Christmas Thoughts

Christmastime affects everyone differently. Some rejoice with the thought of being reunited with family, while others might be filled with dread. Still others celebrate by giving gifts, while others are reminded that they can't afford to buy any. Christmas can seem magical with shops decorated to the nines, while streets sparkle with all of the lights, especially here in Germany. But recently, due to events in the world, many people are given the stark reminder that true evil does exist in this world. It seems impossible to escape the headlines advertising more deaths, computer hacking, conspiracy, kidnapping, etc, making it hard to have faith in anything this time of year.  In church this morning, the pastor noted how life seems to be mirroring the words penned by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in "Christmas Bells." One of the verses goes as follows:

And in despair I bowed my head;
"There is no peace on earth," I said;
"For hate is strong,
And mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!" 

We must not despair, though, in light of all that's going on in the world. It's easy to get caught up in world news and try to drown our sorrows with the hype of Christmas, but don't lose its true meaning, which is the birth of Jesus. His birth was prophesied in Isaiah 9:6, where it is written, "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." Jesus is the Messiah that the Jewish people yearned for while ruled by the Roman Empire, but in their minds, they contrived a rescuer from physical, not spiritual oppression, neglecting to realize that they needed the sin within them and the whole world to be defeated. In Matthew 1:21, an angel came and spoke to Joseph and stated that as the exact purpose of Jesus' birth. It is written, "She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins."

At Christmas, we are called to remember that we are all sinners in need of rescuing. We cannot save ourselves from this wicked world, but there is a Savior whose name we can call on and be saved. He was born in a manger over 2000 years ago in order to walk alongside humanity, feel every sorrow known to man, resist temptation, set an example for the disciples by walking daily in God's will, and demonstrate how to love sacrificially by dying for our sins on the Cross at Calvary. 

So this year, I urge you all to celebrate the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ. His birth truly is a cause for celebration because without Him, we'd be destined for an awful, miserable eternity. My hope is that you'll yearn to learn more about His birth, life, and death by reading the Bible, which is God's love letter to the world. By doing so, I hope that you'll become enlightened about the true meaning of Christmas and desire to entrust Jesus with your life because your eternity depends on it.