Finding Hope at Christmas

 

All pictures courtesy of Unsplash

At this time year we talk a lot about hope, but for many of us, hope lacks a sense of certainty. It is more like a wish—something that we want to happen but have no way of knowing that it ultimately will. So we keep our fingers crossed and 'hope' that everything will go the way we want it to.

The reality is that often life does not turn out the way we hoped it would. Hope is a fragile commodity. When life is disappointing, our optimism is replaced by feelings of discouragement and hopelessness. Before long we run the risk of becoming cynics who believe that there is nothing in which we can confidently hope.

This was the landscape of life when Jesus entered the world. The prevailing mood of Israel was anything but hope. The once proud nation was now a puppet state of the pagan Roman Empire. The common person lived under the defeating burden of the exaggerated requirements of the religious establishment. Centuries before, they had been promised a deliverer who would restore Israel to its former glory, but it had never happened.

Into this sense of cynical hopelessness, true Hope was born. As the Christmas season gathers momentum, the promise of hope against the odds is a strong theme which many people share. Christians believe that the promise of hope against the odds is what Christmas is all about. The truth is that it cannot be realised or achieved without first dealing with the darkness and enmity present not only in the world but also in our individual lives. A starting point is acknowledging its immensity?

I love the honesty of the psalmist who said, “Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me?” We have all been there, but let us not stop there. Keep reading! 'Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Saviour and my God'.

Rejoice that Jesus came to give us something better than the disappointments of life on planet earth, and when by faith we embrace Him and all that He promised, we can have a hope that is no longer a fingers-crossed wish that we harbour in our hearts, but rather a confident, courageous optimism that is rooted in the certainty of His Word.

The tragedy of the first Christmas was that very few realised the Hope that had been introduced.

Hope for the forgiveness of sins.

Hope for a bright future—forever.

Hope for God’s presence and power in daily living.

Hope that would enable us to forget the past and set our sights on stuff that does not disappoint.

A Hope that, because of Jesus, is a certainty and not just another wish to be dashed on the rocks of reality.

Pin your hopes on Jesus this Christmas—you will not be disappointed!

Messages with Meaning (17/12/20) Written by Peter Francis for Your542Day

Are you ready for Christmas?

Sitting in the dentist chair at our local hospital the dentist, while waiting for the anaesthetic to take effect, asked the question “are you ready for Christmas?”  my reply to him was “No!”.  I explained to him that we have a large family and that our movements around the various houses over the Christmas period is determined by our family.  The giving of gifts at Christmas can be very time consuming in obtaining the perfect gift for those we love.  Shopping malls are crowded with potential customers seeking out the bargains and the most useful and attractive items available.  Little children can be more interested in the wrapping and box of a gift than the actual gift inside, but it is not long before they realise that there is a gift and the wrapping is dispensed with in haste.  Some gifts, if they are toys, perhaps do not last very long when bits of plastic break off and render the toy useless.  Often the best gifts that children receive last for years and some, like the cuddly teddy bear can continue through to adulthood.  A practice that has developed in our homes is to place Christmas gifts under the Christmas tree to be opened on Christmas morning.  Children are warned not to open the packages but cannot resist feeling the gifts and trying to determine what the package holds for them. 

Light to them that sit in darkness

It's Christmas. What an exciting time of the year. All the bright lights, the presents, houses decorated and lots of lovely food. Well that is the way it is in our country but I appreciate that for many people it is not that pleasant.

When the old priest Zacharias heard that Mary was 'with child' and that her baby would be the Son of God he burst into a song of praise for all that God was doing. For him it was a very exciting time. One of the things that he said was that God was visiting His people to 'give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace'. What beautiful words!

God did indeed visit the world when Jesus came. One of His names is Emmanuel meaning "God with us'. If you are in any doubt that this is true then consider his life again - His miracles, His teaching, His sinless perfection, His fulfilment of ancient predictions, His death and resurrection. Truly it can be said 'the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world'.

What about the light. He is, was and always will be "the light of the world". If we follow Him "we will not walk in darkness but will have the light of light". We do indeed sit in darkness and face death and the live in the shadow of it. So the coming of Christ meets a need we cannot meet from our own resources. We need life, we need peace, we need Christ.

