25 Days 2 Christmas - Waiting

At that time there was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon. He was righteous and devout and was eagerly waiting for the Messiah to come and rescue Israel. Luke 2:25

Now comes crunch time. Just 6 more sleeps before Christmas. Everyone is waiting. A big part of the Christmas story, when you stop and think about it, is about waiting. "O Come, O Come Emmanuel", the 12th century Latin hymn, speaks of the longing anticipation of God's saving presence and hope.

Waiting, for Christians, is actually twofold. Every year we wait to celebrate the coming of the Messiah, God's Son, Jesus Christ. But this time of advent reminds us we are now waiting for Jesus' second coming. 

Waiting is a difficult experience. For children they must wait as they anticipate gifts. As we get older our waiting goes deeper. We wait for hope, peace, joy and love.

Waiting on God is a regular refrain in the life of faith. It is an expression of the healthy heart’s desire: “O LORD, we wait for you; your name and remembrance are the desire of our soul” (Isaiah 26:8). And it is an echo of the unparalleled power and grace of God, “who acts for those who wait for him” (Isaiah 64:4). (David Mathis in his article "Waiting is the Hardest Part" desiringgod.org)

So we wait: in hope, trust and thanksgiving to God.

Prayer: Renew our strength, O Lord, as we wait upon you to fulfill your kingdom work in our lives and our world.

Gift to others: Allow someone else to get in the shorter line during these final crazy shopping days. 

25 Days 2 Christmas - Stress

"...Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand..." (Philippians 4:6b-7a)

A week from today is Christmas. How much stress are you feeling?

The Holmes Rahe scale assigns points to various life stressors. These points are called LCUs or life change units. Dr. Holmes and Dr. Rahe concluded that an individual who experiences a total of 300 LCUs is at high risk for illness.

Among other things, the list includes such events as: 

Marital separation - 65
Marriage - 50
Marital reconciliation - 45
Pregnancy - 40
Adding a new family member - 39
Change in financial state - 38
Trouble with in-laws - 29
Change in living conditions - 25
Change in working conditions - 20
Change in residence - 20
Change in church activities - 19
Change in social activities - 18
Change in sleep habits - 16
Minor violation of the law - 11


According to David Slagle's calculations Joseph and Mary could conceivably have experienced all of the events listed above for a total life change unit (LCU) count of 435. Ironically the LCU excluded from the above list is Christmas. That is worth 12 points!

How do we manage the stress of the season? The story of Jesus birth shows us stress isn't eliminated. But stress is navigated better when you and I...

1. Keep it simple. The birth of Jesus was in a manger. We don't have to exhaust ourselves with overspending and overdecorating. Simplify.
2. Give thanks. Celebrating all of God's good gifts and His greatest gift gives us perspective on what really matters. 
3. Be kind. Be kind. Be kind. This is one of the best gifts we can give others as we move through this holy and holiday time. It will help you forget about yourself and lighten other people's load of stress.

Prayer: "God, help us to keep our focus on the reason for the season - your love shown to us in coming of Christ."

Gift to others: "Run an errand for someone today to reduce their stress."

25 Days 2 Christmas - Perfect Timing

"But when the right time came, God sent his Son who was born of a woman and lived under the law." Galatians 4:4

Christmas is a reminder that God has a plan and keeps His promises. As the scripture verse above says Christ came just at the right time. God's perfect timing is pointed out in the following illustration. 

In a debate with the atheist (and now deceased) Christopher Hitchens, William Lane Craig noted how Christ's arrival on earth occurred at the perfect time. Craig said:

Human beings have existed for thousands of years on this planet before Christ's coming. But what's really crucial here is not the time involved; rather, it's the population of the world. The Population Reference Bureau estimates that the number of people who have ever lived on this planet is about 105 billion people. 

(Yet) only two percent of them were born prior to the advent of Christ. Erik Kreps of the Survey Research Center of the University of Michigan's Institute for Social Research says, "God's timing couldn't have been more perfect. Christ showed up just before the exponential explosion in the world's population."

The Bible says in the fullness of time God sent forth his Son, and when Christ came, the nation of Israel had been prepared. The Roman peace dominated the Mediterranean world; it was an age of literacy and learning. The stage was set for the advent of God's Son into the world. And I think in God's providential plan for human history, we see the wisdom of God in orchestrating the development of human life and then in bringing Christ into the world in the fullness of time.

Prayer: "Thank you, Lord God, for working out your plan of salvation for the world, at just the right time. Amen."

Gift to others: Write a thank-you note to a person from your past who has made a difference in your life.

