Meet Him at the
Manger
A Christmas devotional to help you draw closer to Jesus.
A collection of encouragement from Jill Briscoe and the authors of ȷustbetweenus .
Meet Him at the Manger © 2021 by Just Between Us ministry. All rights reserved. No part of this booklet may be reproduced without written permission except for brief quotes.
Cover Design & Layout: Ashley Schmidt Compiled by: Ann Cook Editorial Team: Shelly Esser, Ann Cook, Marilyn Pritchard
Contents Whatever It Takes By Jill Briscoe…………………………………………………...….........……….…...1 God With Us By Shelly Esser…………………………………………………………….……………...….….....3 And the Word Became Flesh By Lisa Elliott…………………………………………....…….....6 Of Sheep and Shepherds By Mary Blasczyk………………………………………….......…....9 Meet Him at the Manger By Jill Briscoe…………………………....……..……………….……...12 Faith in the Plan or the Planner? By Danielle Thomas…………....................….14 Sleeping in Heavenly Pieces By Lisa Elliott……………………….……………….......….…..17 The Sweet Peas of Christmas By Jill Briscoe………………………………..……..……....20 A Christmas Party for Jesus By Marsha Bolan……………….....………………….……..23 Wintermas By Jill Briscoe………………………………………………….........................…………......26 Finding Joy in a Broken Christmas By Lisa Elliott…………………...………………….29 Waiting in Wonder By Sarah Nielsen…………………………………………...........……..………32 He Laid It Down (Poem) By Jill Briscoe…………………………………………….......……….…35
Dear Friend
,
Are you joyfully anticipating Christmas, or do the myriad of activities and busyness of the season steal your Christmas cheer? Has loss or disappointment been weighing heavily upon you? As we wait in expectant hope for the celebration of our Savior’s birth, all of us at Just Between Us would like to encourage you by helping your faith to flourish during this Advent season. We hope this Christmas devotional will draw your heart closer to Jesus and experience His presence more fully. Each of these 12 devotions is written by one of our JBU contributors or our founder, Jill Briscoe. Each one has a Scripture verse or passage to read, a story written by the author, a few reflection questions to meditate on, and a prayer. It is not necessary to read them in consecutive order—you can read them in any order that will meet your need for the day! As you engage with God’s Word and these inspirational Christmas stories, it is our prayer that you will grow in faith and that your love for our Savior will deepen. Most importantly, we pray your heart will focus on the true meaning of Christmas, you’ll experience more joy, and you’ll rejoice in the birth of Christ as you
Meet Him at the Manger.
Christmas Blessings,
Your JBU Sisters in Christ
Whatever It Takes By Jill Briscoe
Read: Psalm 46:10
I
t was the Christmas season, and I was thinking about all the tinsel triviality around me. The Grinch was winning big time! I had been frantically rushing
around in ever-tightening circles. Have you ever been like this at Christmas? I was sitting on the front doorstep when it opened, and He Whom my soul loves joined me.
“Lord,” I began, as my soul stopped rushing around inside me and sat down for a few saving moments. “Speak to me. Do whatever it takes to touch the quiet place within me where You live. Whatever it takes, Lord, do what it takes to renew my faith and set my spirit dancing, so I can do whatever it takes to tell my world why You came at Christmas.” He smiled at me thoughtfully as if remembering something. Then He spoke. “One day I said to my Father, ‘Whatever it takes, Father, I’ll do it. Whatever it takes to bring them all home to our house.’ And my Father said to me, ‘Go to Bethlehem! That’s what it takes!’ And so I came! As a baby, born to a woman