Good Morning
All,
Luke 2:10; “And the angel said to
them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be
for all the people.”
Are
you feeling like the Grinch yet? Are you
tired of the noise, the noise, the noise? Are you tired of the pushing and the
shoving? Are you tired of the hot deals
that aren’t? Are you tired of every
single charitable entity wanting “just a little of your cash help?” Are you dreading the next holiday party? So where is the “Joy to the World?”
It is always amazing how much we have truly
changed Christmas. We can blame
corporations, society, consumerism or anything else; but the bottom line is that
many of us struggle with Christmas. We
claim that we don’t like the commercial exploitation but we buy into it every
year. We start shopping earlier each
year; we went to online shopping instead of going to a store; we try to have
limits but each year some new doo-dad with more bells and whistles comes along.
So at the end of the Christmas season; most
are glad Christmas comes just once a year.
But the thing about this that is most ironic is that Christmas is a microcosm
of our life in general. We all want
happiness, joy, peace on earth and all that stuff; yet most of us simply go to
bed each night worn out and bone tired.
So where is the joy?
Christmas should teach us one very large
lesson; peace, happiness, joy cannot be purchased. There is no way to buy any of these. That is because peace, joy, happiness is not
an external element. It does not come from
the outside. We can’t go to a store, or
online, and buy it. Peace, happiness,
joy are the result of a change that occurs within each of us. This is a change that can only occur when we
hear the Gospel; that is truly hear what it says and grab hold of it by faith.
The wonderful news of the Gospel, the
forgiveness of our sins and the promise of eternal life, changes us. We no longer focus on the near term but
rather we see the long term; we see God’s love in our life. The Word of God in the hearts of men changes
lives. It is through this faith that we receive
happiness, joy, peace and the like. It
comes from within because God’s Spirit rests on us and lives in us. That is the source of our joy and
contentment. All the shopping in the
world will never buy you the joy and the contentment that God gives us. It is free to us because of his love for
us. It requires only faith to hold on to
it. It is part of the gift that we
receive from Him. We have his love to sustain
us and his Spirit to give us the gift of contentment in this life. So enjoy your Christmas knowing that the gift
of a Savior is the greatest gift of all.
Dear
Father, we give you thanks for the gift of a Savior. Help us to see that the joy of this life is
not from the outside but from your Spirit dwelling within us. Move us to see this truth. Be with those who are most lost at this time
and are struggling with the lack of contentment in their lives. Bring them into your family that they may
know the joy and peace you give. In
Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.
God’s Peace,
Pastor Bret
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