Steadfast, Immovable, Abounding

This is the fourth and last installment in my advent series.

“For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us, and the government will rest on His shoulders, and His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6).

Sometimes, Christmas can be the most hectic time of the year. Between shopping, baking, crazy traffic, tangled lights, gift exchanges and unpredictable weather, this favorite holiday may seem anything but peaceful. And despite what the world seems to think, seasonal stress cannot be remedied with a seat by the fire and an array of holiday-flavored coffee creamers. We can’t just wrap up our messy lives in pretty paper and expect everything to work out when all is revealed.

The world is a discontented, distracted, crazy place. It has run out of answers to the problems it has created. I think one of the main reasons we find Christmas overwhelming is because we forget that it’s not our birthday. We indulge in the world’s self-promoting expectations of Christmas instead of celebrating the One whose birth has given us hope. Yet as Christians, we hold the answer to the world’s desperate lack of peace. The Christmas story isn’t just a cultural tradition. It isn’t just the nativity we put under the tree. It tells of the greatest birth in history, a birth which promises a great light to the people walking in darkness.

Hebrews 13:20-21 says, “Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord, equip you in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever.” It is through Christ that we can have peace with God the Father. Nothing, not even our sin, can separate us from Him any longer. It is this reconciliation with God which enables us to live daily in peace, despite the stress and pressure we might be carrying right now.

It is tempting to imagine that we face problems in our modern world which were nonexistent in Biblical times. But let’s step into the shoes of one of these characters. Suppose you were a young girl, and one day an angel appears to you, announcing that you will be the mother of the Son of God. You are engaged at the time, and you don’t know what your fiancé or your family might do. During this same time, Caesar decrees that a census will be taken “of all the inhabited earth” (Luke 2:1). You must return with your fiancé to Bethlehem, his hometown. Unfortunately, Caesar doesn’t care that you have a baby on the way and it’s not the best time to travel. Once you finally arrive, the inn is completely full and there is no room for you nor the King you carry. You are forced to give birth in a stable for animals, where you are visited by shepherds, excitedly searching for the Savior of whom they have been told. Finally, when things seem to be drawing closer to normal, your husband receives a message from the Lord, warning you to flee. Herod is seeking your child to kill Him. You must leave everything you have ever known and rebuild your lives in a whole other country.

And we call our lives stressful?

The birth of Christ is supposed to bring peace…so why was Mary’s life turned completely upside down by the coming of the Messiah? Paul writes in Philippians 4:6-7, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” God doesn’t grant us immunity from problems—but if we surrender every trouble and pain to the Lord, His peace will protect our minds and our hearts from being destroyed by the attacks of the enemy. The presence of Jesus doesn’t mean smooth sailing; in fact, following Christ means going against the grain of the world. But as He said in John 14:27, “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.”

If you’re like most of us, the Christmas to-do list seems to grow longer with every passing day. But if seasonal stress is distracting us from the true reason for the holiday, we need to ask ourselves: who or what are we celebrating? The purpose of Christmas is to rejoice over the greatest gift that has ever been given—the gift of God’s son. It is Jesus’ coming which gave hope to our broken world; His life and death reconciled us to Him. In Christ we need fear nothing, for His perfect strength will never let go of those who trust Him with their all. Whatever you are facing this Christmas season, and whatever distractions have drawn your gaze from the Baby in the manger, remember what Jesus said in John 16:33—“‘These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.’”