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37. Merry Christmas! - Thursday Morning · Family Prayer Podcast

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  Good morning, Grace Harbor!
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  It’s Dan, and it’s finally here!
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  I have been waiting weeks to finally say this to you: Merry Christmas!
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  Whether you’re actually listening on Christmas morning, or you’re
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  catching up later today or this week, I’m so grateful that you’re here with me.
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  It’s been so fun to spend these last four weeks
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  preparing ourselves for this very day.
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  Our goal has been to get more out of Christmas
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  than just some presents and a few tasty cookies.
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  We’ve been exploring ways to make hope,
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  peace, joy, and love a part of our lives.
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  We’ve thought about what each of these words mean.
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  And we’ve seen
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  how each of them can be so much deeper than we may have first thought.
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  Hope is looking forward to good things that haven’t happened yet.
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  Peace is achieved when good things are actively happening.
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  Joy is choosing to focus on all of the good things in our lives.
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  And love is wanting good things to happen for others and even going
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  out of our way to make those good things happen when we can.
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  I’m sure you noticed a theme: Good things happening!
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  The Bible teaches us that all good things come from God,
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  so Advent and Christmas are ultimately
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  about remembering the good things that God has done in the past,
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  is doing in the present, and has promised to do in the future.
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  And here’s the cool thing that I hope you learned along the way;
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  when we experience God’s goodness for ourselves,
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  it makes us want to share it with others.
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  So, let’s be grateful for all of the gifts we might get today, but let’s
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  also remember to be grateful for the best Christmas gift of all - the baby Jesus!
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  So, this Christmas morning, take a moment and share with each other
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  something from the last couple of weeks that you want to say thank you to God for;
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  something good that you’re grateful for.
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  If you need more time, you can pause the podcast,
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  and I’ll be right here when you get back.
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  Mmmm…
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  I can smell the blueberry muffins we had baking in the oven,
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  which means my wife must have just pulled them out.
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  And I suspect at least one of my kids is trying to peel back
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  some wrapping paper to get a peek at what’s inside, so I need to go.
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  But before I do, let’s say a quick prayer together.
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  If you want to, you can close your eyes and fold your hands,
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  or since it’s Christmas, maybe you’ll be doing a very jolly wiggly prayer!
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  Dear God,
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  we thank you for all of the good things you have done and continue to do for us.
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  Especially today, we are grateful for Jesus.
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  In all of our excitement and fun today,
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  may we find moments to remember that this is all because of your love for us.
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  Amen.
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  Alright, Grace Harbor!
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  Have a very merry Christmas, and I’ll talk to you tonight.