This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all. So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth. But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin. If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts. 1 John 1:5-10
Sin...knowing what to do and NOT doing it. Do we need
to face sin right after Christmas? Some of Jesus' first words were
"Repent" after He spent time fasting in the desert—facing temptation.
From then on Jesus began to preach,
"Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near. Matthew 4:17
 |
| When the star...and fireworks...are gone. The work of Christmas begins. What are you doing for Jesus today? |
Repent—turn from sin. That is important every day of the year. After repenting, it is a good time to begin serving God with the work of Christmas. This poem or litany, "Now the Work of Christmas Begins", was written by Howard Thurman, an African-American theologian, educator, and Civil Rights Leader, to mark the end of the Christmas Season. May that work begin now…in our hearts.
Now
the Work of Christmas Begins
When the song of the angels is stilled,
When the star in the sky is gone,
When the kings and princes are home,
When the shepherds are back with their flocks,
The work of Christmas begins:
To find the lost,
To heal the broken,
To feed the hungry,
To rebuild the nations,
To bring peace among the people,
To make music in the heart.
These actions are all things that Jesus did. Think about what you need to do on
a daily basis to keep Christmas alive, not only in your own life, but in the
lives of those around you, all year long. Keeping Christmas alive allows God to
work in our hearts—filling us with His love—so that we can love others for Him.
From that list above do you see something that you can make for a goal for next
year, next month, this week…today? Having a goal motivates us to put our hearts’ desires
into action. Now the choice is up to each of us.
Prayer
– Holy Spirit, help me to find the lost in the community around me, to assist
in healing those with broken spirits, to feed the hungry—spiritually and
physically, to release those who are prisoners within their emotions or homes
that they would be rebuilt physical or spiritually, to bring peace to those
nearby and to make music within my heart—that it may flow out to others around
me. Let Your love shine.
Verse
of Salvation ~ Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that
comes from him, throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life,
which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your
thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous
and holy. Ephesians
4:21-24
Friday’s
Feast at the King’s Table
On a cool—probably
rainy—winter day it is nice to have something warm and healthy to drink. For a
great anti-inflammatory beverage try a cup of Golden Milk, also known as Turmeric
Milk or Haldi Doodh.
Golden
Milk
Ingredients for
two cups.
2 cups milk of your
choice: cow, oat milk, or coconut milk
1 tsp ground turmeric powder
½ tsp ground cinnamon powder
½ tsp ginger powder, or
fresh ginger grated
½ tsp cardamom crushed, or
powdered
¼ tsp black pepper
4 tsp honey, or to
taste
2 tsp ghee, optional, but
it enhances the pepper absorption
Splash of vanilla extract, optional
Instructions
Warm the milk: Add milk to a small
saucepan and place over medium heat.
Add the spices: Whisk in
turmeric, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, and black pepper.
Stir in the ghee and sweetener: Add
ghee and your sweetener of choice (jaggery, maple syrup, or wait to add honey
later). Stir to combine.
Simmer gently: Heat the mixture
until hot but not boiling, about 3–5 minutes. Stir occasionally.
Add vanilla: If using, stir in a
splash of vanilla extract for extra flavor.
Strain: Pour mixture through a
sieve to catch pieces of ginger and course pieces of black pepper or cardamom.
Cool slightly if using honey:
Remove from heat and let the milk cool for a minute or two before adding honey.
Froth if desired: Use a milk
frother to get that latte-style foam on top
Enjoy
anytime of day—but especially relaxing at bedtime.
© 2025 Text, photos, and illustrations by Mickey M. Hunacek. All
rights reserved.
Recycled and reused from December 26 from several previous years Banquet
With The King blog..
All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless
otherwise noted.
New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale
House Foundation.
Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream,
Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Biblical search from Blue Letter Bible - http://v3.blueletterbible.org/search.cfm.
Books by Mickey M.
Hunacek
Available as e-books or paperbacks at Amazon.com
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