Christmas is a time that promises peace, hope, and joy. Everything from the energy we put into preparing for the holidays to all the traditional Christmas music that plays everywhere you go, to the lights and decorations, time off work, and time with families; all the trappings promise hope. But do they deliver?

Unfortunately, for many, Christmas is a time that often fails to deliver on expectations of peace, hope, and joy. Have you ever stopped to ponder why that is? We expect shiny presents to deliver joy. We expect our family and friends to provide peace for at least a moment at Christmas. We hope for a better outcome in our families, communities, workplace, government, and our world in the coming year, and we hope that the magic of the Christmas season will be the catalyst that sparks such a reversal of fortune. Each year all of the above fails to deliver. Why? Because they can’t. Finite things and people can’t produce infinite peace, hope, and joy.

MEMORIES OF CHRISTMASES PAST

I have many fond memories of my childhood Christmases. I remember the excitement of decorating the Christmas tree at our house, and especially at my grandma’s house. We had a tradition on Christmas morning of opening our stockings. My sister and I were always so excited to see what was in the stockings! They usually contained some of our favorite candy, some cash, baseball cards for me, and other small things that we enjoyed! I was never disappointed by the contents, however, they didn’t bring me lasting joy.  The most memorable Christmas gift I ever received was a birdcage. I know that sounds strange, but I had wanted a bird for a long time. Cages are expensive and so are birds, so I was thrilled that my parents bought me a very nice cage so I could afford to buy a cockatiel right away instead of waiting! Of course, I had momentary joy, but it was fleeting.

As I think back on all the wonderful Christmas gifts my parents and grandparents gave me as a boy, I don’t have any of them anymore. They were all eaten, used, broken, sold, or discarded over the years. Last I knew my bird was still alive, but when I went to college we had to find a new home for him. Even my most memorable present is no longer in my possession.

A PROMISE OF TRUE PEACE

I have good news though: Christmas does promise peace, hope, and joy, and you can have all of them forever because of the Christmas story! Jesus is the only person in whom peace, hope, and joy are found! On the very first Christmas almost 2,000 years ago, God gave the whole world the best present ever in the person of Jesus Christ. 

The failure of the Christmas holiday to deliver what our soul longs for highlights the reason why it can’t. Presents are great, but they don’t last forever. Family is precious, but they aren’t perfect, and families don’t live forever either. Our hopes are dashed because an imperfect world can’t deliver lasting hope. This is all because our world has a problem it can’t solve on its own. Our sin separates us from God, and it is the cause of all the world’s troubles. We need God to solve our sin problem for us.

The Christmas story is the story of how God sent His Son, Jesus to be born of a virgin. Only Jesus, because he was fully God at the same time he was fully man was able to bring us lasting hope. How did he do this? He was born just like we are. He lived his life just like we do, except he never sinned. The sin that causes us to be separated from God was not found in him from the day he was born until the day he died on the cross for our sins. Jesus didn’t stay dead though! He rose again on the third day and is alive today. Those who believe this will live forever with him even if they die. Why? Because Jesus has power over death. If he can raise himself from the dead, then he can raise us from the dead too! This truth brings lasting peace, hope, and joy even in the worst of circumstances!

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE GOSPEL

There is so much more to learn about Jesus, and we hope you want to know more. Towards that end, here’s a free book called “The Four Emotions of Christmas.” We will provide this to you free of charge if you sign up at http://fft3.com/wp-json/oembed/1.0/embed?url=http://fft3.com/galleries/ this link.

YOU’RE INVITED

I’d also like to invite you to our services during Advent. You will learn more about how you can have eternal peace, hope, and joy in Jesus. Come learn with us about who Jesus is and how he can do just that for you at 9 am or 10:40 am each Sunday!