Will you confess your need, confess your sin and trust Christ for salvation this Christmas. I am praying that you will do.

Joy & Sadness - the offering of Christmas

Joy and sorrow are opposite emotional experiences that all of us know throughout our lifetime. Life is like a tapestry of bright and dark colours and often the bright parts shine the brighter when set against a dark background. 

I am reminded of Benjamin Malachi Franklin’s poem ‘Just a Weaver’, 

A Christmas Poem - The Meaning of Christmas.

CHRISTMAS POEM

In heaven above 

Before time had begun

The will of the Father 

Concerning the Son

Was to send Him from heaven 

To this world below

So that people from this earth

To heaven might go

Now you might be wondering

The reason and why

We preach about Jesus 

And heaven when you die

It's because we've a problem 

It's common to all 

It started with Adam, his sin and the fall 

For in the beginning

God, Adam did form

The world was quite perfect 

No wrong was the norm

But sadly we know now

This all was to go

In Adam's rebellion

Our death he did sow

But in the word Christmas

Does the name Christ appear

It's something you can't miss

At this time of the year

It's all about Jesus 

And His birth long ago

So that you off to heaven

At some stage might go

But it's not just the birthday

Of Jesus that's good

It's His suffering in death

And His shedding of blood

That purchased salvation 

So that you could be free

And enjoy great salvation 

Like many others and me

So as you reflect on

This message of grace

Will you consider the offer

That God brings to this place 

Your soul is important 

And life is not long 

So turn from your sin

And trust in God's Son

Without Christ, Christmas is nothing!

If there is no Christ - there is no Christmas! Which is why are Christians are so convinced that Jesus Christ is the Son of God? Why you might ask, it's an excellent question.

Our belief is laid on a very solid foundation. First of all we believe in divine revelation not just human discovery. In fact to learn about something outside of our sphere of experience we all accept we need information from a trustworthy source. If you are serious about discovering the truth - check the Bible out. It is a trustworthy source. Read it, check it's sources, speak to those who believe it, look at it 's accuracy in every sphere it touches. There can only be one answer to the question of the origin of a book that was written over one thousand five hundred years by forty different authors, many of whom did not even know each other. The Bible is God's message to mankind.

No accommodation at Christmas - would you exclude Jesus?

I wonder if you have ever thought about how popular Jesus was in his day. The impression we get at times is that he was loved by everyone right up until his rejection by the Jewish authorities, his prosecution by the Roman authorities and his ultimate death of crucifixion.

From the early days of his time on earth the Lord Jesus was excluded and rejected. There is quite a considerable period (from age 12-30) where we have very little information about the behaviour and activities of the Lord Jesus but we do have the commentary of God, the Father, when he publicly spoke from heaven (which was a very unusual thing to do) and said the he was delighted with His Son. This indicated that though there is scant information about these eighteen years there is nothing in that period (or any other period for that matter) that displeased His Father, God.

Discover the love of God this Christmas

Used by permission of Unsplash 

Many years ago there was a young German girl whose father was a printer. He was printing the German Bible that had just been translated by Martin Luther. One day his young daughter found a scrap of paper that had fallen to the floor in the cutting room. The paper contained words from John 3:16, “God so loved the world that he gave…” but the rest of the verse was missing. She was intrigued by this statement. She read it to herself over and over, “God so loved the world that He gave, God so loved the world that He gave.” 

She liked it so much that she kept it close to her heart and read it every day. She was raised to know that God was just, and Holy, that He hates sin and is angry with the sinner, but she had never read that God loved her so much that He gave…although she did not know what exactly He had given. This revelation brought such joy to her heart that she was singing, and her mother noticing the happy little girl asked, “What is the matter with you?” “Oh mother it is wonderful,” she said, pulling out the little sliver of paper. “Read what it says…‘God so loved the world that He gave.’” “Gave what?” her mother asked. “I do not know, but if He loved me enough that He gave anything at all, I will never be afraid of Him again.”

It is John in his Gospel who says that "God so loved the world that He gave...." But what was His gift? A diamond? A kingdom? A planet? A universe? No! It is so much more! Something priceless and beyond imagination. He gave His Son. And not one of many, but the Only One  that He had. 

