Can it be Christmas all year?

Happy belated Christmas greetings! What was your favourite part of Christmas this year? Was it the gifts or the food? Time with family? The candlelit carol service?

The story of the Nativity is one we all know – perhaps one we are all too familiar with. Jesus, the Son of God, came as a human baby, born to Mary and Joseph in a stable, welcomed by animals, shepherds and foreign priests. An unusual but nonetheless familiar story. I asked the Lord for a fresh message this Christmas; to open my eyes to what He wanted to teach me about Himself this season. His repeated message to me was ‘Immanuel, God with us – the greatest gift’.

“The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).                           Matthew 1:23

The Lord indeed opened my eyes to see that God’s gift of Immanuel has always been His desire – to be with His people. Countless verses throughout the Bible speak of God being with us. “Fear not for I am with you.” “I will fear no evil, for you are with me.” “The Lord your God is in your midst”. “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

• God was with Adam in Genesis. He walked with Adam and talked with him – like father and son, like two lovers. Sin separated them and broke this relationship.
• The Lord established a covenant relationship with the Israelites. Throughout the Old Testament, He reminded them over and over again of this covenant. “I will be your God and you shall be my people”. He chose to dwell among them in the Tabernacle and later in the Temple in Jerusalem. He spoke to them through various prophets to call His people back into the covenant.

For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

Jeremiah 31:33

• Jesus, the Son of God, came in human flesh. He came as the Immanuel to live among us. He died as the ultimate sacrifice to save us from our sins, that we might be reconciled with God. He rose to life and ascended into heaven to prepare a place for His people.
• God sent His Holy Spirit to dwell within all who believe in Jesus Christ, restoring His image in us and bringing us in closer unity with Himself. He works through us to bring His presence on earth today.
• We look to an eternal and complete intimacy with the Lord, a forever of being in perfect relationship with Him – the final fulfillment of Immanuel, God with us.

This is an overly condensed summary but the point is: our most needed gift is His presence. We were created to walk with Him, to know Him, to love and glorify Him. Christ came to solve the problem of sin – the sin that separated us from His presence. So, yes it should be Christmas all year round for all who believe in Christ and hope in the promise of an eternity of Immanuel! For any who are yet to join the (stress-free) never-ending Christmas party, the invitation is open to anyone and everyone who wants to know and believe Jesus and what he did for us.

Meditations on Matthew 23

One word: HYPOCRISY. Jesus hates hypocrisy. It is self-centred protection, trying to please and impress the eyes of people.

What is hypocrisy? It is teaching one thing but not living it out. It is burdening others with the truth, but not burdening yourself – walking the easy road. A lot of pride is entangled in a hypocrite’s heart – the attitude that I am better than those that need to be taught.

How foolish! How revolting! How… me!

Jesus, forgive me for my rotten heart. My proud tongue is keen to teach things that I myself do not strive to live out. My eyes have become haughty. They keep sinning by looking for faults in others, whilst avoiding and refusing to address my own. I have been a Pharisee. I am a hypocrite.

Lord Jesus, I am broken and do not even acknowledge it most of the time. My fear paralyses me. Lord free my spirit from its fears so it can believe. Free my spirit so it can trust you. Heal my messed up heart so it can love you and my neighbours wholly.

I ask you for a sincere heart. Take away this criticising judgemental heart and mind. Renew my thoughts and my heart. Teach me how to love. Open my eyes to the depth of your love for me and for this world. Lord I want to be fully immersed in your love!

If anyone relates to this prayer, know that you are not alone in this struggle! Let us continue fighting against this attitude of pride within ourselves, continue asking the Author of our faith to free us from unhealthy, unholy thinking habits and to teach us daily to walk in His way of love.