Jesus is STILL my Reason for this Abundantly Blessed Season
Christmas is about Christ.
For me.
There.
I said it.
I wanted to be clear.
In a world full of tinsel and ornaments and favorite foods and gifts (all of which I absolutely love!!!), Jesus Christ is my reason to celebrate Christmas.
If you are searching for something meaningful in this biggest holiday of the year, I encourage you to find its meaning in Jesus Himself.
Poor shepherds.
Wealthy & wise men from the East.
A devout man.
A widow woman.
What do they all have in common?
Jesus.
Jesus is STILL the Reason for this Abundantly Blessed Season
The shepherds went searching and found Him. (Luke 2:15-20)
The wisemen followed a star and found him. (Matthew 2:9-11)
Simeon, led that day by the Holy Spirit to the temple, found Him. (Luke 2:25-32)
Anna, who stayed in the temple fasting and praying, came at the right instant and found Him. (Luke 2:36-38)
Who did they find?
Jesus Christ.
Emmanuel (God with us!)
The Savior of the World
He came with a purpose.
The prophet Isaiah prophesied these words about Jesus...
The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me,
Because the Lord has anointed Me
To preach good tidings to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives,
And the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord,
And the day of vengeance of our God;
To comfort all who mourn,
To console those who mourn in Zion,
To give them beauty for ashes,
The oil of joy for mourning,
The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;
That they may be called trees of righteousness,
The planting of the Lord,
That He may be glorified.
Isaiah 61:1-3
This is His "why" for coming.
To preach GOOD news.
To set us free from the bondages of sin.
To comfort, console, and change our sadness to joy.
For you.
For me.
For us.
Let's do whatever it takes to find Him this Christmas...
Whatever else happens this Christmas, my friend, let's find Jesus.
Find the Savior.
Find the Author of Peace.
On that first Christmas, the world was chaotic.
People travelled for miles to pay taxes.
Rome ruled much of the known world and Israel dreamed of being free.
Many similarities with our world today.
All the solutions showed up in Jesus.
A small baby.
Man and God in one tiny body.
The shepherds had to go where the angels directed them to find Him.
The wisemen had to travel for a long time at great personal expense to find Him.
Simeon intentionally obeyed the Holy Spirit that day and found Him.
Anna, in following her daily pattern, came "at that instant" to find Him.
We, also, can find Him.
And, we must do whatever it takes for each of us.
We may need to sneak into our closet and close the door to busyness to find Him.
We may need to pause in the middle of baking, smile up at heaven, and thank Him for coming in order to find Him.
We may need to attend a Christmas service and experience Him in all his glory with others who are seeking.
He is worth the finding.
If you don't know Him personally and you sense it's time to give your life completely to Jesus, all you need do is ask Him to reveal Himself to you and He will.
He may send someone your way or provide a message that pricks your heart.
He will make Himself known to you if you seek Him with all your heart.
"If you look for me in earnest,
You will find me when you seek me."
Jeremiah 29:13
He humbled Himself to come for us.
May we humble ourselves this Christmas to search for Him like shepherds, to honor Him with our gifts of praise and thanksgiving like wisemen, to recognize Who He is like Simeon, and to tell others about Him like Anna.
For me, Christ is still, and will always be, about Jesus.
I pray it is the same for you.
Many blessings,
Kathy Ann
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