TOPIC: The News Is Good
TODAY’S READING
Matthew 11:25-30
Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. – Matthew 11:28 (NRSV)
THE UPPER ROOM DAILY DEVOTIONAL 14TH DECEMBER 2022 MESSAGE
Every Christmas, my wife brings out a tattered recipe for Christmas pudding that she has made for almost four decades. She inherited the recipe, which my mother made for her family each Christmas. The much-loved recipe is faded, smudged, and stained. Yet it brings joy to our family every year.
By the time I reach the Christmas season at the end of the year, my heart is also tattered. Whatever joy I held at the beginning of the year has faded. The clarity of my vision is smudged. I am stained by letdowns, setbacks, and defeats.
That’s when I know it is time to bring out the well-loved story of the angel announcing Jesus’ birth in Luke chapter 2. The angel announcing the birth of Christ our Savior brings joy to our expectant hearts. After a hard year of challenge, stress, and struggle this is truly good news of great joy! God has never forgotten us and comes to renew us each year at Christmastime.
TODAY’S PRAYER
Gracious God, after a hard year help us to remember the good news of Christ our Savior. May we discover in him the fullness of your joy. Amen.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
The season’s news is good — Christ is born to us!
PRAYER FOCUS
Those yearning for good news
READ ALSO: Love Worth Finding Devotional by Adrian Rogers : 14 December 2022
The Upper Room is a daily devotional magazine published in more than 30 languages and 100 countries around the world. The daily meditations are written by readers of the magazine and others interested in sharing their faith experiences through writing—both laity and clergy, published authors and new writers. Read More