Christmas Madness and Hope
Christmas is in one month.
For some of you this is the most exciting news you have heard all year. For the other 95% of us, this is terrifying. The year is almost gone, the tree should be going up in 6 days and we can’t even imagine tackling the shops for presents and food.
For me, what is worst of all is that when I pull the Christmas tree decorations out of the garage, I am going to have to wrestle with the Christmas tree lights. Those things are my nemesis. I have never been able to buy lights and keep them in any sort of order for the next year. Every time, despite my best efforts they are tangled or have missing bulbs or missing adaptors. And on the odd occasion you get it all sorted out, a wire is broken and only half of them work. So every year, off to Bunnings I go for new ones. It’s so annoying.
Now, in some ways this is just like life. Nothing is ever perfect. Few things are always easy. We often don't quite feel satisfied. Sometimes things end up in a real mess. We all have those moments where we reflect back and say "if only"!
The good news is that Christmas provides us with the ultimate and lasting antidote to life's disappointments. Christmas provides us with hope. Christmas is an announcement to the world from God: things are bad, but they will be better! This announcement is made and embodied in the birth of Jesus.
Just think about it for a moment. How would Mary have felt to discover she had to give birth in a stable? The disappointment, the dirt, the abandonment to simplicity and humility. No one would wish it upon their worst enemy!
And yet in the goodness of God, a child is born who will be more than a son and brother. He is a Saviour and King. He came to defeat our greatest enemy and offer us hope of something bigger, better, brighter and more permanent. From the smallest and humblest of beginnings, out of disappointment, came triumph and victory as Jesus rose from the dead and announced that the gates to a glorious life eternal had been thrown open for all who would trust in and follow him! This is the awesome news of Christmas.
But I would understand if you don’t have much enthusiasm for something as awesome as this right now. It has been a tough year hasn’t it. Few things have gone as we expected and all the uncertainty of lockdowns and the fears of illness have just been added to the normal stresses of life we all endure. In many ways, we have all had a Fortescue Christmas tree lights sort of year. It’s been a mess.
You may not feel like embarking on Christmas but I want to encourage you today to take some small steps and begin to take in Jesus in the manger. Begin to be refreshed by Jesus in the manger. Allow the dawning light of Emmanuel, God with us, to bring hope from darkness and joy from a year of disappointment.
If you are not reading much in your Bible, can I encourage you to open it up to Luke 1 and read a few verses each day and watch the dawning light of the incarnation rise. If you finish, Luke, turn to Matthew, then John. Allow the news of Christmas, that is awesome, to refresh and enliven you - draw near to Jesus and even in the chaos he will give you rest.
Life might feel out of control, but trusting Jesus leads to a new perspective on life that will bring satisfaction and hope. And as you are rejuvenated by Christmas hope, consider who you might invite to come to Christmas with you. Who else do you know who needs the sort of rest Jesus offers in this harried and hurried world?