Each year we are reminded that Christmas should not be just about giving and receiving presents. But, if we truly think about Christmas, it is, indeed, all about gift giving! At Christmas we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, the greatest gift ever given, by the greatest gift-giver of all, our wonderful God and Father! This is Christmas: not the tinsel, not the giving and receiving, not even the carols, but the humble heart that receives anew the wondrous gift - the Christ."

Used by permission of Your542Day - Written by Peter Francis for Messages with Meaning (10/12/20)

The season of goodwill - is it?

The Christmas season is looked upon as the time of goodwill but will it be for many people in different parts of the world, particularly the Middle East? Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Syria, Iran, Lebanon, Iraq, Israel to name but a few. Problems of political contrasts, social and religious divides cause an absence of goodwill. 

Back in July 2011 Dr. James Zogby, Founder and President of the Arab American Institute wrote an article entitled ‘Diminishing goodwill for U.S. Middle East policy’. He stated ‘A few months back I had a quick exchange with President Obama about the U.S. standing in the Arab World. When I mentioned that we would be conducting a poll to assess Arab attitudes two years after his Cairo speech, he responded that he expected that the ratings would be quite low and would remain low until the U.S. could help find a way to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Well, the results are in, and the President was right. In our survey of over 4,000 Arabs from six countries (Morocco, Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE), we found that favorable attitudes toward the U.S. had declined sharply since our last poll (which had been conducted in 2009 after Obama's first 100 days in office). ……If anything, the results of this latest poll of Arab opinion demonstrates how precarious the position of the United States is in the Middle East and how important it has become for American policy makers to pay attention to what Arabs are saying. Some may play politics with critical Middle East issues and gloat at their success at having stymied the President's efforts to make peace and restore America's image in the region. But as the results of this survey make clear, their success has come at a price; one that is being paid by the entire country.’ 

Christmas Carols - O Come All ye Faithful

The text to the Carol 'O Come All Ye Faithful' was originally written in Latin. It's Latin name is 'Adeste Fideles'. The intention was for it to be a hymn. This carol is attributed to John Wade, an Englishman. The music to the carol was composed by fellow Englishman John Reading in the early 1700s. The tune was first published in a collection known as "Cantus Diversi" in 1751. In 1841 Rev. Frederick Oakley is reputed to have worked on the familiar translation of O Come All Ye Faithful which replaced the older Latin lyrics "Adeste Fideles" which is why we now have these familiar and well known lines:

O come, all ye faithful,
Joyful and triumphant,
O come ye,
O come ye to Bethlehem;
Come and behold Him
Born the King of angels;
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
Christ, the Lord.

Sing, choirs of angels,
Sing in exultation,
Sing, all ye citizens
Of heaven above;
Glory to God,
Glory in the highest;
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
Christ, the Lord.t

Yea, Lord, we greet Thee, the
Born this happy morning,
Jesus, to Thee be
All glory given;
Son of the Father,
Now in flesh appearing;
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,c
O come, let us adore Him,
Christ, the Lord.

Most of these old carols are packed full of facts and truth concerning Jesus and His coming into the world. This carol is no different and so we are not to be disappointed. 

Please consider one of the lines with me!

'Joyful and triumphant'

I can understand the joy that comes along with the birth of a new child. Everyone knows that a new baby should be a happy occasion but it can be a time of sorrow again if illness on the part of either the mother or the child is involved. When Jesus was born the angels announced to the shepherds 'good tidings of great joy'. The explanation that they gave was that a 'Saviour' had been born. Jesus would one day die on a cross and as a result provide salvation for all who will believe.

My question is - what is the word 'triumphant' doing here in this carol? What is triumphant about a new born. I can only assume that the writer had a full understanding of who Jesus is and what His coming into the world would achieve! 

An angel announced before the birth of Jesus that 'He shall be great'. Never was a truer word spoken! The secret of His greatness started long before His birth. Jesus is uniquely great because of who He is! All the rest of us have to do something to make us great. The Bible teaches that He is the Son of the Highest, the Son of God. The Bible records that the angelic armies of heaven worshipped Him and stood with bated breath waiting to do whatever he requested. His greatness was not like any greatness we have. We are dependent on strength of character aligned to opportunities but Jesus is great, full stop, end of story. 

