DECEMBER THEME — FROM CHRISTMAS TO CALVARY – The Story Love Wrote

Please begin preparing your hearts now for a sacred and unforgettable Christmas Sunday on December 21 at 10:30 AM. With no Sunday School that morning, we will enter unrushed—allowing our spirits to breathe, our minds to quiet, and our hearts to be fully present before the Lord. We will come to the Lord’s Table together, remembering with holy reverence that the Baby laid in a manger was the Lamb who would one day hang on a cross. Our choir will lift the name of Jesus in glorious Christmas worship, turning our attention away from the noise of the season and back to the Savior who came near in grace and truth. This will be a morning of wonder—a morning where the presence of Christ feels close enough to touch, where worship becomes a doorway into peace, and where weary hearts find rest. Come expecting beauty. Come expecting joy. Come expecting Jesus. Invite someone who needs hope, arrive a little early, and step into the sanctuary with anticipation. Christmas Sunday is almost here, and we cannot wait to celebrate the majesty of our Savior with you.

SERMON SUMMARY

This morning, we moved from the promise of prophecy to the message of the manger—from the first hint of hope in Eden to the first breath of grace in Bethlehem. All through Scripture, God has whispered His greatest truths through ordinary things: a bush that burned, a boat that floated, bread that fell, and a wheel that spun. These silent sermons remind us that God often speaks loudest through the simple and the overlooked. And at the center of them all stands the manger—a rough, forgotten trough that became Heaven’s most unexpected pulpit. It tells us that the King of glory stepped into the lowest place so He could lift the lowest hearts. It announces that no story is too tangled and no soul too distant for Christ to enter. It assures us that God does not wait for our worthiness—He comes to the place where we’re most empty. And if He could fill wood and straw with glory, He can fill your weary places and your aching nights with His redeeming presence.

GO TO www.belmontbaptistchurch.com/sermons and listen to Sunday’s message.

Friends, would you help me pray today about giving a gift unlike anything wrapped under a tree? Most gifts will be forgotten by February—broken, returned, or tucked away in a closet—but a gift that strengthens a marriage can change the rest of someone’s life. Even strong, healthy marriages need moments to pause, reflect, and reconnect with the heart of Christ. The best couples don’t stay strong by accident—they stay strong by choice, through regular spiritual “checkups” that renew tenderness, deepen communication, and keep their foundation steady. Sometimes the most loving thing we can give a flourishing marriage is the opportunity to grow even stronger for the decades ahead. If the Lord brings a couple to your mind—whether they’re thriving or simply wanting to guard what God has built—consider sharing this life-shaping resource: 31-Day Reset for Struggling Marriages by Pastor Counselor Nolan Jackson. It’s more than a book—it’s a journey that encourages reflection, builds unity, and equips couples to love with intention. A gift that won’t fade with the season… but may strengthen a marriage for a lifetime.

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Beats From Your Pastor’s Heart

Give Jesus a Place in Your Home, Not Just Your Calendar

“…as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” — Joshua 24:15

We decorate our homes beautifully for Christmas, but we often forget to make room for Christ in the very spaces where real life happens. A family may have a nativity on the shelf—but tension at the dinner table. There may be lights on the house—but darkness in communication. A tree may be full of gifts—but hearts remain empty of peace.

Jesus Wants More Than a Holiday Visit

Many families treat Jesus like a December guest—welcomed warmly for a season, then quietly dismissed until next year. But Christ came not to be an annual reminder, but a daily redeemer. He wants to shape the moods, the conversations, the decisions, and the atmosphere of our homes. A house filled with Jesus is warmer than any candlelight and more peaceful than any silent night.

 The Hardest Places Are the Ones He Wants Most

It’s easy to worship Christ in a beautifully decorated sanctuary. It’s harder to welcome Him into living rooms full of stress, kitchens full of hurried voices, or bedrooms filled with silent tension. Parents sometimes shout, “Be quiet, I’m trying to read my Bible!” Families smile for Christmas pictures while carrying quiet resentment or exhaustion. Jesus isn’t intimidated by these rooms—He steps gladly into the mess. The manger proves He is not repelled by chaos; He is drawn to it.

When Christ Rules the Home, Peace Rules the Heart

When Jesus is invited into the real, unfiltered daily life of a home, everything changes subtly but powerfully. Conversations soften. Apologies flow more freely. Stress loses its authority. And even when trouble comes, peace stays seated at the table. A Christ-filled home is not a perfect home—it is a surrendered one, where His presence becomes the steady comfort that families breathe in together.

Prayer Lord Jesus, we invite You not just into our holiday season, but into our home. Fill every room with Your peace, every conversation with Your gentleness, and every decision with Your wisdom. Drive out the tension, hurry, and heaviness that so easily invade our hearts. Be the unseen Guest who guides our words, our spirit, and our relationships. Make this home a place where Your presence is felt and Your love is seen. Amen.

Challenge: Tonight, gather your family—or if you live alone, gather your heart—and pray aloud: “Jesus, You are welcome in every room of this home.” Invite Him into your conversations, your routines, your relationships, your finances, and the unseen corners of daily life. Let His presence become the atmosphere of your home—this Christmas, and every day after.

FRIDAY’S PRAYER REQUESTS

June Cronan

Betty Hammock

Brando Echarte

Cheryl Knight’s Brother

Debbie Foskey 

Don Franklin’s Daughter, Darlene, Son, David

Ed Adkins – Friend of Brian Edwards

Gloria Young

Jake Jenkins

Louise Jackson – Richard’s Sister – Home

Jean Partee’s Sister

Kim McClain’s Daughter, Amanda

Deon Lotter

Doris Loyd

Nancy Brown

Amy Garner’s Dad

Annette Ford

Andrea Nix– Friend of the Shelnutt’s

Angela Bryan’s Sisters

Ann Stanley  

Carol Lawhead – Riverside in Conyers

Danny Jarrard   

Darlene Wiggins

Doris Loyd

Dr. and Mrs. Davis

Eric Magnusson’s Mother

Eric Ward

Friend of Linda Hodge

Gayle Sparks

Linda Alexander 

James Burnette

Jessica Headrick  

John McClain’s Mother

June Cronan’s Sister

June Davis

Kailey Bateman

Kim McClain’s Mother 

Kim’s Sisters – Ann & Brenda 

Lee Cronan

Lillianna Magnusson’s Mom

Lonzo Christian 

Lori Blount’s Mother

Mary Williams

Mary Williamson – Dana Jackson’s Mom

Mrs. Franklin 

Nora Allison

Ron And Johnnie Barry – Friends Of Ashton & Glenda Bateman

Rose Fuller – Pruitt-Monroe Nursing Home, Forsyth GA

Scott Lanier 

Scotty Nix

Stephanie Seivers – Friend of the Shelnutt’s

Steve Michaels

Tom Witcher