2015 Similar to First Christmas

Christmas 2015 is a lot like the first Christmas: terror, political unrest, and refugees are the hallmarks of the season.

Truly, the Prince of Peace was born in troubled times, not much different than today. Rome ruled the western world with a brutal hand, causing people to live under a black cloud of fear. In Israel, people divided into political factions seeking power to change their lives.

The tension was ratcheted so high that, based on a rumor, King Herod ordered the murder of all the baby boys in Israel. A young Israeli family we know as Mary and Joseph became refugees in a foreign country to protect their little boy, Jesus.

Like today, people commonly put their hope in politics, rather than in spiritual renewal. They wanted a military messiah that would throw out the Romans. They weren’t prepared for Jesus’s message of personal repentance, hope and peace.

I Corinthians I: 27 states that, “God chose the foolish things of the world to confound the wise.” And really, what could be more foolish than sending the messiah to earth as a baby to be raised by a carpenter in an obscure country?

Yet, no person has had more influence across time than Jesus. He has changed hearts and fixed broken lives, and thereby has changed nations and the path of history. The good news he brought still uplifts and transforms today, as it did when he preached it on a Judean hillside.

This Christmas is a good time to focus on Christ’s message as he offers power for life today, peace amid the chaos,  and hope for eternity. There will always be trouble in the world, but as he said, “Be of good cheer, for I have overcome the world.” With his help we can find peace no matter what the circumstance.

One way to do that is read his book, the Bible. Did you know there are over 3,000 promises in the Bible? For the last six months, our Sunday school class has been studying One Hundred Promises of God by Nick Harrison. Although I’ve been teaching for almost 30 years, it has helped me identify those promises more easily. Here are a couple I really like:

“Fear not for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are mine.” That’s Isaiah 43: 1.

How about Philippians 4: 19? “God shall supply all your needs according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”

In addition, there are over 2,500 prophecies in the bible. Here is one pertaining to the Messiah written about 700 years before Christ and found in Isaiah 9: 6, “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

My prayer for you this holiday season is that, like the wise men of old, you will seek him, because he is still the Prince of Peace. As our pastor, Dan Kent, said recently, “No Jesus, No peace. Know Jesus, know peace.”

In closing, my husband, Larry, and I want to thank you for the support you’ve shown this year. Publishing “By the Banks of Cottonwood Creek” has been quite a journey and the very best part has been the encouragement you have given along the way. Merry Christmas and have a blessed New Year!