I don't think that anyone would deny that Jesus was great in His life. Even if you are a total unbeliever, indeed a cynic, you would be hard pushed to find any flaws in the character Jesus from the records we have of His life. Records that include statements from His enemies as well as His friends. Records that are written by men who had no reason to paint Jesus in a good light. Jesus stands unique among men. His character is flawless and his teaching and miracles blessed all manner of people. 

The greatest feature of Jesus' life was His death. This is a paradox in terms but nevertheless it's true. His death was uncalled for in so many ways. 

1, As far as the laws of Judaism were concerned, if they had checked out His claims to be God in flesh, they would have found sufficient evidence to support the claim. Instead they rejected His claim to deity and sentenced Him to death.

2. In respect of the laws of Rome - the conclusion of the judge, Pilate, was 'I find no cause of death in Him'. 

3, Morally Jesus didn't qualify to die. The bible states 'the wages of sin is death'. The Bible states that Jesus never sinned nor could He. Death had no power over Him. He stated one day 'I have power to lay down my life, I have power to take it again'. His death was a sacrifice, He 'died for our sins', 'He suffered the just for the unjust that He might bring us to God'.

The triumph is for those who believe in Him. We are delivered from our sins, freed from the fear of death and saved from the judgement of God.

The questions remains - Are you joyful and triumphant! You could be if you have Christ as your Lord and  Saviour.

To access podcasts and videos explaining the good news of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ visit www.seekthetruth.org.uk

This site will give you access to Bible Teaching Audio's and Video's as well.

Christmas Carols - Hark the Herald Angels Sing (Part 2)

This is the second post on Hark the Herald Angels Sing. If you want to get the background to the Carol read yesterday's post - Part 1. 

Today I want to draw your attention to the lines - Veiled in flesh, the Godhead seen, Hail the incarnate deity, Pleased, as man with men to dwell, Jesus, our Emmanuel. These words are so full of meaning to anyone who has read the Bible. 

The essence of the Christmas story is contained in this fact - God became Man. The last word of our selected lines provides us with a clue; the name Emmanuel. This name means 'God with us,' Matthew 1.23. In this account of the circumstances surrounding the birth of Christ an angel of the Lord appears to Joseph (Mary's betrothed husband) in a dream. The angel confirms to Joseph what is happening to Mary and tells him not to fear to take Mary as his wife. Joseph is told that when the boy is born he should be called Jesus 'for he will save his people from their sins'. At this stage we get a little commentary on what is going on. The biblical writer states that all of these events had been predicted and were the fulfilment of ancient prophecies. One of them is a direct quote from the Book of Isaiah which had been written hundreds of years before. In chapter seven verse fourteen it was stated 'Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel'. There it is again - Emmanuel - God with us.

I, for one, am so glad that He came. The scripture states that He came into the world to save sinners. I was a sinner but Jesus died for me. When I was young I realised this, I turned to God from my sin. I accepted that I was a sinner and that I needed my sins forgiven. It was wonderful to discover that Jesus had died for me and had risen from the dead on the third day. I was saved through believing - What about you?

Hark the herald angels sing
Glory to the newborn king
Peace on earth, and mercy mild
God and sinners reconciled
Joyful all ye nations rise
Join the triumph of the skies
With angelic host proclaim
Christ is born in Bethlehem

Hark the herald angels sing
Glory to the newborn king
Christ, by highest heaven adored
Christ the everlasting Lord
Late in time behold him come
Offspring of the favoured one
Veiled in flesh, the Godhead seen
Hail the incarnate deity
Pleased, as man with men to dwell
Jesus, our Emmanuel

Hark the herald angels sing
Glory to the newborn king
Hail the heaven born prince of peace
Hail the son of righteousness
Light and life to all he brings
Risen with healing in his wings
Born that man no more may die
Born to raise the sons of earth
Born to give them second birth
Hark the herald angels sing
Glory to the newborn king

Christmas Carols - Hark the Herald Angels Sing (Part 1)

“Hark the herald angels sing” is a Christmas Carol that first appeared in 1739 in the collection Hymns and Sacred Poems  1 written by Charles Wesley, brother of John Wesley founder of the Methodist church, in 1739. A sombre man, he requested slow and solemn music for his lyrics and thus “Hark the herald angels sing” was sung to a different tune initially with Wesley's original opening couplet as "Hark! how all the welkin rings / Glory to the King of Kings 1

Over a hundred years later Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847) composed a cantata in 1840 to commemorate Johann Gutenberg's invention of the printing press. English musician William H. Cummings adapted Mendelssohn’s music to fit the lyrics of “Hark the herald angels sing” already written by Wesley.

