December 12th - David

David

1 Samuel 17:12-51

David was a man after God's heart. He trusted his God to keep His promises.  He stood up to Goliath, secure in the knowledge that God plus one is the majority, and by defeating him, David saved the Israelites from slavery. He was courageous and strong and trusted in God for deliverance and victory. And he loved God deeply.

At Christmas, we celebrate freedom. Jesus's birth prompted great celebration in Heaven. The angels sang to announce His birth, because it was the beginning of our release from the bonds of sin. It can be hard to remember amid all the parties and presents and family strife that Jesus is at the centre. We need to chase after God's heart and Christmas is a perfect time to start chasing.

"Dear God, help me to have a good and kind heart, and help me to be brave."

December 9th - Moses

Moses
Exodus 2:1-10

There are so many similarities in the stories of Moses and Jesus. Matthew's Gospel draws many of these parallels out. Both were babies under threat of death from their rulers; both found safety in Egypt; both were given huge, terrifying missions by God; both were destined to lead people to freedom.

"Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord." (Luke 2:11) Christmas is the time to give thanks that God cares about us so much; that He loves enough to become like us and do what we can't to save us. Jesus grew like us, but was aware that His Heavenly Father had a bigger plan.

How do we respond? We can make sure our Christmas celebrations aren't entirely materialistic. We can use the time when we remember a birth and the threat to a baby's life as a time to speak out against the daily threats to unborn babies' lives. We can try to make the lives of those around us more pleasant and easier, and give from our plenty to those who have little.

"Dear God, let me have the courage to do what you ask of me and help me to bring freedom to all of your children."