Scriptures, Thoughts, and Prayers to Prepare Your Heart

for Christmas

Scriptures, Thoughts, and Prayers to Prepare Your Heart

for Christmas

Kristin Schultz

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Scripture quotations are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®) Copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. All rights reserved. ESV Text Edition: 2016

ISBN: 978-1-947699-48-9PRINTED IN THAILAND

The vision of CTA is to see Christians highly effective

in their ministry so that Christ’s Kingdom is strengthened and expanded.

Scriptures, Thoughts, and Prayers to Prepare Your Heart

for Christmas

Kristin SchultzGlory to God in the highest,

and on earth peace.Luke 2:14

To: From:Peace on Earth. Peace is more than a wish, more than a hopeful longing. Peace on earth is God’s promise to you, fulfilled in a manger in Bethlehem centuries ago.

God’s peace in his Son, Jesus, means an end to our sin-stained separation from our Creator. No more are we at odds with God, but we are his children, resting peacefully in his good and gracious arms.

This Christmas, may you know the true peace that transcends all human understanding, peace mercifully given to you through Jesus, your Savior.

May that peace dwell in your heart this Christmas season and forever.

Peace

It came upon the midnight clear,

That glorious song of old,

From angels bending near the earth

To touch their harps of gold:

“Peace on the earth, good will to men,

From heav’n’s all-gracious king.”

The world in solemn stillness lay

To hear the angels sing.

EDMUND H. SEARS, 1810–1876

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:

   “God is not dead; nor doth he sleep!

         The Wrong shall fail,

         The Right prevail,

   With peace on earth, good-will to men!”

And in despair I bowed my head;

   “There is no peace on earth,” I said:

         “For hate is strong,

         And mocks the song

   Of peace on earth, good-will to men!”

FROM “CHRISTMAS BELLS” BY HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOW

Peace

Peace

H e will dwell with them, and they

will be his people, and God himself will

be with them as their God. He will wipe

away every tear from their eyes, and

death shall be no more, neither shall

there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain

anymore, for the former things have

passed away.

Revelation 21:3–4

Heavenly Father,

Be with our families and

our leaders that they may be

instruments of your peace

to the suffering and needy. I

praise you for bringing rest and

peace in Jesus—not a fleeting

respite from conflict but a

permanent, deep, eternal rest.

Amen.We long for peace. Peace in our homes, peace in our cities, peace in our nation, and peace on earth. While it can seem that peace is elusive, we hold fast to Jesus, Immanuel, God with Us, who is our rest, our peace, our stillness, our Savior.

PeacePHILLIPS BROOKS, 1835–1893

For Christ is born of Mary,

And gathered all above,

While mortals sleep, the angels keep

Their watch of wond’ring love.

O morning stars, together

Proclaim the holy birth,

And praises sing to God the King

And peace to men on earth!

For he himself is our peace, who has

made us both one and has broken down

in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility.

Ephesians 2:14

A nd they shall dwell secure, for

now he shall be great to the ends of the

earth. And he shall be their peace.

Micah 5:4–5

Peace

Peace