Month: December 2020

“When they had seen him they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherd said to them.” Luke 2:17, 18

            Another Christmas has come and gone. This one may have been different than any you’ve experienced. It may have been better than usual, or it may have been the worst Christmas you’ve had. Regardless of your experiences in celebrating Christmas, it doesn’t change the fact of what Christmas is all about. Even if this Christmas season was difficult for you, it’s still the celebration of Jesus leaving His home in heaven and taking on human flesh. Why did He do that? For you and for me! Because of His love for us. So that we can be reconciled with God. Of course, His birth was just the beginning. We now know about His ministry culminating in His death and His resurrection. We have so much to celebrate!

            What about the people during Jesus’ time? They didn’t know the rest of the story like we do. What was their response to this event? Mary and Zechariah both sang hymns of praise that are recorded in Scripture. They are there for us so we are able to join them in their praises to God. Joseph obeyed. Too often, I think that if I just obey God, then everything will be smooth and easy for me. It sure wasn’t for Joseph. His obedience led him down a path of being socially ostracized and even having to flee a murderous ruler. The wise men brought Him valuable, expensive gifts. Simeon prophesied about the future of this little baby. All of these responses help us understand more fully what happened in that time and place.

            But then there were the shepherds. They didn’t sing or write beautiful hymns of praise. They probably didn’t even know how to write. They didn’t bring expensive gifts. They were so poor, they wouldn’t have had anything to bring. God didn’t give them a prophesy to proclaim. So what was their response? They told everyone they met. They didn’t have fancy words or deep wisdom. They only knew what they had seen, knew that it was pretty incredible, and knew that others needed to know about it. So they told them.

            Of all the people in the Christmas story, I relate most with the shepherds. I’ve never had an angel give me a message like Mary and Joseph did, I don’t have the intelligence of the wise men who were seeking this new King, I don’t have the wisdom of Simeon who was waiting and looking for God’s promise to be fulfilled. I just go about my own business, and suddenly God steps in and reminds me that He’s right there with me. He has a plan for me and for this world. That plan is being worked out by Him and in His timing. And He invites me to see how He’s working out that plan. My response should be the same as the shepherds. I should tell everyone I meet. Scripture says that all who heard the shepherds were amazed. I find it hard to believe that everyone expressed that amazement, though. I’m sure there was also ridicule and disbelief. But that didn’t stop the shepherds from telling what they knew to be true. Will it stop me? Or will I continue to spread the word, giving hope to all that they, too can meet this baby, their Savior?

“When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under.” Matthew 2:16

            This may seem like a strange verse to quote during the Christmas season. But it somehow seems to fit this year. If you’re unfamiliar with the story, let me give you some context. The wise men, or magi, had followed the star to worship the newborn King of the Jews. Although we call them wise men, they were operating out of human intelligence, not Godly wisdom. As a result, they figured the place to find a newborn king was in a palace. So they went to the ruler, Herod, and asked to see this baby. Herod was not known for being a nice guy. In fact, he had already had family members killed because of suspected plots against him and his reign. True to his nature, he hatched a plan to kill this baby that people were already saying was a king. When the wise men didn’t play into his plan, he decided to just kill all the young boys. I guess he was thinking that there’s no sense in taking any chances! Is it possible to thwart God’s plans? Of course not! Yet that’s exactly what Herod was trying to do. But God had already sent Jesus and His parents to Egypt, far out of Herod’s reach.

            What does this have to do with our Christmas celebration this year? Let me ask a question: Has this last year been what you expected? Can you list some “bad” things that have happened this year? I think we all can. It’s difficult to look at the happenings of this past year and see God working in the midst of those things. Maybe that’s because we’re looking at the wrong things. I think of all those families in Bethlehem whose little sons and brothers were ruthlessly murdered for reasons they couldn’t understand. Those grieving families had no idea that the One Herod was actually after had escaped before the murders began. In fact, they probably didn’t even know that Jesus had been born. They were likely in complete ignorance of this Babe’s existence. Even if they did know of Jesus’ birth, they weren’t thinking about that. They were thinking of the deaths of their own sons and were overcome by their own grief.

            What about us? Are we thinking about all the negative stuff we’ve experienced this past year? Are our thoughts centered on the difficulties we’re going through? Are we overcome with fear of what may or may not happen in the future? Or are we centering our thoughts on what God has done and is still doing in and for us? Are we aware that even when the world around us seems to be swirling out of control, God is still in control? Even when we face heartache, God is there for us. God’s plans can never be thwarted. Our plans are always tentative at best. His can never be changed. Ours are only of this earth. His are eternal. Our plans often don’t have the results we hoped for. His are always for our good.

