We have now entered the Christmas season. The Christmas message is rooted in the humanity of our Lord, Jesus Christ, and the legacy He left us. Why was Jesus born? Why did he shed his heavenly comforts to come into this world and what does that mean for Christianity?
Jesus had to come in flesh to deliver mankind from our shortcomings, our sins and failures. Jesus’ birth was a necessary birth. And there is more…
The book of Isaiah, Chapter 9 verse 6 tells us that:
“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace”
The Prince of Peace – That phrase is the ‘gift’ we must always be conscious of this Christmas season.
In the book of John, Chapter 14 verse 27, Jesus tells his disciples: Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
No one can deny that there is a lot to be concerned and agitated about today. What, with everything we have all had to contend with over the past few years. The pandemic, war in Ukraine, rising costs of living, strikes in the public sector. On the surface, there is so much to be anxious about.
And quite often we become fearful. These fears are not without cause. They are real, sometimes life threatening, but we need to intentionally receive that gift of peace that Jesus, the Prince of Peace himself, has left us as a legacy of his coming as man.
Corrie Ten Boom, the Dutch writer, who in her book, The Hiding Place, detailed how she found hope in God while she was imprisoned at the concentration camp, once said: Never be afraid to entrust an unknown future to a known God.
So, this Christmas season, be joyful and hold on tightly to the words of Jesus: ‘My peace I give you’. We can be peaceful in the midst of turbulence.
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