Immanuel - His Christmas Presence
"Behold the virgin will be with child, and bear a a son, and they shall call His name "Immanuel," which is translated, "God with us." Matthew 1:23
Hard to believe that in a few days Christmas will be here. The children are excited with the anticipation of receiving gifts, families can't wait till the loved ones who have been invited arrive and hopefully we all have planned for a few needed days off. It is one of my favorite times of the year for all the previously mentioned reasons and a few more. I love the lights, the decorated houses and businesses, the music and just the generally joyful attitude of the people you meet as you take your daily excursions out and about in the neighborhood. People you hardly know wishing you Happy Holidays or an occasional Merry Christmas.
Happy Holidays... not a big fan of that phrase. I much prefer the "Merry Christmas" greeting. Maybe I'm a bit over sensitive to it but hey - Christmas isn't always a happy time for everyone. For someone who has lost a job or perhaps a loved one it might not be the most wonderful time of the year. We tend to put too much emphasis on needing a very materialistic Christmas instead of a Merry Christmas. If you are one of the unfortunate people who have lost a loved one at this time of year, the things that once brought you happiness now bring you sadness. Therefore, Christmas now brings you sadness.
We all need encouragement along the way. Many need encouragement and an extra dose of it during this holiday season. A Christmas card we received a few days ago had one of those seasonal comments printed on it that said something to the fact that it is not a Christmas present we need to receive to help with discouragement but rather His Christmas presence. It's not about stuff and it's not about presents!
“We tend to put too much emphasis on needing a very materialistic Christmas instead of a Merry Christmas.”
Presents have their place, but we need to remember what the true message of Christmas is - Immanuel - God is with us! For the hurting and lonely people we know it is our opportunity to bring the gift of encouragement to them and say, "The message of Christmas is: God will be with you. God will help you. God will strengthen you." Members of Citypoint, look for opportunities for you to share the love of God during this season. Occupy your street. Who do you know that needs your encouragement today?