5 Minutes with Jesus is a daily devotional series for people in the midst of real life, whether facing anxiety, grief, questions of purpose, or simply needing encouragement and connection. Hosted by Sheila Walsh, each five-minute episode offers Biblical truth, honest reflections on faith and emotions, and closes with a moment of prayer.
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| Sheila Walsh: Christ is Born | 5 Minutes with Jesus | December 9, 2025
- When we open our hearts to jesus.
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- Open every closed door inside of us.
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- He's the only one who can melt the winter.
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- Of past wounds and brokenness.
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- If all we celebrated at christmas.
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- Was that jesus came, it would be a lovely story.
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- But we would still be living in winter.
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- We celebrate that he was born.
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- He lived.
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- He died, and he rose again
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- From the dead.
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- I'll never forget the first time i read the lion,
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- The witch and the wardrobe by c.s. lewis.
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- I was ten years old,
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- And i discovered the paperback gift
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- At the bottom of my christmas stocking,
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- Right on top by gold foil wrapped tangerine.
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- We're a family of readers.
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- My mom read everything charles dickens wrote at the time.
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- She was 14,
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- And my sister could always be found
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- Curled up in a favorite chair by the fire.
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- Twisting her hair around one finger and buried deep
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- In a book,
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- Black christmas day was busy and filled with family
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- And observations about my lack of a dog, but
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- I knew that the following day, boxing day would be peaceful.
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- Just my family and tiger, my cat ali's mum and francis
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- Were occupying the chairs by the fire,
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- And my brother was engaged
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- In an intergalactic war with this robot.
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- I settled, settled on the sofa with tiger and red all day.
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- I couldn't put the book down from the first few pages.
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- I decided i was lucy as she seemed fearless
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- And i so wish that i was.
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- I was filled with wonder when she stepped through the wardrobe
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- And into the crisp white snow of narnia.
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- I remembered that my nana
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- Had a wardrobe with a fur coat hanging in it, and i wondered.
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- I fell in love with mr.
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- Tumnus, a talking faun, but lucy met a lamppost,
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- But shocked when he confessed to her
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- That he was actually working for the white, which was evil.
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- Magic had cursed the land always winter, but never christmas.
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- When lucy returned to the world of humans, none of her siblings
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- Believed her.
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- Still a quick look at my brother and sister and thought.
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- Typical. i read on
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- One day when the four siblings were hiding in the wardrobe,
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- They all found themselves in the snow covered land of narnia.
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- They met all sorts of wonderful characters.
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- Yet, as i read, the veil of evil could be felt everywhere.
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- Mom called me to the table for lunch, but explained that
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- I simply couldn't possibly stop reading at that point.
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- So she brought me a turkey sandwich.
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- Which tiger the cat began to chew on.
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- I didn't care.
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- I could feel the tension in the story building,
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- But nothing prepared me for what was about to happen.
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- When i got to the page where the great aslan is killed,
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- Sacrificing his life
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- To save one of the children who had betrayed him.
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- I was heartbroken.
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- I put the book down
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- And i burst into tears and asked me what was wrong.
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- The white witch just killed aslan.
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- I said, i hate this story.
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- Then you have to read on.
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- She said.
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- I did, and she was right.
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- I think that's what we all have to do.
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- We have to read on.
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- In a world where it seems as if evil is waiting,
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- We have to read on.
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- Sometimes we find ourselves
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- In the middle of a story we don't like.
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- Seems hopeless,
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- But we have to read on.
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- Through his masterful storytelling,
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- Lewis paints a profound picture of why jesus came to bethlehem.
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- It's because we were lost.
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- We were lost in a world where it was always winter,
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- But never christmas.
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- We tried to fight the evil
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- That was all around us on our own,
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- But we were simply not strong enough.
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- And it seemed as if evil was winning.
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- But jesus great aslan came and sacrificed his life for us.
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- That's what jesus told the little man
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- Who claimed not for a wardrobe,
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- But up a tree to try and get a better look.
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- He wasn't winning his battle with evil.
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- He was caught up in it.
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- When jesus got to the tree,
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- He looked up and said, zacchaeus, hurry down.
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- Today is my day to be a guest in your home.
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- Zacchaeus scrambled under the tree, hardly believing
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- His good luck, delighted to take jesus home with him.
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- Everyone who saw the incident was indignant
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- And trumped up business,
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- As he kept getting cozy with this crook to kiss.
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- Just stood there a little stunned.
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- He stammered apologetically.
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- Master, i give away half my income to the poor,
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- And if i'm caught cheating, i pay four times the damages.
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- Jesus said, today is salvation day in this home.
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- Here he is, zacchaeus, son of abraham.
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- But the son of man came to find and restore the lost.
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- The greek word there for lost is the word a polymet.
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- It means lost, ruined.
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- Broken beyond repair.
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- That's who we are without jesus.
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- That's why he was born in bethlehem.
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- We are saved by his grace.
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- Grace, the unmerited favor of god.
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- And that's why we cry out joy to the world.
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- The lord has come on this day and every day
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- After when we open our hearts to jesus.
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- Open every closed door inside of us.
- 00:05:10.055 --> 00:05:12.958
- He's the only one who can melt the winter of past wounds
- 00:05:12.958 --> 00:05:16.628
- And brokenness.
- 00:05:16.628 --> 00:05:18.263
- If all we celebrated at christmas was that jesus came,
- 00:05:18.263 --> 00:05:21.900
- It would be a lovely story,
- 00:05:21.900 --> 00:05:23.602
- But we would still be living in winter.
- 00:05:23.602 --> 00:05:25.937
- We celebrate that he was born.
- 00:05:25.937 --> 00:05:28.073
- He lived.
- 00:05:28.073 --> 00:05:29.341
- He died, and he rose again from the dead.
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- A child is born to us.
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- A son is given to us.
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- The government
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- Will rest on his shoulders and he will be called wonderful.
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- Counselor, mighty god, everlasting father,
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- Prince of peace. let's pray.
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- Or thank you that you stepped into our world.
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- That you are willing to leave the glory of heaven
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- And come down and live among us to show us,
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- To show us who god the father is, to show us what he is like.
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- Thank you that you came on.
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- You brought such warmth and light into our winter.
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- And lord,
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- I pray for anyone
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- Who feels a little lonely or left out this christmas
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- That they would be able to draw close to you.
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- And remember that because you came.
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- We are never alone.
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- It's always christmas because you came.
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- Jesus. we pray in your name. amen.
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