Sometimes we get so involved in all the ‘extra’ commotions we lose sight of why we even celebrate. Others find themselves sinking deep into a chasm of darkness. With our current world of COVID, the loss of family members and friends is extensive. Hardly a family throughout the nation has been spared loss, if even only from a distance.
This loss can leave people filled with a void that overshadows even the ‘joy’ that is this season. Hope is lost. But what is ‘hope’ and what does it have to do with Christmas? The Pastor said recently, “Hope is the certainty about the future that impacts the present!”
We spend days, weeks, sometimes even months (depending on the amount of necessary planning) to prepare for Christmas. We are preparing for all the upcoming events and do our best to not miss anything on the list. In fact a list is often necessary so that nothing will be overlooked. We get caught up in the tree trimming, shopping, gift giving, party planning, and other trivial activities that pull us away from the real Center of Christmas.
The Old Testament provides over 300 prophecies about the Messiah, including that he would be born of a virgin and he’d be born in Bethlehem. These are not random pieces of information; they were literal fact and many people knew this. In fact the Sadducees and the Pharisees knew the Old Testament verbatim. They could quote by memory the entire Pentateuch; the first five books of the Old Testament!
Their expectations of what they wanted the Messiah to be and do for them, however, overshadowed the reality. Jesus was born into the middle of much discontent within his earthly world. He didn’t come as a great warrior or a famous political figure with great political power, or even as a King who would be able to command changes, just because he mandated it.
Without fanfare, or any kind of great celebration, he was born in the humblest conditions; a manger. Because Jesus didn’t fit the profile of many who were waiting, even expectantly for the Messiah, they totally missed his coming.
The celebration of Christmas seems to begin earlier and earlier every year. I admit I LOVE this time of year; this season. But the holiday has changed over the years. The secular world has in some ways, twisted what Christmas is all about. Many in our society have forgotten and no longer acknowledge that it’s about the Birth of the Christ Child, not Santa and all the toys we can provide for our children.
It’s not about the festive parties, or even the beautiful lights (and I totally enjoy the lights!) or about the Christmas tree or even the gifts, although all of this is very exciting—and especially appealing to those who ‘need’ something to focus on if they don’t want to focus on Jesus.
But it is about Jesus. It’s about a profound hope that can only be satisfied through a relationship with Jesus who came to be the Sacrificial Lamb that provides the means for us to spend eternity with Him. This begs the question: In what or where do you find hope?
Photo Credit: https://www.acresofhopeonline.org/event/chaya/
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