Himself and
became a man….so I could know Him.
The distance of His great “comedown”
was farther than I could possibly
imagine. What love! What a Christmas!
Miller Cunningham is the Pastor of
Ministries. He and his wife, Ginger,
have two sons, Scott and Ben.
“This will be a sign to you: You will
find a baby wrapped in cloths and
lying in a manger.” Luke 2:12
How far we have come from that first
Christmas! Consider the contrast. Our
Christmases are marked by lights,
decorations, malls, Santas, shoppers,
parties, food, toys, trees, reindeers,
elves and much, much more. The birth
of Jesus is cause for a global celebration,
but the first Christmas focused on one
solitary life – one little baby, born in
a little-known town to a Bedouin
teenage couple. He was then placed in
a feed trough. The newborn’s cry split
the air. It sounded just like the cry of
any other baby. But through the tiny
veins of this baby pumped the blood
that would be spilled on Calvary’s
cross. His soft little fist would be
opened and penetrated by the spike of
a Roman executioner. Those tiny feet,
yet to touch the earth, would grow
calloused through the miles and miles
of carrying the never-heard message of
God’s unfailing grace. Who could’ve
known that this little baby had come
to change the world? We know. You
and I know exactly who this baby was
and even still, who He is today. He is
the Lord of all creation. And He
desires to be Lord of your life.
I love the sights, sounds, and colors of
Christmas. But this Christmas I
resolve not to get lost in the busyness
that the season has become. Instead,
through intentional, quiet moments
with my Savior, I will hear His cry
again. But this time, it will resound
clearer than a baby’s cry, because now
this Jesus lives in me. And if I listen,
really listen, it will be my feet, my
hands, and my lips that will spread
the message of His unfailing grace.
This Christmas season, that will be
my gift to the King.
For Discussion:
• What about you? What will be
your gift to Jesus this Christmas?
• How will you change the rhythm of
your life in order to hear from Him
this season?
Dr. Jeff Warren, Senior Pastor, and his
wife, Stacy, have three children,
Whitney, Emily, and Travis.