The Christmas story is a historical event from thousands of years ago. Yet the repercussions of the coming of Christ have an impact on our lives today and for all of eternity. We can find encouragement through the traditional advent themes in the Christmas story.
We see anticipation and hope. Any lasting foundation of hope for the future is rooted in the birth of Jesus. Christ and His saving power is the source of true, lasting hope.
We see a peace that passes all understanding. Despite living in an afraid and fearful world, we can find true peace this holiday season because of the peace that Jesus Christ brings.
We see incredible, unconditional love. The good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ begins with Love Himself being born to this world.
And, we see an inexpressible and glorious joy.
“But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people…’” (Luke 2:10)
In the Christmas story, we also get the opportunity to read about the joy the shepherds experienced on that first Christmas. To the people of that day and age, the birth of Jesus was a radical shift in all aspects of life as they knew it. When Jesus came, everything changed.
The birth of the Messiah changed all of history. The good news of Jesus directly results in hope, peace, love and joy.
The good news of Jesus caused great joy for all people. There has never been - and never will be - an event as life-altering as the birth of Jesus. And because of this, there will always be an understandably extraordinary emphasis on the joy that this historical event brought.
The Cause of Their Joy
“The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.” (Luke 2:20)
The birth of Jesus was the cause of the shepherds’ great joy. They were filled with awe and wonder, which resulted in them joyfully glorifying God.
Jesus was the cause of their great joy and He is the cause of our great joy. As we enter into the final week leading up to Christmas, ask yourself “Today, how can I rejoice in the Lord?” May we find joy in the world because of Jesus and the good news He brings.
God and His Character
This Christmas season, may we glorify and praise God by declaring what we know about Him and His character. God is…
- Provider
- Sustainer
- Good all the time
- Abounding in love
- Faithful
- Kind
- Patient
- Everlasting
Who We Are in Christ
May we find our joy in the Lord by knowing who He is and, therefore, who that makes us:
- I am content, and I’m confident in God to provide.
- I am at peace because God sustains all things.
- I am grateful God is consistently good all of the time.
- I am cared for and beloved by the Creator of all.
- I am able to loyally fix my focus on Christ alone, for He is the perfect example of faithfulness.
- I am able to be slow to anger as I follow the kind and patient example of Jesus.
- I am sure of my future because of the everlasting love of the Lord.
Encouragement
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!
In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith we are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.
In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith — of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire — may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.
Though you have not seen Him, you love Him; and even though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls. (1 Peter 1:3-9)
Thank you for journeying through the four elements of advent with Fishhook this holiday season. In case you missed out, feel free to catch up on the other blog posts:
As we enter into the week of Christmas, be encouraged that you and your work matter! To you, your family and friends, your staff team, volunteers and church as a whole – have a very merry Christmas!
