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33. Love Is... - Tuesday Morning · Family Prayer Podcast

• 0:00
  Good morning, Grace Harbor!
• 0:02
  It’s Dan. Happy Tuesday!
• 0:05
  Whoo, it’s another cold day here in Grace Harbor.
• 0:08
  How’s the weather where you are Believe it or not, growing up in Florida,
• 0:13
  there were some Christmases where it was actually warm enough to go swimming!
• 0:17
  It’s certainly been a big adjustment to move to a place where it gets cold,
• 0:21
  but the first year it snowed on Christmas was absolutely magical!
• 0:26
  This year, I don’t really know if it’s going to snow or not.
• 0:29
  My weather app says we have about a 30% chance,
• 0:32
  which isn’t zero, but it’s not great either.
• 0:36
  On the other hand, Mr.
• 0:38
  Rutherford says he knows it’s going to snow because he can feel it
• 0:41
  in his knees!
• 0:43
  That sounds silly to me, but he’s lived here all his life.
• 0:47
  And I guess when you get to be his age, your knees start to predict the weather.
• 0:51
  So who knows?
• 0:53
  All I know is that Christmas is coming, snow
• 0:56
  or not, and we’re in the home stretch of Advent.
• 0:59
  We’ve spent the last three weeks preparing for Christmas
• 1:03
  by focusing on hope, peace, and joy.
• 1:07
  Do you remember what our theme is for this week?
• 1:10
  I mentioned last night.
• 1:12
  It’s love!
• 1:14
  Love is one of those funny words that everyone knows what it means,
• 1:18
  but it can also mean so many different things.
• 1:21
  Think about it.
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  I love pepperoni pizza.
• 1:25
  And I also love my mom.
• 1:28
  Those aren’t the same thing, are they?
• 1:30
  Why don’t you go around really quick and share with each other
• 1:33
  one silly thing and one serious thing you love.
• 1:37
  I’m not going to give you the same amount of time as I normally do,
• 1:40
  so don’t spend too much time thinking about it.
• 1:42
  Just share the first things that pops in your head, lightning round style.
• 1:47
  Of course, as always, if you need more time, you can pause the podcast,
• 1:51
  but let’s see if you can fit it in…
• 1:57
  ready… go!
• 2:06
  Did everyone get to go?
• 2:13
  Was there a wide range of answers, or did some things get repeated?
• 2:17
  Either way, it’s ok, but isn’t it kind of funny
• 2:21
  that we use this one word to mean so many different things?
• 2:25
  When we talk about Christmas, that
• 2:28
  whole range of meanings can certainly apply too.
• 2:31
  We can love things like the special music, decorations, and cookies
• 2:36
  because they make us feel happy, we only have them for a short
• 2:39
  part of the year, and one of them can give us a sugar rush.
• 2:43
  We can also love traditions, whether in our community or our family.
• 2:48
  If you were with us the first week of the podcast,
• 2:50
  you know how much I love the Christmas tree lighting and block party.
• 2:54
  And tonight is the night we traditionally watch “A Charlie Brown
• 2:57
  Christmas” together.
• 2:59
  I, of course, love both of these traditions because they’re a lot of fun,
• 3:04
  but what means the most to me is the time
• 3:06
  I get to spend with the people I love.
• 3:09
  And that’s an even deeper kind of love, isn’t it?
• 3:12
  The love we can have for our family,
• 3:15
  our pets, even some friends, is a special kind of love.
• 3:20
  If you stop and think about it, for as much as you
• 3:22
  enjoy their company and appreciate the things they’ve done for you,
• 3:26
  my guess is that it’s not all about what you get from them.
• 3:30
  You feel a connection.
• 3:32
  You feel a warmth in your heart.
• 3:34
  You feel like you want to do things for them.
• 3:38
  When they’re happy, it makes you happy.
• 3:40
  When they’re sad, it makes you sad,
• 3:42
  and you want to find a way to comfort and encourage them.
• 3:46
  It is this kind of love that is the heart of Christmas.
• 3:51
  Remember last night, we talked about how at the beginning of the Bible,
• 3:55
  humans stopped listening to God and it messed everything up.
• 3:59
  But God promised to send someone special
• 4:01
  to rescue us and make everything right again.
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  Well, that special someone was Jesus,
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  and he came on Christmas because God
• 4:11
  feels that connection with us!
• 4:14
  God loves it when we’re living like the smart,
• 4:17
  strong, brave, and kind people God made us to be.
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  So, holding that in mind, let’s practice
• 4:25
  one of our core disciplines - setting intentions.
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  Take a few moments to think about what you can do today
• 4:31
  to remember the true meaning of Christmas.
• 4:34
  Perhaps you can write down the sentence “God loves
• 4:37
  me” on a piece of paper and stick it in your pocket.
• 4:40
  And then, a couple times throughout the day, you can pull it out,
• 4:44
  read it, and say a quick prayer of thanks.
• 4:47
  Adults, you could set a reminder on your phone.
• 4:50
  Or maybe you can keep your eye out for one person
• 4:53
  you can help today as a way of sharing God’s love.
• 4:57
  Once you have an idea, go ahead and share it with each other.
• 5:01
  If you need more time, you can pause the podcast,
• 5:03
  and I’ll be right here when you get back.
• 5:36
  Can I let you in on a little secret?
• 5:38
  Remember how we said yesterday that being active
• 5:41
  can help pass the time when we’re tired of waiting?
• 5:44
  Well, December 23 can feel like one of the longest days of the year for me
• 5:49
  because all of the stuff I’ve been looking forward to starts tomorrow.
• 5:53
  But by setting my intentions for the day,
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  it ensures I’m not just sitting around waiting.
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  I’ll be focused on finding a way to let
• 6:02
  the love of Christmas prepare my heart for the big day!
• 6:06
  Ok, let’s close our time together in prayer.
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  If you want to, you can close your eyes and fold your hands.
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  Dear God, we thank you for your love.
• 6:17
  We thank you that your love for us isn’t just a feeling,
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  but it’s something that led to you to come be with us in Jesus.
• 6:26
  As we go about our day today,
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  may we keep the true meaning of Christmas alive in our hearts.
• 6:32
  Amen. Alright, Grace Harbor!
• 6:34
  Have a great Tuesday, and I’ll talk to you tonight!