Matthew 1:18-19

The Christmas story is the story of how God intervened in history through the birth of Jesus. The lives of Mary, Joseph, and the shepherds were utterly changed by this event. They found hope, love, peace, and joy; join the team from Vertical Worship as we remember together how, through Jesus, we can find these too. 

Every good story has a plot twist—an unexpected moment that changes everything. One of the biggest plot twists in the Bible is the Christmas story. Over the next five days, we’ll explore how this one event changed the world and how it can change your life today.

The Christmas story is one surprise after another. But sometimes the details become so familiar that they lose their impact. These short prayer devotionals help you to dwell deeply on the most unexpected and significant event in history: that God himself became one of us. Each prayer is written by David Mathis, executive editor for desiringGod.org and pastor at Cities Church in Saint Paul, Minnesota.

The false gods invented by humankind to give definition to a god they knew must exist, were, unsurprisingly, very much like humankind. They had to be cajoled and bribed by acts of devotion to take notice of us. But the one true God has taken the initiative and seeks us out––to rescue us back to himself. And that is the Christmas story.