We are now heading into Christmas week. For many, Christmas brings anxiety, fear and loneliness. We find our world once again in chaos with mass shootings around the globe. We find huge numbers of individuals suffering from depression and thoughts of suicide. We find a growing number of people of all ages wondering where their next meal will come. With all of this, how do we find the peace of Christmas?
Christmas is the time we celebrate the birth of Christ with joy to the world. Immanuel (“God with us”) means God is approachable and accessible. Christ is the Prince of Peace. That’s where we find peace that can transform the world, one person at a time. He is actively present with us and He is available to all of us.
Our Milky Way galaxy is so large it takes billions of light years to travel through. That’s a number too high for this feeble mind to compute. God is bigger than millions of galaxies. He is massive. Yet God came to our place, took our place, and actively asks back to His place. That’s pretty awesome.
You or someone you know may be feeling financial pressures, strained relationships, health problems, or just the busy season causing stress, pain, or depression rather than the joy and peace of Christmas. I often forget that Jesus was born in difficult times. His family knew what it was like to experience political upheaval, economic stress, and rejection. It would have been natural for them to feel anxious or even hopeless. Despite Mary and Joseph experiencing great joy at Jesus’ birth, their living conditions were not ideal.
Jesus said, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). He could have given us a much different message. But the Bible never promised nor promises that we will have easy lives.
The major heroes of our faith all experienced times of testing…waiting…and often persecution as well. While not being promised a pain-free life, the promise of Christmas is much better than that — that Jesus will be our Immanuel – God with us in every situation (Matthew 1:23).
Often we can find the greatest peace during our darkest days. It’s hard to explain, really. Paul wrote: “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7). Paul should know … when our hope is in the Lord, we can have His peace in EVERYTHING and be anxious for NOTHING. That’s pretty amazing.
I encourage you this Christmas to find the Prince of Peace who is always present with us and available to all of us!
Tagged: Christmas, Jesus, mental health, peace, scripture
