When Christ Steps Into Our Chaos
“But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”
Here we are again at the Advent/Christmas season. I was in a meeting recently where someone was feeling shocked and stressed at the passing of time. I rarely get through a week without someone expressing the same sort of feeling: “time is just flying” or “can you believe it’s already ______.” I often have those feelings myself, too. Part of me still feels like I just got back from the beach after my summer vacation and just cleaned the grill after the 4th of July cookout. How can it be Christmastime already?
This perception that time is passing by so fast reminds us that we are not in control. We like to believe that we can accomplish goals or finish plans according to a timetable we set. Having things move at a pace that we’re comfortable with helps us enjoy life on our own terms. However, we know that’s not reality. As often as life happens in beautiful ways we love, life also hands us serious challenges and problems. When you add events unfolding around the world, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed, unimportant, and lost.
Into the middle of all of these circumstances and feelings comes Christmas. Now, all of a sudden, instead of the unfinished plans we had for September and October, we’re stressing over shopping lists, decorating, preparing meals, and visiting difficult relatives and friends. Not only has our culture built so many unhealthy and nonscriptural expectations around Christmas, but when we add our own expectations, along with a preexisting sense of anxiety or overwhelm, it’s almost too much.
Friends, I would also remind you that into the middle of all of these circumstances and feelings comes Christ. He comes into the mess to be with us. He wasn’t born in a palace with guards, nurses, and soft blankets. He comes in the most vulnerable state of humanity, a newborn infant reliant on the loving care and sustenance of his mother. The young Jesus was born into a situation that would require hiding and later flight from the power of a corrupt, bullying king. He would live most of his life anonymously in a small town doing a hard day’s work until the time was right to begin His public mission and ministry. The scripture passage above from Gabriel’s announcement to Mary about who her Son would become reminds us of who He is to us.
Jesus knows every human emotion and experience, and He is ready to walk with us through our most rewarding and our most challenging moments. This Christmas, welcome Christ with full appreciation of who He is, what He did for you, and what He is doing new in your life. He is the answer to all of the problems and questions you’re carrying. In Him, our hopes are realized, our worries addressed, our sins overcome, our death defeated, and our place in heaven secured. When you hear and sing these familiar words this year, let Christ be born into the parts of your mind, heart, and spirit that desperately need what only he can bring. Remember what child this is:
This, this is Christ, the King
Whom shepherds guard and angels sing,
haste, haste to bring him laud
The Babe, the Son of Mary
Pastor Scott
