Blog
Monday, December 28, 2020
“We may be able to console those who are in any affliction with the consolation with which we ourselves are consoled by God.” —2 Corinthians 1:4
As wonderful as the truth of Christmas is, and as fun and beautiful as our holiday celebrations can be, for many of us, this season can also be painful. Christmas in the present tends to remind of Christmases in the past, not just the first and most important one (when Jesus was born) but also our own Christmases with family and friends. When we’re so aware of specific dates on the calendar, we almost can’t help but think of when that date has come around before.
And in many ways, for most of us, that’s good! We cherish these memories. But we also have less pleasant memories—times we’ve been hurt, times we’ve been disappointed, times we’ve lost something or someone important to us. And sometimes even the best memories remind us of better times, or of times when someone we’ve lost was still around. Sometimes, when we’re really not doing well at all (and we all have those times), the wonderful good news of Christmas just reminds us how much we’re struggling, how alone we are, how lost we are.
The good news of God-with-us in Jesus Christ doesn’t immediately remove us from these hard times. To believe in Jesus is not to deny that hard times and pain and loss are real. But God’s consolation does promise two things: (1) God is not far from us when things are bad. (2) Hard times and pain and loss are real, but they won’t have the final word.
One role of our fellow believers is to share comfort and consolation with us when we are afflicted by the pains of life. This doesn’t mean denying the reality of suffering. Rather, it means being present, being compassionate, and living with a quiet, humble, strong hope.
When times are good, may we be consolers who share the consolation we’ve all received in Jesus Christ. And when times are bad, may we know the strong love of our Heavenly Father who draws near in our hurt and pain and brokenness, our good God of consolation, mercy, and grace.
Friday, December 25, 2020
Today’s reflection is by Deacon Karen Katamay.
“Happy are the people whose God is the Lord.” —Psalm 144:15
“See—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord.” —Luke 2:10-11
Today is Christmas Day! As we get wrapped up in our holiday traditions and gift giving frenzy, the verses today help to remind us that this day is really about God’s greatest gift to us, the birth of his son, Jesus. We are reminded that today is all about great joy, even as we spend the holiday this year separated from our closest friends and loved ones. We are reminded that true happiness comes not from what’s under the tree, but from our relationship with the Lord.
As I write this devotion I have Christmas carols playing in the background and they help to give me a sense of joy and peace that can only come from the message of Christmas. I feel some tears well up in my eyes as I think about how God loves me so much that he sent his only son into the world to die for me and for all people to save us from our sins. I wasn’t even born yet when Christ came to our world, but his life, death, and resurrection was still for me and for all people throughout the ages!
True love. Unconditional love. Yes, this Christmas will be different because of pandemic restrictions, but it also will be the same because it is about Jesus. And that little baby that lay in a manger so many years ago, our Savior, still brings us the joy and peace that pass all understanding. Amen.
Have a most blessed Christmas!
Wednesday, December 23, 2020
I lie down and sleep; I wake again, for the Lord sustains me. Psalm 3:5
Growing up I was told I had “exercise induced asthma.” I don’t know if that is/was really a thing. To me it always sounded like a doctor’s kind way of saying, “you’re out of shape.” What I will say is that when I would run, I found it really hard to breathe.
If you’ve ever had asthma or just had the wind knocked out of you, you know what a panicky feeling it is to not be able to breathe. So when I read today’s verse I can’t help but think about the picture of creation in Genesis where God breathes life into Adam.
Our first breath from God produced life and is a gift from God. That breath (God’s sustaining presence) is precisely what keeps us alive each day. However, the day to day struggle of life, the sin we carry, the forces that work against God, want to choke it out of us.
So, whether you are struggling in your relationship with God right now or things are going well and you can just use a reminder, don’t let it get choked out.
Prayer, Scripture, and your fellow believers are precisely what you need to open up the airways and feel that sustaining breath of God.
“God formed Man out of dirt from the ground and blew into his nostrils the breath of life. The Man came alive—a living soul!” —Genesis 2:7 (MSG translation)
