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Together in Christ: 'Share The Joy!' — 1 John 1:1-4 Wednesday, December 25, 2024 We proclaim to you the one who existed from the beginning, whom we have heard and seen. We saw him with our own eyes and touched him with our own hands. He is the Word of life. This one who is life itself was revealed to us, and we have seen him. And now we testify and proclaim to you that he is the one who is eternal life. He was with the Father, and then he was revealed to us. We proclaim to you what we ourselves have actually seen and heard so that you may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. We are writing these things so that you may fully share our joy. — 1 John 1:1-4 NLT Key Thought... Merry Christmas! We pray that your day is full of joy and rich in love! John, the apostle of love, was an old man when he wrote these words in today's verses about Jesus decades after the risen Lord ascended to the Father. John was still astounded at his privilege of being an apostle of Jesus, hearing Jesus' words, and seeing Jesus' miraculous deeds and His tender acts of compassion. John knew that Jesus was the One Who "is life itself." John gladly proclaimed that Jesus is the source of eternal life. He spoke about Jesus so that others could have fellowship with the other apostles and with him. And, if their fellowship was with the apostles who accompanied Jesus, then they also had fellowship with Jesus, the Word, the ultimate Message of God, the One Who was God in human flesh. [1] John also shared the message of Jesus so that all who heard or read his words could "fully share [the apostles'] joy." Jesus is the basis, the foundation, and the source of life, fellowship, love, and joy. So, as we share time with family, give gifts to each other, and enjoy fellowship over the holidays, let's remember that Jesus is the reason for any season of life, fellowship, love, and joy! I pray that you are blessed today, knowing that you have life forever, fellowship with Jesus, and joy for each moment because of God's gift to us in Jesus: For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. [2] [1] John 1:14-18; Matthew 1:23; Hebrews 1:1-3. [2] John 3:16. Today's Prayer Father, thank You for the incredible gift of Your Son and our Savior, Jesus Christ, our Lord. Thank You for giving us life, fellowship, love, and joy in Jesus. We celebrate Your precious gifts, and Your most precious Gift of all, with people around the world. As we celebrate, dear Father, we also anticipate His glorious return and our sharing life, fellowship, love, and joy with You, forever. We pray and give thanks to You, O God, in Jesus' name. Amen. Related Scripture Readings John 1:1-18 Matthew 1:18-25