SEASONS GREETINGS
2018

Jesus said he came that we might have life and have it more abundantly. John writes to the believers that he wishes them good health and that things might go well. In a world filled with problems and suffering, is it really legitimate for us to wish each other a “Happy New Year?” We are called to care for one another, to be devoted to one another, to bear one another’s burdens, to accept one another. If we commit to being the body of Christ, we can move into a new year celebrating the joy, peace, love, and hope that Christ brings to our lives. This year, how can we be sure to make the world a better, happier place for the new year?

From the promise in Genesis 3:15 of the rising up of an offspring that would crush Satan, the coming of a Savior, the Messiah, had been the hope. Today, we look back to the original Christmas when the hope arrived and onto Calvary where hope was made sure. Today, we live in the now and the not yet. The war has been won; victory is sure. However, battles still rage, and people still die. But we have this hope. The same Jesus who came will come again, and we will experience the joy of being reunited with those we love and the end of sin and sickness and death. Jesus is our hope.

Our text for today is about Jesus being called Immanuel, meaning God with us. There is no greater love, Jesus said, than that one would lay down his life for a friend. In the condescension of Christ to our earth, to become human for all eternity in order that he might reconcile all things to the Trinity, here is a love beyond our understanding. God so loved that he gave. In this season of gift giving, we can grasp a small piece of the reality that love gives. How can we become more the hands and feet of Jesus so that the Holy Spirit might be God with our world today? How can we practice love as servants of all who we meet?

The angel declared “great joy” for everyone. If we read through the Old Testament, and especially the Psalms, we find a repeated call to sing and especially “shout” for joy to the Lord. Somewhere and somehow the joy has been tamed. Great joy calls for shouting and singing while some lesser joy can remain quiet. How do we recover a sense of joy? How might we followers of Jesus become an increasingly joy-filled people? There’s something attractive about a place filled with joy. Could that be CHURCH??

Jesus is announced as the arrival of “Peace on Earth.” In what ways did his coming bring peace, and in what ways did it disturb peace? Early in Scripture, the last line of the Aaronic blessing says, “May the Lord show you his favor, and give you his peace.” Numbers 6:26. Last week we talked about Joy, and Proverbs 12:20 ties them together. “Those who promote peace have joy.” How can we be peacemakers in our world so we can be blessed to be called God’s children? Today there are so many places that need peace. What will it mean to be a peacemaking follower of Jesus?