Christmas Grace
Timothy 2: 23 – 24
But refuse foolish and ignorant speculations, knowing that they produce quarrels, and the Lord’s bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged.
This is a good time of year to be reminded of this scripture for while some will have an idyllic Christmas not everyone’s Christmas is straight out of a Currier & Ives print. So we need to remember our priorities and try to keep everything in perspective.
We should keep our eyes so focused on Jesus, the hope of our calling, that the challenges of the season don’t trip us up. Now I know I am asking a lot but I hoped by bringing this up now, we might all prepare ourselves. See, the gift God brought us in Jesus is so far above the one that unenlightened relative gives you that it should outshine all of the insults, oversights and snide remarks. Don’t even hear any of that . And you know the relative that never pulls their weight but always eats enough for seven guests, well, let’s just be thankful that we have been adopted into the kingdom of God.
I’m trying to use a bit of humor to remind us all of the joy of the season, but I don’t take lightly the challenges and I know that you don’t either. Some people have real tribulations during the holiday season. And while we watch our favorite Christmas movies and sing Christmas songs, we need to appreciate that not everyone experiences a perfect Christmas holiday.
I want to encourage you now, on the 15th, to wrap the most precious gift into the folds of your heart and don’t let anything or anyone steal it from you. Ok, there might be a challenge here and there but none of them even come close in magnitude to the grand gift God gave us. Without Jesus we would all be lost. So, when that thorn in your flesh tries to get under your skin this year, just hold the image of Jesus, the Christ, before your eyes. Let the glory of who he is shine much more brightly than the ill spoken words and ill conceived gestures. Refuse to give up your peace, which is, after all, the peace which Jesus came to give us. Don’t let the devil have your peace or your joy no matter what he throws at you for ultimately it is he who wishes to destroy the joy of this season for you. He wants to steal that which Jesus came to give you. Refuse to let him win this year. Ignore anything and everything that is not of God. Give glory to your most Holy Father remembering that He has you in the palm of His hand.
My prayer for each of you is that the message of the season will be more real to you this year than ever before. That the joy that is in Christ Jesus will dominate your hearts and minds and that you will feel Jesus inside of you more strongly than ever before. I pray that the glory of His Spirit will arise inside of you until you are an extension of his love. I ask the Lord for you to feel his closeness to you like maybe you haven’t felt in years; maybe since you were a child or maybe even never. Let his love penetrate every fiber, every molecule, every quark of your body so that you are filled up to the full with His love and His joy. May you be so filled with Him that His love spills out of you onto every single person you encounter. May the joy and mercy of who He is so surround you and encapsulate you that nothing can shake you from the love of God. May you be blessed coming in and going out and may you be a blessing to every single person with whom you have contact. May our Lord keep you in His love and glory this season. Amen.