Hark the herald angels sing
Glory to the newborn king
Peace on earth, and mercy mild
God and sinners reconciled
Joyful all ye nations rise
Join the triumph of the skies
With angelic host proclaim
Christ is born in Bethlehem

Hark the herald angels sing
Glory to the newborn king
Christ, by highest heaven adored
Christ the everlasting Lord
Late in time behold him come
Offspring of the favoured one
Veiled in flesh, the Godhead seen
Hail the incarnate deity
Pleased, as man with men to dwell
Jesus, our Emmanuel

Hark the herald angels sing
Glory to the newborn king
Hail the heaven born prince of peace
Hail the son of righteousness
Light and life to all he brings
Risen with healing in his wings
Born that man no more may die
Born to raise the sons of earth
Born to give them second birth
Hark the herald angels sing
Glory to the newborn king

Plastic Surgery

A few years ago an 82 year old woman in America had major cosmetic surgery involving a face lift, botox injections to smooth out the wrinkles, lip re-sculpting, and much much more. It all had required seven hours of surgery and had cost $25,000. When she was asked why in the world she would do this, she replied that there was no point in waiting until she got any older.

Somewhere on our planet today, according to scientists, is a child who they say will still be alive 150 – 180 years from now. That sounds so incredible until, according to the same scientists, we consider how our lifespan has increased over the years.

When Jesus died at around age 33, He would have been pretty old for that part of the world. At the beginning of the twentieth century, the average lifespan  was 49 and many women died in childbirth. Many more people died of disease. If they lived to be 60, they were pretty old. If someone died in 1965 at the age of 74 it was considered relatively old for that time, but now the average lifespan is just over 81 years of age. The retirement age is being pushed up and there are people in their 80’s who are running marathons.  

Christmas Lights

It's Christmas. What an exciting time of the year. All the bright lights, the presents, houses decorated and lots of lovely food. Well that is the way it is in our country but I appreciate that for many people it is not that pleasant. 

What present will you be content with this Christmas?

I think I am quite a contented person. My Christmas present list is usually non - existent, and when asked, I struggle to think of things I really need. Maybe this is because I am so well looked after that I have very little need for anything.

If you were given the choice of any gift I wonder what it would be? The ancient king of Israel, Solomon, when given the choice asked for wisdom. Most of us would like to be wiser, to live well and to make less mistakes.

Home is where the heart is!

 

When I wrote this article, I was about to go to the airport to board a flight to Wellington, New Zealand. We were travelling home to Liverpool in the North West of England. Home is a wonderful place to be with your own ‘kith and kin’. It is never more appreciated than when you are away from them. Though we are not looking forward to the 30 hours of travelling, the anticipation of seeing our family and grandchildren again makes up for any minor discomfort.

Carole (my wife) and I have been away for about five weeks. We have thoroughly enjoyed our time in the southern hemisphere. The plan was to visit some churches in Australia and New Zealand, to speak at conferences and seminars on the world’s best-selling book, the Bible.

It never fails to amaze me how timeless and cross-cultural the Bible is. It addresses the most profound issues that we as humans grapple with, such as:

Where do we come from - our origin?

Why do evil and suffering exist?

Why are we all mortal beings who eventually die?

Where do our consciousness, identity, creativity, and intelligence come from?

Why is there order and design?

Why are we all morally aware of right and wrong?

Why do we need help to do what is right?

Where did the universal concepts of love, hope and peace come from?

These questions and many more have been debated and discussed for generations. There are answers, but they don’t come from philosophical arguments but from the revelation of God in the Bible.

A book I am reading puts it succinctly - ‘the Bible is the only book that makes sense of life 1’. The Bible goes beyond highlighting the problems and discussing the consequences as it delivers a solution. 

The Bible’s explanation of our origin answers many of these questions. It states in Genesis chapter 1 verse 1, ‘In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth,’ it goes on to describe the creation of humans - ‘Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them,’ Genesis 1. 26,27.