As the days get shorter throughout the winter months, darkness permeates our homes much earlier and we use more sources of light to brighten our spaces. Light is often a central part of our holiday celebrations, shining festively as part of our house decorations, twinkling upon our Christmas trees, and burning softly as candlelight during church services.
Light was an important part of the original Christmas story as the magi followed the bright star of Bethlehem to find the baby Jesus. And he glory of the Lord shone around the shepherds as an angel brought them news of the Messiah's birth.
So for our monthly theme in December, we're going to celebrate and embrace the Light of God.
I'm getting started by prepping the December calendar in the 2022 Monthly Bible Quilt Journal with the daily verse references:
Thanks to Veronica, a Bible Quilter from Germany, for curating our collection of verses this month.
Writing out the scriptures onto a flip card set helps us become familiar with the verses and the surrounding passages to understand it in context. Once completed, the flip cards make a handy personal reference or a resource to share with a friend who might need extra encouragement during the holidays. Help lighten someone's load with the gift of scripture!
If you need to shorten the time spent prepping your flip cards this month, we've got a digital version of all the verses typed out and formatted by our BQ friend, Mary Jo.
After you've gotten your scriptures gathered up, you're all set to begin the 2-page spread in the Monthly BQ Journal. You can download the template here if you don't have the journal yet.
As we add the daily verses, our page will fill up with beautiful scriptures about the many ways God has used Light as part of creation and a means to break through the darkness of the sinful world.
You may choose to use verses that resonate with you on our featured template for the month, Candles, either in the Monthly BQJ or as a separate printable.
Maybe you'll be impacted by particular verses along the way this month and feel inspired to create a BQ page for someone or as a display in your home during the holiday season.
Perhaps you'll have a craft session to decorate some Christmas templates together?
Check out the online shop to find a template that suits your needs!
If you're in the Tulsa area, come browse my in-home shop and create with us next Saturday at the BQJ Open House!
All are invited to join our next Zoom to chat about ideas/challenges and to share BQ pages with other Bible Quilters.
Details & RSVP in the link below:
The holidays can be a busy time, yet if we focus on meaningful interactions and the sweet gift of Jesus, we can release our stress to the Lord and allow Him to lighten our load. (see what I did there??)
Remember, my friend, that YOU are a reflection of Jesus and a contrast to the darkness of this world. Shine on!
One way I like to share BQ with family and friends is by gifting them a BQJ calendar for the new year. It's a gentle introduction to the concept of Bible Quilting yet also a practical gift which you can personalize for the recipient.
We've got some great topics coming up for 2023. Check out this overview of the Building Upon a Firm Foundation Monthly BQJ that we'll be doing together as a community next year.
Wrap-up: Video summary of how my pages developed
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