25 Days 2 Christmas - Refugees

After the wise men were gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up! Flee to Egypt with the child and his mother,” the angel said. “Stay there until I tell you to return, because Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.” Matthew 2:13

Having lived in the peaceful country of Canada my entire life, I must confess it is hard to comprehend what it is like for millions of people who must flee from their homes and countries because of violence, death, persecution and insecurity.

The pictures of Syrians coming to Canada wakes us up that real people are experiencing profound conflict and chaos in their lives. Often the reasons for refugees are complex and confusing. Our response, however, is to act with compassion. 

The Christmas Story tells me that Jesus was a refugee. He and his family had to flee because his life was at risk. If Jesus was fleeing today would He find a place of welcome in our homes and community?

The answer to that lies in what Jesus later taught about the final judgement. He says how we help others in need will reveal our love for Him.

“And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’" Matthew 25:40

Prayer: Lord Jesus, may this Christmas be a time we express our love to you as we extend compassion to others in need. 

Gift to others: Learn about refugees and let that shape how you will express compassion in this coming year. 

25 Days 2 Christmas - Share

"After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished," Luke 2:17-18

The Christmas story is to be shared. It is a story that touches us personally but it is never meant to be a private affair.

How do we share, like the shepherds, the story of Jesus' birth in a culture that is growing increasingly skeptical?

Rico Tice, author of Honest Evangelism, makes this observation about his context in the UK: As London has become an increasingly secular city, I have come across three basic attitudes related to faith in Christ: Christians are weird, Christianity is untrue, and Christianity is irrelevant. Now, increasingly, I am also seeing a fourth attitude: Christianity is intolerant.

But even with this skepticism people are still searching. Rico Tice makes this point: "But all this is only half of the story.There is also increased hunger in our culture, and this may be heightened around the Christmas season. 

That means there is a two-sided approach as we share our hope about Christmas. We know that we will encounter anything from polite indifference to hostile skepticism. The gospel story of Christmas is a hard one to hear because it challenges and provokes all of our assumptions and attitudes.

But we will also encounter a spiritual hunger from people who want something more from life. The story of God drawing near to them offers meaning, grace and hope. 

Just like the shepherds of old we will continue doing what the church has done throughout the ages - sharing through word and deed the story about this Child.

Prayer: Lord give me a heart and the courage to be a light that leads others to the Christ Child.

Gift to others: In your conversations see where you can make a connection to the Christmas story.

25 Days 2 Christmas - Near

So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son. (John 14:1)

Too often we turn the first Christmas story into character development: about being humble, making sacrifices and being more loving. If we are not careful Christmas becomes nothing more than a religious moralistic event and a burden to heavy to bear. 

But what if Christmas is about something more? What if we really grasped Christmas is time to draw near to God in a whole new way.

Tim Keller in his article,"Why Christmas Matters" writes, "...if Jesus Christ is actually God come in the flesh, you're going to know much more about God … If Jesus is who he says he is, we have a 500-page autobiography from God, in a sense. And our understanding will be vastly more personal and specific than any philosophy or religion could give us. [Because of Christmas] look at what God has done to get you to know him personally. If the Son would come all this way to become a real person to you, don't you think the Holy Spirit will do anything in his power to make Jesus a real person to you in your heart? 

Christmas is an invitation by God: Look what I've done to come near to you. Now draw near to Me. I don't want to be a concept; I want to be a friend. 

Prayer: "Lord Jesus help me to draw near and embrace the friendship you desire." 

Gift to others: Take time to have a conversation with another person and learn about their life by asking questions and listening.

25 Days 2 Christmas - No Room

"...because there was no room for them in the inn." Luke 2:7

This is often an overlooked part of the story. Someone has said the first "king size" bed was baby Jesus in the manger. Just think about it. When we consider British royalty of Kate and William, it is hard to even begin to imagine their children, George and Charlotte, in a feeding trough. 

It makes us mindful that Jesus came into the world and identified with the poor and the bottom end of society. This was no palace or mansion. Nor did his parents have the means or the influence to make things happen. Christ identified with the weak. 

We often overlook these people in our lives. We can get caught up with the powerful, talented and popular. The baby in the manger may not look as impressive as other things that can take up our energies and attention. 

We must be careful.  We too may find we don't have any room for the baby Jesus because our lives are already filled with other important guests that have captured our hearts and minds. 

Prayer: "Lord be King of my heart today!"

Gift to others: Start looking for opportunity to invite others to celebrate Christ's birth at a Christmas Eve service.