Psalm 39:7 (WEB)
Now, Lord, what do I wait for? My hope is in you.
The Story of Christmas
When telling the story of Christmas, where does one begin? Usually we begin the story with an angelic messenger named Gabriel making a surprise visit to a very astonished young woman named Mary in the little town of Nazareth.
Mentally we conjure up an image of quaint, rectangular stone houses clustered together on a Galilean hillside. People dressed in Middle Eastern robes and headscarves stroll along a dusty road carrying baskets of food or balancing clay water jars on their heads. Fluffy donkeys pull carts as wooly sheep trot by with little shepherd boys prodding them along.
At some point, we focus our gaze on one particular home. There, like a scene on a Christmas greeting card, we see Mary kneeling, face upturned rapturously to receive the message from a glowing angel.
A scene like this can be kept at arms length. It’s a pretty picture, nostalgic, maybe even romanticized a bit. But it is certainly not like our own ordinary lives. Sometimes it can be hard to remember that this story is about real flesh and blood people. People who felt the depths of human emotions just like you and I. People whose lives and relationships could be just as complicated and unpredictable as ours. True, their culture and lifestyle were very different. But deep down they were human beings with dreams and longings and a desire for a hopeful future. And perhaps the one common hope that all the main characters in the Christmas story shared was their hope and longing for the Messiah to come. They longed for a Redeemer to deliver them from the difficulties of this life.
The story of Christmas is about God’s light and hope breaking into the dark places of our hearts as He sends His Son, Jesus, to “bind up the broken hearted” and “comfort all who mourn.” (Isaiah 61:1,2) And more than that, He came to meet our deepest need, our need for a restored relationship with our Creator.
Come along with me this Christmas season as we journey through this story of hope.
Romans 15:13 (WEB)
Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope in the power of the Holy Spirit.