Christmas Fear
“Do not be afraid.” We see this phrase recur throughout the Christmas story and it’s easy to gloss over without fully comprehending it.
“Do not be afraid.” We see this phrase recur throughout the Christmas story and it’s easy to gloss over without fully comprehending it.
The more I think about angels the more I notice how casually we refer to them. As if angels are sweet little pets or something.
Pastor Chuck Swindoll revisits the Saviour’s quiet entry into the world in Luke 2:1–20. You’ll be challenged to open God’s gracious present to you anew and to marvel at the humble beginnings of God’s most wonderful gift.
Want to make this Christmas season one to remember? Let’s consider how to move into the neighbourhood with our celebration. Let’s help people know God’s love this season by being generous inside and out, true from start to finish.
Boredom is the real danger we face when we approach the Christmas story. It’s so familiar, our minds just hit the highlights, because we think we’ve already plumbed the depths of every detail. But if we could approach the nativity as if we’ve never read it before, we’d discover something new and exciting—we’d discover the birth of Jesus is a gift too wonderful for words.
This Christmas season, let’s keep our heart and eyes on our Lord and Saviour by remembering His first coming on that Holy Night, and be encouraged that His second coming is imminent.
Christ didn’t arrive with the flare of trumpets or with flags flying. He didn’t demand an announcement for whole the world to hear, though He deserved it. Jesus just walked in. Take some time to reflect on the nature of Jesus Christ’s Incarnation—born to peasant a girl in a smelly barn in an obscure town and worshipped by a few people. This humble story reveals the character of our Messiah, who humbled Himself to save the people He loved.
Most of us have this idealistic idea about Christmas, but it will never be perfect. And you know what? The first Christmas wasn’t perfect either. It was beyond messy. So why worry when things go wrong this year?
The first Christmas was simple, not a lavish event. Jesus’ birth remains the purest and most beautiful story in all of history.
Through the months leading to Christmas we are busily about our stuff—doing business, travelling, and engaged in the give and take of life. And then Christmas hits and the zoom lenses of our minds focus on the outstretched arms of the One who saved us.