FIRST WEEK IN ADVENT -- EXPECT A MIRACLE
Luke 1:26-33 "I'm making a list and checking it twice, Gonna make sure I'm getting something nice. Jesus Christ is coming to town." That doesn't sound right, does it. Maybe this year is the year we focus less about what we expect to find under the Christmas tree and more on expecting a miracle. Christmas is the celebration of the miracle of Christ's birth. It's Jesus' birthday, but why do we spend money like it's ours? Driven by materialism and consumerism, we've managed to push Christ out of Christmas and replace it ourselves. And we're paying the price for it. Debt, becuase of culture values self-gratification, holds many people, including Christians , captive today. Becuase of Christmas spending, many of us begin the year with a whopping credit card bill. In 2005, for the first time in U.S. history, Americans reached a negative savings rate. Americans were spending $1.22 for every $1 earned. As of July, 2014,...