            But here’s the catch: our plans can be seen, felt and understood. That makes it so much easier for us to dwell on those plans. His plans sometimes don’t make sense to us. But if we keep our eyes focused on Him, we will eventually see Him at work. This Christmas, if your world seems a place of difficulty and hardship, take the time to thank God for His plans for you. Focus your inner eyes on what can’t be seen with earthly eyes. Focus on the Savior in the manger Who grew to give His life for you and for me.

“As servants of God we commend ourselves in every way. . . sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything.” 2 Corinthians 6:4, 10

            A sentiment we hear often during the Christmas season is joy to the world. There are times when it can seem pretty hard to feel joy, aren’t there? Sometimes we face a specific event that seems to kill the joy in our hearts. Other times, there have been difficult circumstances that seem to just go on and on and we aren’t sure we can see an end in sight. Situations like this can make it feel as if the hope and joy have drained right out of our toes. In the verses quoted above, those three little dots stand for a great deal. In the intervening verses, Paul mentions things like beatings, imprisonments, riots, and sleepless nights. But he also mentions the power of God, glory, and good reports. In other words, joy is not dependent on the outer circumstances we face.

            If joy doesn’t depend on our circumstances, where does joy come from? Is joy a matter of sticking our heads in the sand and ignoring our circumstances? Paul didn’t do that. He was very aware of all the bad stuff that happened. I think he was able to still experience joy because he had a Godly perspective. First, he was aware that this world is not our home. He knew that what we experience here is temporary. Whether it’s good or bad, this too shall pass. It will all fade away someday when we experience the real reality that is heaven. Secondly, Paul knew that the best this world has to offer is peanuts compared to the glorious riches we find in Christ Jesus. I’m struck by his comment that even though we have nothing, we possess everything. How can that be? We may have little or nothing of earthly goods. But if we have Christ, we have all we need. He will supply all our needs, plus so much more. Like joy!

            Experiencing joy in the midst of trial is not a matter of ignoring reality. Rather, it’s a matter of knowing what’s truly important. It’s seeing our circumstances from God’s perspective. It’s realizing that no matter what is happening in the world, God’s in control. It’s knowing that our difficult situations are already conquered by Him. We just can’t see the resolution yet but we can know that we are conquerors because God has conquered for us. Joy is understanding that even when we experience emotions of sadness and grief, we have comfort, support and love from God. It’s knowing that all we experience on this earth fades in the light of His glory.

            How can the world experience this kind of joy? By knowing the love of our Savior. If we mean what we say, instead of just saying (or singing) “joy to the world,” let’s spread the love of Jesus to everyone we come in contact with. It’s only through Jesus that they will be able to experience joy. The only way joy will spread across the earth is if more and more people come to know Him. May there be a resurgence of the love of Christ across the globe! Joy to the World!

“Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God.” Psalm 146:5

            What are you hoping for? Is there a situation you’re facing that you hope will soon get better? Are you hoping for a relationship to improve? Or maybe a better job? Or a different house? Or improved health? Maybe you’re just hoping next year will be better than this year. Hope is a very normal human feeling, and it’s also very powerful. Hope can motivate us to do things we didn’t think we could do. The lack of hope can lead us to despair.

            All of the things I mentioned are not bad things to hope for. But that’s not really hope. At least not the way the Bible defines it. All of those are wishes. We wish this would improve, or we wish that situation would go away. No matter how hard we wish, there’s no guarantee our wish will be granted. But hope! Well, that’s a different story. When it’s Biblical hope, we can count on it coming true. Why? Because our hope is in the Lord. It’s a very different focus. We wish FOR something, but we hope IN God. And God will never fail us.

            If I’m in a situation that I’m wishing would change, my focus is on that situation. I may spend time thinking about how difficult the situation is. Or maybe I think about what it will be like when the situation is different. There’s two problems with this: what I’m thinking about and what I’m not thinking about. I’m thinking about earthly things, about situations I may or may not have any control over. And I’m not thinking about God and seeking His will for my life. But when I live in hope, I’m resting in the One who has the whole world in His hands, the One who reigns sovereign over every situation, He who can and will provide is with everything we need to see us through anything we face. That kind of hope brings us courage to fight our battles, energy for what lies ahead, peace that calms our very souls, and a knowledge that no matter what happens, our God is working everything to our good.

            Whenever you hear the word “hope,” think of the difference between hoping and wishing. Do you want to spend your days wishing for things that may not happen, or would you rather fix your thoughts on God and wait with eager expectation for the hope He has promised?