Tag: Christmas

Faith

Peace

Megan

I wasn’t able to be with my kids to celebrate Advent tonight because…sometimes life isn’t peaceful. Peace is one of the things that fits under the umbrella of “already, but not yet.”

We read in Isaiah 9:6 and 7 that Jesus would be called the Prince of Peace and that there would be no end of peace. And in Luke 2:14, as the heavenly host proclaimed the birth of Jesus to the shepherds, they said, “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.”

Jesus clearly came to bring peace—not just in a quiet and calm sort of way. The peace Jesus came to bring, the peace Jesus is the “Prince of” is the Hebrew word “shalom”. Shalom encompasses so much more than quiet and calm. It involves more than just the absence of fighting and wars. Shalom is completion, health, prosperity, wholeness in relationships (both with God and man) and safety.

As Prince of Peace, Jesus has reconciled us to God, He teaches us to love and to make peace with our fellow human beings, He delivered us from the bondage of the sin that warred within us, He provides for our physical needs and heals our bodies.

And yet, our world is still broken. Wars are still fought. Relationships still break down. Our bodies still become sick. We still experience trouble and sufferings.

Let me be clear, the seeming absence of peace or shalom by no means we are out of favor with God, that we lack faith, or that He has abandoned us. No! Jesus told us that we would experience tribulation or trouble (John 16:33), and in Romans 8, Paul writes that creation, and we ourselves, are groaning and longing for freedom and the realization of our hope in Christ.

We live in the day of “already, but not yet”. We experience some shalom, but not its entirety, not all the time. We have a taste or a glimpse of what is to come, but we live in the hope of the its complete fulfillment.

It is this hope that gives us strength in the times that are not peaceful. In Romans 8:18, Paul writes, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” Sometimes we do experience suffering, hardship, troubles, and tribulation. And yet, glory is waiting up ahead.

When I read Romans 8:18, I think of a hike up a steep mountain. It is difficult. Your legs and lungs burn. But finally, you reach the top, and the view is breathtakingly glorious.

Later in Romans 8, Paul uses the analogy of the pains of childbirth—and I’ve experienced that a few times. Yet, as my youngest daughter was placed on my chest, I experienced an overwhelming sense of joy. The pain of childbirth (unmedicated that one time 💪🏻), was worth the joy of my new baby’s presence.

Whatever we face today, whatever ways we and our world lack shalom in this life, we can walk in the confident expectation of the glorious fulfillment when our Prince of Peace returns and all is made right.

Faith

Hope

Megan

As we observed Advent this evening, I was led to Genesis 3:15: the protoevangelium. This is the first Scriptural reference to the promise of the Messiah. From the Fall, God had planned to send Jesus to be our Savior. The protoevangelium is the first of mannnnnny prophecies pointing to Jesus, and these prophecies gave people hope for the day the Messiah would come.

As I told my children about these promises and the hope they gave, I was reminded that this hope is not merely wishful thinking or a lovely dream. The hope that God gave people for the Messiah’s coming could more fully be expressed as expectancy or anticipation. God’s Word is true. His promises are sure.

While Jesus walked the earth, He promised to return, and in the final chapter of Revelation, the last of the words in red say, “Yes, I am coming quickly.” (Revelation 22:20)

In the same way men and women waited hopefully for His coming, we now watch and wait and hope for His return. Though our perception of the word “quickly” may differ from Jesus’, we can be sure, we can trust that as He fulfilled promises and came 2,000 years ago, He is indeed coming again.

Faith

Hope

Megan

My son looked out our living room window on Thanksgiving, after the sun had set. Our neighbors have started putting up Christmas lights, and when he saw them, he said, “I think it looks like Christmastime!”

The next day, he insisted we needed to wear Christmas hats while we decorated, and both of my kids wore Christmas hats as we went to one store on Black Friday. We all donned Christmas hats as we went to see a light display that evening. I think my toddler may be starting a new tradition, and I love it.

There is something so comforting, grounding, and nostalgic about traditions, especially for Christmas. My mom’s family has playing Bingo for prizes on Christmas Eve as a tradition that began generations ago and has continued on through the years. The prizes range from random snack foods to fun gadgets to bottled coffees to the always wished for gift cards. We all envy the one person who seems to win every game, despite the Bingo cards changing each round, and we feel sorry for the one person who inevitably loses more than anyone else.

When I was around 6 or 7, my mom started another Christmas Eve tradition: gingerbread house building. My houses were not very structurally sound for the first few years, and my siblings decided I was a garage builder. It’s only recently that I’ve escaped from their mockery and have proven my gingerbread house building abilities.

Another Christmas tradition my mom started was observing Advent. Starting the Sunday after Thanksgiving and continuing to Christmas Eve, my parents and all six of us kids would gather around the dining room table with a Christmas cookie or some other treat, maybe some hot chocolate, and sometimes a game or craft, and we’d take turns lighting the candle(s) and reading that week’s Bible passages. This is one tradition that I’ve already continued with my toddlers, and this year, I’d like to share it with you!

The first Sunday of Advent focuses on hope.

Right after the first man and woman sinned against God, He began to reveal His plan to redeem the people who had just broken His law. In Genesis 3:15, God spoke of one of Eve’s offspring who would strike the head of the Serpent. He said, “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”” For centuries all of creation lived in expectant hope for that day.

Two thousand years ago, the One who was promised to strike the head of the Serpent was born, and now we live in hope for His return and eternity spent with Him. One day He will wipe away every tear, He, the Prince of Peace will reign over us, and we will be with Him forever.

In a year of unknowns, change, anxiety, isolation, division, loss, and so much more, I am so thankful for the hope we have in Jesus. Unlike the ten months (and counting) I have hoped for a positive pregnancy test only to be disappointed, hoping in Jesus will not leave us disappoint. One day, we will not be plagued with sickness, infertility, cancer, or death. One day the Body of Christ will be with our Bridegroom, and we will be of one heart and mind. My heart yearns for that day.

Knowing that what we are now facing pales in comparison to the joy that day will bring makes my trials and sorrows seem more bearable. Knowing I have hope brings light to the dark days because they are temporary.

How does this hope change your present? How does this hope change you?