“O holy night, the stars are brightly shining
It is the night of our dear Savior’s birth.
Long lay the world in sin and error pining,
Till he appeared and the soul felt its worth.
The thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.”
All around the world a weary people are rejoicing. They are singing of their Savior. They are revisiting, remembering and rehashing all the Scriptures about Jesus Christ the Son of the living God. There are millions the globe over abuzz with celebration as they remember how their souls were before life with Jesus: broken, worn out, exhausted, less than, struggling for hope, fumbling forward in the dark, characterized by missing the mark, and in need of saving. The people wearied by a fractured and broken way of living have found Life…and are now rejoicing. Christmas is a celebration of the new King and the new Kingdom He invites us to live within.
This week I’ve been reflecting on an invitation set forth by Jesus for all those weary of the weight of the world and sin; those struggling to keep up with the principalities and powers of earth:
28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 NIV
We are all familiar with being weary. I remember a few years ago upon finishing my first marathon. I was beyond weary. I was utterly wiped out. Mentally exhausted, physically strained, and barely able to walk. I was in need of a recovery. For the next several days almost my entire body was strained. I was stiff in every muscle and my joints were in agony. Through rest, healthy eating, and plenty of liquids my physical body recovered. Step one, of course, was recognizing the need for recovery. I had to recognize I was in need of rest. Things had to slow down. And, I didn’t get back to running for over a week – and not nearly at my previous pace. In a similar way Christians are familiar with recovery that comes from following the ways of Jesus. His teachings, His Spirit, and His ways of living lead us into an eternal way of living even now. In fact, life is no longer the way it used to be. We remember how suffocating life under the old regime was. And, in this season of Christmas we rejoice because Messiah has come. He has freed us! He has broken the bonds of the principalities and powers of the enemy and given us new life. He has met the weary world and all it’s pining for hope, joy, peace, and rest. God has given us Himself!
If you are tired, weary, broken or breaking down Jesus invitation still stands. Christmas is the celebration of God’s insistence of coming INto the atmosphere and dwelling WITH us. Jesus, the son of the living God, has made a way for us to know peace and live life with God. He invites each one of us to take up His way of living that He has made available and accessible to us through His love. He willingly laid down His life on the cross and wrought victory over sin, death, and the powers and principalities of darkness. You can call upon His Name even now and be saved. You can whisper His Name even now and He will draw near. His love will bring peace, hope and joy.
My prayer for you this Christmas season is that you would know the hope of Christ! His story would unfold in your heart and into your life in unprecedented ways. Pause this season. Take a moment here and there to reflect on the gravity of this season – God loves you. He came for you. You were part of His grand Story.
Many blessings this Christmas,
Paul
Paul Deary 