Good Morning All,
Matthew
1:23; ““Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall
call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us)”
In many
families there is a great debate; where do we spend Christmas Eve then
Christmas Day at? Are we staying
home? Are we going to parent “A”’s house
or parent “B”’s house? Maybe an uncle’s
or grandparent’s or a cousin is in the mix.
If we add in re-marriages with additional familial obligations, it can
get very complicated. We often see
families negotiating or trading other holidays for Christmas time. Sometimes there can be some very heated
arguments over who, where and when families get together. The day of the week that Christmas falls on
can influence where and when we meet with the family. If and when we can get off work can influence
it as well.
Most people want to spend time with their
family at this time of the year. We
value family as an important part of the Christmas holiday. Being with our family is often what people
look forward to the most and being away from our family can cause sadness and
depression. We need to be with loved
ones in order to feel the comfort and security of being surrounded by our
family.
That is part of what makes this verse so
special. “They shall call his name
Immanuel which means God with us.” The
Israelite who heard this would immediately think back to when the Israelite
nation was wandering in the wilderness and the very Presence of God dwelt with
them. He dwelt in the Tabernacle which
was constructed, according to his directions, for God to dwell in with his
people.
Sin causes us to be separated from God but
in Jesus we are with God or more importantly God is with us. Everything we face, every struggle and pain,
He is there for us. He is there even
when we don’t want him there. At those
times when we look at others in a way that is not God-pleasing, God does not
abandon us; He stays with us at all times calling us back to his holy family.
That is why we celebrate Christmas. We celebrate the time when God chose to
become involved in human existence in a very “hands on” fashion. We celebrate the time when God energetically
entered our history and changed it for us.
We are no longer a lost people, rather God is with us. Our hope, our future is secure. Our present, though it may be filled with
struggle, does not have to be faced alone and without comfort, consolation,
guidance or without any chance of hope.
Our life is filled with hope. It
is the one thing that God’s grace gives to us.
He gives us hope. Our hope is the
salvation which we have. God is with us
and we never have to be alone again.
Gracious Lord, you are with me; you guard and guide me; you
bring me comfort. You are with me and
you give me hope. Be with those who feel
lost and without family at this time.
Send your Spirit to comfort them and give them the peace that only you
can give. In Your precious name we pray,
amen.
God’s
Peace
Pastor
Bret
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.