Finding a Firm Foundation in a Shaken World
THE HOPE
OF CHRISTMAS
S
ome years it’s a real relief to get to Christmas. There is warm familiarity in the traditional carols on the radio, the blinking lights down the street. Last year, we lost our normal Christmas experience. It’s hard to say exactly what this year will look like. Yet the Christmas story remains the same. What’s remarkable is just how relevant it is considering our current circumstances. We never chose to lose our comforts and security. We never sought to become vulnerable. But the main character of Christmas did. The Bible tells us that Jesus sits on heaven’s throne, surrounded in glory and praise. Yet “he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble form of a slave and was born as a human being.” On earth he knew first-hand what it was to not be in control. Not only was he born into a poor family, but one with a bad reputation (Jesus was conceived before Mary and Joseph were married. Mary was
actually a virgin and the birth was God’s miraculous provision; but who was going to believe that?). Then much of his childhood was spent as a refugee in another country because King Herod was intent on killing the boy who some claimed was the true king. Why would Jesus willingly subject himself to such vulnerability, suffering and uncertainty? Why did he make himself dependent on an inexperienced teenage mother when he should have been sitting on the throne of the universe? He did it because He loves us. God knows all about the cracks in our world and in our lives—even in our hearts and minds. That’s why he sent Jesus, his son, to show us where real security is found. Jesus explained: “This is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” Lasting security is not found in this world. Its foundation is too shaky; everything can be lost, stolen or destroyed. But God’s kingdom is unshakable. Everyone who places their trusts in Jesus enters a lasting and secure relationship with God. That’s the hope of Christmas; it gives us a new foundation for our lives, one that isn’t based on what happens in this unpredictable world, but on God’s promises to us in the Bible. No matter what happens, we are completely secure in His hands. For today—and all eternity—our lives and our destiny will be kept safe with Jesus. He will be our strength and our hope; and he will never let us down.
FIND OUT MORE There’s so much more to find out about the Christmas story, including how it gives meaning and hope to your own story. Enjoy a simple overview of what the birth of Jesus really means for your life today and for the future at
odb.org/hopeofchristmas
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