Episodes
Sunday Dec 31, 2023
Images of Christmas: Calm in the Chaos
Sunday Dec 31, 2023
Sunday Dec 31, 2023
We always want everyone to be happy – especially in the Christmas season!
We hope and pray that people are healthy, that no families will experience the loss of loved ones or accidents during this time of celebration, that children, especially, receive gifts that give them joy, and that they will be safe and secure with their families.
We want that to be the case – but it does not always happen, does it? In my small circle of concern, involving my family and friends, my church congregation, and the families that attend our Child Care ministry, I see a mix of good and bad experiences in life.
Some are healthy and happy, but there are others: one family is struggling to recover from the loss of their father earlier this year; another family bears the burden of their young mother’s struggle with life-threatening cancer, and the miserable treatments that now drain her of all her energy. Sadly, in the last two weeks, we have experienced the loss of 3 members in our church to the ravages of cancer and old age.
This is all to say that no matter who you are or your age or faith, life on this earth can be challenging! And, no matter how hard you try to ‘keep it together’ and do everything right, chaos sometimes comes into our lives, and we are left to deal with it! This is how Joseph and Mary felt as they experienced the events surrounding Jesus’ birth.
Mary was very young and unmarried, yet she was with child. There was fear and uncertainty, of course, and let us not forget that people in small towns gossip and judge! Joseph’s family probably wanted him to get rid of his young and pregnant bride-to-be, but he was committed to her. And then, on top of this situation, the government decreed that he and others would make the journey to their family’s hometown, which in Joseph’s case meant a walk with a pregnant young girl nearly 90 miles over rugged terrain!
There were visits from strangers after Jesus was born, both shepherds and Magi from another land, and then the warning that came in a dream to Joseph – get out of town, now! Herod, their ruler, wanted to kill the baby Jesus because he was supposedly the young “King of the Jews,” and therefore, a threat to Herod!
They had to pack their bags, leave for Egypt, an unfamiliar land, and wait for word of Herod’s death; then, they could go home. Talk about chaos!
Amazingly, though, God got them through it.
They trusted and followed God’s plans and instructions for their lives, and they lived for many years and saw the fulfillment of the life of Jesus in both his death and resurrection. And in this life of chaos and uncertainty, they experienced God at work and felt the peace that only God could give.
This is just one of the great messages of the Advent Season! No matter how hard life is or what one’s circumstances are, God can work and bring about a sense of peace, purpose, and even security. Here is how the Apostle Paul spoke of this great truth just a few years after the resurrection. “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7
As we go through the final days of the Advent Season and enter with hope and anticipation the new year, let us approach what comes with faith. God can help us and give us peace that defies explanation. God is with us!
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