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broken ornament

"Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." Romans 15:13

The Christmas holiday season represents generosity and beauty wrapped up in the very presence of our Savior, Jesus Christ. The hymns and carols we sing during this time of year focus on peace, joy, hope, comfort, and the incarnation and its glorious implication for humanity — the lyrics highlight the turning point in which God entered into our history cloaked in flesh; humbled (Philippians 2:8).

"God first enveloped Himself in mortal form and tabernacled among the sons of men!" — Charles Spurgeon.

We look back to that first expectant waiting and look ahead to His coming again. We long for a world healed. It is often in this longing that our hearts give way to sadness, loneliness, fear, or shame — the tension between the already/not yet highlighting the rift between the brokeness of this world and the one we were made for. We may be tempted to close ourselves off from community instead of leaning into it — shutting out the light, love, joy, and hope of the One who can satisfy our yearning souls crying out — a soothing balm to our hurts and aches; working always for our good. 

Prepare Him room; He is the present, the gift who stands in sharp relief during the holiday season. Open your heart and allow Him access to the dark hidden corners.

The following artice by Jon Bloom at Desiring God explores ways in which we can focus on the true meaning of Christmas and let go of the expectations the world stresses:

Christmas for Christians is a celebration of the Incarnation, that wonderful, impenetrable, mysterious moment when the Word who spoke all things into being (John 1:3) and held them all together by the word of his power (Hebrews 1:3) became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14). When YHWH “for a little while was made lower than the angels” (Hebrews 2:9). When he who knew no sin entered the world as a bloody infant to become sin for us on a bloody cross that we might become the righteousness of God in him (2 Corinthians 5:21)...

Please click here to continue reading: Lay Aside the Weight of Christmas Expectations