January 2005
“A Message of Hope”
As I write this, we are quickly approaching Christmas and all of the activity and excitement that surrounds it. As you read this, the dust is beginning to settle and you’re probably trying to catch your breath from all that has just transpired during this Christmas; or maybe if the mail is quick, you may still be immersed in all the activities of the season with family and friends.
Wherever this message finds you, take a moment to stop and ponder this Christmas. What comes to mind? Are your thoughts negative or positive? Do you think about the frustration of going deeper in debt after buying all those Christmas presents? Or the aggravation you felt after long hours of shopping with lengthy checkout lines and the traffic jams that never seem to end?
Or do you think about the time you spent with family and friends – about the warmth and the laughter. How about that Christmas program that the kids put on? It was great, wasn’t it? Or going out caroling – what a cold and wonderful time – what joyous hymns and carols we sang and the smiles on people’s faces. Or maybe it’s the candlelight Christmas Eve service. There is something about those things that we do as Christians during this season of Christmas that draws out the true meaning of Christmas and warms our hearts and woos us into the wonderful mystery of God’s incarnation in Christ.
Do we look at Jesus’ birth as just a “matter of fact” event written about in the scriptures? Or do we open ourselves to experience the story. What was it like for Mary – on a very long journey from her home in Nazareth to the city of Bethlehem; nearly 100 miles. This was not a trip of choice, but one forced on them by Caesar Augustus who had called for a mandatory census of the entire Roman world; they had to go to Bethlehem. What was it like to have to travel (being very pregnant and close to giving birth) through rough terrain only to find that when they arrived there were no rooms available for them to stay in. What was it like to have to stay with the animals and give birth in a barn?
What was it like for those simple shepherds in the field watching over their flock to see an angel of the Lord, suddenly appear before them, radiating the breathtaking glory of the Lord and offering them the message of Jesus’ birth. Then to see the heavens burst open with “a great multitude of the heavenly host” praising God. Then to have it all end as suddenly as it began; I can hardly imagine. Scripture says they were “terrified”; I don’t think that word could begin to describe what they felt.
But the message they brought was one of hope for all humankind; a message of a new covenant between God and his people. It was a special invitation for all to come and join the family of God through the gift of a baby born in the humblest of circumstances. Yet no event in all of human history can come close to the importance that Jesus’ life, death and resurrection has for all of us.
During this time of year we think of New Years resolutions, and the chance to make changes in our lives for the better; though many times we fail and then we throw up our hands and say “better luck next year”. Jesus offers us a way to start over fresh, seven days a week and 365 days a year. We don’t have to wait and we don’t have to depend on ourselves. With Jesus as our savior, we have the power of God’s Holy Spirit living within us. God molds us and transforms us into the people we were intended to be. If you haven’t accepted the gift that our loving God has offered us through this little baby born in a manger; there is no better time than right now.
Grace and Peace, The Rev. Rob Hughes
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