Christmas Madness and Hope

Dear Friends,

At this time of year there are three words that send a shiver down my spine…Christmas Tree Lights. We have never been able to buy lights and keep them in any sort of order for the next year. They emerge from the storage box tangled and with missing bulbs. We sort out the mess only to discover that the power adapter is missing or broken and we are left with a sad and sorry string of lights that just don’t work. 

Recently, I had had enough. I went and bought some new lights from Bunnings. They are bright and sparkly. They work all the way down to the last bulb. Perfect…almost. We just can’t get them to stay on! They flash, they pulse, they fade, they seem to do all three, but as for just being on – no way! 

In some way my lights experience is like life. Nothing is ever perfect. Few things are always easy. We often don’t quite feel satisfied. Sometimes things end up in a real mess. We all have those moments where we reflect back and say “if only”! 

Christmas provides us with the ultimate and lasting antidote to life’s disappointments. Christmas provides us with hope. Christmas is an announcement to the world from God: things are bad, but they will be better! This announcement is made through the birth of Jesus and embodied in the birth of Jesus.

Just reflect on the actual birth of Jesus. How would Mary have felt to discover she had to give birth in a stable? The disappointment, the dirt, the abandonment to simplicity and humility. No one would wish it upon their worst enemy! 

And yet in the goodness of God, a child is born who will be more than a son and brother. He is a Saviour and King. He came to defeat our greatest enemy and offer us hope of something bigger, better, brighter and more permanent. From the smallest and humblest of beginnings, out of disappointment, came triumph and victory as Jesus rose from the dead and announced that the gates to a glorious life eternal had been thrown open for all who would trust in and follow him! 

The image of the world as a bauble smashing to pieces summarizes our feelings about life and our world from time to time. The historical event of Jesus in the manger summarizes God’s message to us in this crazy world.

Life often feels out of control, but those who trust in and follow Jesus find satisfaction and hope in the knowledge that life will be better. If you are yet to trust in and follow Jesus, please speak to one of our ministers – our church is on about connecting people with Jesus and we want to help you. 

Merry Christmas.