Much like the rest of the world, Christmas is one of my favorite holidays. Similar to Easter, it is a long holiday that starts well before the day of celebration with a series of preparation days leading up to it. Easter has the overriding theme of Jesus conquering the grave, the days of lent are meant to be a time of repentance and mourning, remembering the weight of sin that Jesus freed us from. While it is a beautiful and reflective time, followed by celebrating the life Christ has given us, it is definitely a heavy hearted holiday.
Christmas, on the other hand, is purely celebration! I think that’s why we all love it. It is celebrating peace, joy, and love, and we remember how Emmanuel, God with us, brought those things into our world.
“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.” (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:23)
That gives me chills! God with us! Jesus came so that God could be with us again. He is with us now because the Holy Spirit lives in us now! As believers we are united with Christ, and now we get to rejoice and worship, over this beautiful story for a whole month!
But sometimes the most beautiful, joyful time of the year becomes the most exhausting and we can’t wait for the stress to be over. This is not the way God wants us to worship and celebrate His Son, “…since God is not a God of disorder but of peace.” (1 Cor 14:33)
Luke 2:13-14 describes the angels proclaiming the good news of the messiah to the shepherds.
“Glory to God in the highest heaven and peace on earth to people He favors!”
The “people He favors” are believers and because of the coming of Jesus we have peace on earth!
As John F. MacArthur, Jr. writes in his book The Miracle of Christmas, “He offers peace from God (Romans 1:7) to all who are the recipients of His grace. He makes peace with God (Romans 5:1) for those who surrender to Him in faith. And He brings the peace of God (Philippians 4:7) to those who walk with Him.”
So why doesn’t it feel that way sometimes? And why do we forget worship in our Christmas celebrations? Why doesn’t advent always remind me that God is with us?
Oftentimes we are swept along in the bustle of the holidays. We check presents off the lists, worry over who we forgot to bake for, try and schedule a little volunteering, decorate, remember all the traditions… the list goes on and on. Then once a week in church we try and focus on some advent readings as our mind keeps wandering back to the holiday distractions.
I am guilty of this as much as anyone else.
Aren’t giving gifts and volunteering at soup kitchens good things? Aren’t those things God calls us to do as we walk with Him? So why don’t I feel the peace of God around the holidays? Of course those are good things, but they should never be the focus of our attention, and that is what we need to correct. We have made Christmas into a very hectic holiday, and advent is just the time before it where we prepare, go shopping, and wrap a hundred gifts.
So how do we correct that? How do we refocus and find the peace of God in the everyday business of life? Philippians 4:4-9 gives us the answer:
“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding,will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.”
Read Philippians 4:4-9 three more times. What stands out to you in those verses?
In response to this passage write down three things you are thankful for, three things you can pray for, and three ways you can rejoice to God this Advent season.
“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” -Colossians 3:15-17
Credit: Photo by Sarah Simon of @themintgardener
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