Tears at Christmas

Christmas is meant to be a wonderful time of the year. Unfortunately, it often sets up an expectation of such but doesn't deliver. Christmas can be a time of stirring emotions, conflict in families, and disappointment. Our society has set the stage for what Christmas is, and as a result has become a very difficult time of year for many.

Christmas is a cause for celebration of the birth of Christ and the gifts that come with that. First, we are given incredible grace. This grace and faithfulness He gives to us will get us to the other side of whatever we are going through. And through this grace we will be able to give Him alone all the glory. God is always faithful. Evil is around us desiring for us to be burdened, hurting and without hope. God's gift to us of grace cries out to us to be faithful too. Be faithful to your time with Him, be faithful to your service to Him and be faithful to those you love. Acknowledge the gift of Jesus, look up to God,remain steadfast and remember His grace is sufficient. "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." Ephesians 2:8-10

We are also given the gift of joy from knowing this precious child who's birth we celebrate. Luke 2:10 "But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord." If there is no other reason to celebrate this season, be reminded of the joy in knowing Christ. Thousands of years ago, the angels in Heaven began praising God and singing "Glory to God in the highest and peace on earth peace, goodwill toward men". For me at Christmas, I'm reminded of the song Silent Night (my grandmother's favorite) - for it is in the silence and alone time with God we find our greatest joy. It isn't in the chaos of the Christmas season. In order to find the true meaning and joy in this holiday season, we must quietly seek and trust our Savior.

Another gift for Christmas, one I love, is a life hidden with Christ. A life with Him is the most secure thing possible, because God is in it. I ask myself, how do people who do not know Him or have a relationship handle this world. The scariest thing is to try without Him. When we see Jesus, through His birth, death, resurrection we can't doubt Him. If we make time and genuinely seek Christ, He shares with us His comforting Spirit. His words become real to us. He will wrap His arms around us and place us in a hiding place with Him. "You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance." Psalm 32:7 "He is my loving God and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, my shield, in whom I take refuge, who subdues peoples under me. Psalm 144:2

One of the names given to Christ, Immanuel represents yet another gift. This word means "God with us." God's son met us here on earth through His birth - the TRUE celebration of Christmas. He humbled himself, came to earth, died for our sins and rose to be at the right hand of God in Heaven. All of this he did to give us forgiveness of our sins and a hope for our future. "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16 God is with us always. He humbled himself to come in to our world of sin, pain and brokenness. He does for us, what we can not do ourselves. Having God with us transforms our lives. John 14:27 "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid."

The last gift is a result of the celebration of Christmas. This gift frees us. It is the gift of our sin being taken away. What does this look like? He came into the world so we might not sin and He died on the cross for the forgiveness of our sin. He gives us guidance on how to be completely obedient to Him. There is only one way to understand this - to read and study His word and know what obedience to Christ is. If we don't seek Him, we will continue in ignorance and not understand what sin is. "Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. The one who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. The one who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work." Satan wants our tears this Christmas! He whispers untruths to us - that the Lord won't deliver us out of the trial we are going through, he reminds us of the hurts of our past, & tries to destroy our tomorrow. He says no, God says YES! God silenced our enemy with the birth of Christ - Merry Christmas! "But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."