Let Us Go Now to Bethlehem. Todd Outcalt

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      To Chelsey, Michael, and Logan

      For Christmases past, present, and yet to come

      Let Us Go Now to Bethlehem: Daily Devotions for Advent and Christmas

      Copyright © 2020 by Todd Outcalt

      All rights reserved.

      No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. For information, write Upper Room Books, 1908 Grand Avenue, Nashville, Tennessee 37212.

      Upper Room Books^® website: upperroombooks.com

      Upper Room^®, Upper Room Books^®, and design logos are trademarks owned by The Upper Room^®, Nashville, Tennessee. All rights reserved.

      Scripture quotations not otherwise marked are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

      Scripture quotations marked KJV are taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

      Hymns designated UMH are taken from The United Methodist Hymnal, Copyright ©1989 by The United Methodist Publishing House, Nashville, TN.

      Front cover images: iStock and Shutterstock

      Back cover image: 123RF

      Cover design: Bruce Gore | Gore Studio, Inc.

      Interior design: PerfecType, Nashville, TN

      Print ISBN: 978-0-8358-1930-5

      Mobi ISBN: 978-0-8358-1931-2

      Epub ISBN: 978-0-8358-1932-9

      Printed in the United States of America

      CONTENTS

O Little Town of Bethlehem

Introduction

How to Use This Book

      Part 1: Advent

An Advent Prayer

      First Week of Advent

Day 1: Being Alert

Day 2: Transformation

Day 3: True Charity

Day 4: A New Day

Day 5: Harmony

Day 6: Looking for Signs

      Day 7: From Fear to Faith

      Second Week of Advent

      Day 8: Making Decisions

      Day 9: Overcoming Adversity

      Day 10: From Old to New

      Day 11: Fear Not!

      Day 12: Prepare

      Day 13: Landscaping

      Day 14: God’s Time

      Third Week of Advent

      Day 15: That’s the Spirit!

      Day 16: Circumstantial Evidence

      Day 17: Restoration

      Day 18: A Mystery

      Day 19: Greetings

      Day 20: Family Life

      Day 21: Wake-up Call

      Fourth Week of Advent

      Day 22: Planting Trees

      Day 23: Getting Ready

      Day 24: Mary’s Song

      Day 25: Patience

      Day 26: Signs of Life

      Day 27: Rescued

      Day 28: Christmas Eve

      Part 2: Christmas

       A Christmas Prayer

      Christmas Day: Wonder

      Second Day of Christmas: Ancestry

      Third Day of Christmas: Hope

      Fourth Day of Christmas: Count Your Blessings

      Fifth Day of Christmas: Struggles

      Sixth Day of Christmas: Test

      Seventh Day of Christmas: Vision

      Eighth Day of Christmas: Transformation

      Ninth Day of Christmas: The Blessed Life

      Tenth Day of Christmas: What’s the Good Word?

      Eleventh Day of Christmas: Presents or Presence

      Twelfth Day of Christmas: See the Light

      The Epiphany: Givers

       Questions for Personal Reflection and Small-Group Guide

       About the Author

       Notes

O Little Town of Bethlehem

      O little town of Bethlehem;

      How still we see thee lie;

      Above thy deep and dreamless sleep

      The silent stars go by:

      Yet in thy dark streets shineth

      The everlasting Light;

      The hopes and fears of all the years

      Are met in thee tonight.

      For Christ is born of Mary,

      And gathered all above,

      While mortals sleep, the angels keep

      Their watch of wond’ring love.

      O morning stars, together

      Proclaim the holy birth!

      And praises sing to God the King,

      And peace to men on earth.

      —Phillips Brooks (1835–1893)

INTRODUCTION

      When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.”

      —LUKE 2:15

      We are all people of peculiar and particular histories.

      We have our stories to tell—our sagas of challenges overcome, dreams dashed and fulfilled, adventures enjoyed, failures and successes, the names and faces of heroes and heroines. If offered the opportunity, we probably could list the highlights of our lives, along with the various low points, on a linear timeline.

      But the truth is, we do not experience life in a linear fashion. Yes, we have beginnings and endings, mountains and valleys. But our existence is always experienced in the uncertainties of the great adventures that are before us and the foundation and learning that we pull behind. We can only learn from the past, and we anticipate what might