Richard Skinner/Jefferson First Assembly of God
As a child, Christmas is something we look forward to all year. We look forward to getting out of school, hoping for snow, putting up the Christmas tree, gatherings with relatives, Christmas candy, and of course, gifts. We make sure to let our parents know what we want and then wait with great expectation to open our gifts on Christmas morning.
As we grow up and begin to have children of our own our joy shifts from being the receiver of gifts to the giver of gifts. In becoming the giver of gifts there are certain expectations that sometimes create stress and anxiety. With mounting costs of everything, it can leave the wallet rather empty. Our calendar can quickly resemble a to do list that never ends. Amid all this, we can find ourselves getting anxious, short tempered, and depressed. What can we do to change that?
One thing we can do is remember the true meaning of Christmas. We can remember that first Christmas and ask ourselves what was it like for them? Joseph was a righteous man who had decided to take Mary as his wife even though she was pregnant with the Son of God. Imagine that responsibility? Mary was favored and blessed to be chosen to be the mother of Jesus, but I have little doubt that Mary faced local scorn for being with child before her marriage was consummated. Then Joseph and Mary took a road trip to Bethlehem to be registered by the Roman government. Mary was very pregnant, and the 90-mile trip would be difficult.
When they arrived in Bethlehem it would not get any easier. It was time for Mary to give birth and the only place to stay was with the animals. They wrapped Jesus in swaddling clothes and laid him in a feed trough. Luke and the Holy Spirit want us to take note of Jesus’s humble beginnings. Amid an occupying government, difficult journey, poor circumstances, Jesus was born.
Out of darkness, Mary would give the greatest gift, the light of the world. His light can cause our darkness, anxiety, and depression to flee. In his presence we find peace. There we can declare along with the angels, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased (Luke 2:14)!” Walking in His light brings peace! Merry Christmas!