Are you seeking to connect with the true meaning of Christmas? You’re in the right place. Christmas in Cyberspace is a Christ-centered guide to this sacred holiday, focusing on the spiritual nature of our celebration of Christ’s birth and our redemption. Here’s where you can find some of our most popular features:

• Christmas Cheer: Finding the manger amidst the madness of the mall. A reflection for Black Friday, Cyber Monday and the retail season.
• The Best Christian Christmas Sites: There are lots of Christ-centered Christmas sites, and you have only so many clicks. Which ones are the most useful? Here’s our list.
• The History of Christmas: What’s the origin of popular Christian practices and traditions we observe during Advent and Christmas? You’ll find many of the answers here.
• Advent Meditations and Devotionals: Our reflections on the Christian experience of Christmas past, present and future. A series of six devotionals perfect for Advent study.
• Christian Christmas E-cards: Are you thinking about someone this Christmas? Why wait for the postman? Send them an e-card to let them know that they’re in your thoughts and prayers.
• Advent Calendars: The Advent calendar is a beloved tradition for Christian children all over the world. Click through for links to online Advent calendars and resources about the history of the tradition
• The Magi: Who were these “wise men” of the Bible? What do we know about them? You can find some of the answers here.

Jesus Is The Reason For The Season!

The Advent and Christmas season is a time to draw near to Christ, opening our hearts and minds to who Jesus is and why He came to live among us on that night in Bethlehem so many years ago.  What does knowing Christ mean today, and what are the implications for our future? We offer the following Christ-centered seasonal meditations for your consideration:

CHRISTMAS PAST:
Gabriel’s World Tour, 6 B.C.

• Zechariah: “Yes, but …”
• Mary: The Bible talked about the Messiah, but not about being the Messiah’s Mom.

CHRISTMAS PRESENT:
Finding the Manger Amidst the Madness of the Mall

• Christmas Cheer: Encountering God in the check-out aisle.
• Switch Seats: Feeling run down? Try a new power source.

CHRISTMAS FUTURE:
Living In Hope

• The Second Advent: We’re waiting for more than Dec. 25.
• A Thousand Years Are Like A Day: We don’t know what the future holds, but we know Who holds the future.

We hope these meditations will bless you and your family this Christmas season!

]]> http://www.christmasincyberspace.com/reflections/advent-meditations-and-devotionals/feed/ 1 http://www.christmasincyberspace.com/featured/christmas-a-personal-experience/ http://www.christmasincyberspace.com/featured/christmas-a-personal-experience/#comments Fri, 28 Nov 2008 16:07:59 +0000 Rich Miller http://www.christmasincyberspace.com/?p=152

“For God so loved the world that he sent his only Son, that whosoever believes in Him may never perish but have eternal life.”

Christmas is not simply a national or world holiday. It is a deeply personal event for every Christian. Being a “Christian” is not about just about observing a holiday or going to church or trying to live a good life. These are certainly worthy endeavors, yet can be pursued without any definitive spiritual connection to Jesus Christ. Being a “Christ-ian” means following Jesus and really dealing with who He is and what He means to you. If you haven’t done this, take a few minutes to truly consider Steps to Peace With God and the Good News of Jesus Christ, which is for all of us – especially you!

These sites all offer clear explanations of how you can know a Personal Christmas

• Would You Like To Know God Personally?
• The Four Spiritual Laws
• Are You A Good Person? (Flash presentation)
• You Are Someone Special (Flash presentation)
• Knowing God Personally (Flash presentation)

Many who embrace technology, including some users of the Internet, have difficulty reconciling their faith in human potential and scientific achievement with the claims of Christ and the Bible. If you’re one of them, take a moment to consider Jesus and the Intellectual or I Am A Skeptic.

Every year around this time, I have a familiar experience. I’m out shopping, and I’ll go through the checkout line, and pay for my stuff. When the cashier hands me back the change, they’ll say “Happy holidays,” or perhaps even “Merry Christmas.”

I realize that this comment is not always motivated by the cashier’s genuine interest in whether or not I enjoy my holiday. I’m aware that they may be saying this because they’ve been told to. I can envision the memo from K mart corporate headquarters directing cashiers when to switch from “Have a nice day” to “Happy Holidays,” on the assumption that this will somehow help cement a lasting bond between the store and the customer that won’t evaporate when a Wal-Mart opens across the street.

I’m aware of all that, and suspicious of the whole business. But at least once every year, I have a cashier who looks me in the eye and says “Merry Christmas,” and really means it. And it changes my whole day.

There really is something genuine to this whole idea of Christmas cheer. As Dec. 25th draws near, people warm up just a bit. If you’re out and around on Christmas Eve, you’ll notice that people are friendlier than on any other day of the year.

Folks warm up when they are mindful of the Christ child’s birth, and make an extra effort to practice the virtues the angels sing of – “peace on earth, goodwill towards men.”

But consider this – why do we notice this at Christmas? Why does this surge in warmheartedness stand out? I think it’s because, despite our best intentions, good will towards men can easily become a seasonal event rather than a standing policy.

When Christ entered our world, he didn’t come to brighten our Decembers, but to transform our lives. It can be hard work to practice good will towards one another. But John the Baptist’s message was that as we prepare for Christ to come into our lives, we can change our ways.

The Gospel accounts of Jesus’ ministry provide the blueprint for loving our neighbor in a busy and complicated neighborhood. Christ made a point of seeking out the broken and disenfranchised people of his day – the lepers, prostitutes and tax collectors – and he saw the value in each one of them. And in so doing, He helped them recognize the value in themselves.

This Christmas season, let us recognize that just as faith is a decision, good will towards people is a series of decisions that work themselves out not in temporary holiday cheer, but in the details of everyday life.

These meditations were prepared by Rich Miller of Lawrenceville, New Jersey. Rich is a lay speaker who attends the The Hopewell United Methodist Church in Hopewell Borough, N.J.

Don’t miss our Easter and Lent Meditations at Easter in Cyberspace. Bookmark them now!