The hope of Christmas. When you think about it, that is what we have. HOPE.
Listen to what the Apostle wrote in his letter while he was imprisoned in Rome.
Romans 3:24-25 - 24 We were given this hope when we were saved. (If we already have something, we don’t need to hope for it. 25 But if we look forward to something we don’t yet have, we must wait patiently and confidently.)”
And that’s where we are today. We are in the state of hoping for Jesus’ return. Through our faith in Jesus Christ and the promises He gave us, we wait patiently and confidently knowing Jesus’ promise will be fulfilled one day.
Hebrews 11:1 says, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
So it is through our faith that we wait patiently for Christmas Day and all that it stands for. It’s an exciting season as we decorate the trees and our homes, and our church. And then there are the presents. The children and even the adults get so excited wondering what gift they might receive. Or we watch in anticipation for the facial expressions on those we have given gifts to.
And there’s the food. Oh, the food. The candy, the cookies, and cakes and pies, and turkey and dressing and ham, and the list goes on.
And all of this is because of the HOPE we have in Jesus Christ. The faith we have as we celebrate His birth and look forward to His coming again.
If we are not careful, though, we can miss Christmas. We can get so caught up in the celebration, the decorations, and the gifts and the preparation of all the Christmas goodies, that we miss the real Christmas — the birthday of our Savior, Jesus Christ.
Yes, THAT’S why we celebrate. That’s the real reason all of this is happening.
Our youth group has done a fantastic job of helping us to realize that none of what we SEE today in our world—the decorations, and presents, and food—NONE of it would even exist, if it were not for Jesus Christ.
And so, we strengthen our hope in what is yet to come—the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. For without Him, none of this would be happening.
So, I have to ask, “Do you know Him? Do you know my Jesus? Do you know my Friend? Have you heard that He loves you?”
I believe with all of my heart that if you don’t know Jesus Christ in a personal way, then you won’t come close to experiencing the true JOY, PEACE, LOVE, and HOPE that only Jesus can bring to your life.
If you have never asked Jesus to come into your life, why not do so right now?
Don’t miss the real Christmas.