Devotional for Tuesday, December 24th
Today's Bible Reading: Revelation 22:17-21
Well, here we are. We made it to Christmas Eve.
I'm sure for some people, they are ready to get this party started and celebrate!
For others, they are ready for the party to be over.
And for a few others, they are wishing that Christmas fell on December 28th. Can't I have just a few more days to prepare?!?!
Wherever we find ourselves today, I want to take a moment to reflect back on the words we looked at a couple of weeks ago. The words that start off the Christmas story:
Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. With this in mind, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I too decided to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught. - Luke 1:1-4, NIV
Sometimes, I put pressure on myself to feel a certain way at Christmas. I desperately want to recapture that "gingerbread feeling" that I felt so often as a kid. But our friend Luke reminds us that Christmas isn't about a feeling. It's about an event.
If an event is true, then it doesn't depend on us to feel a certain way. It doesn't depend on us at all. Good or bad, we have to face whatever the implications are. (Fortunately for us, the angels didn't declare Jesus as bad news for all the people!)
Christmas is the story of how God came for us when we needed him the most. God saw all the brokenness, all the fights, all the division. All the mess. All the ways we hurt each other and all the ways we disrupt his shalom (peace). And instead of turning his back on us, he entered into our mess. He felt our pain. He showed us what love looks like.
And the story isn't over. Maybe that's why the gingerbread feeling fades. We know there's more to come, and we long for its completion.
In the days following Christmas, most people leave their lights up. It's nice to enjoy them for another week or so as we drive around the neighborhood. But come January, they start coming down.
How long are we allowed to keep Christmas lights up before we start looking ridiculous? Is it after the 12 days of Christmas, January 6th (Three Kings Day)? Can we leave them up until February 1st? How about St. Patrick's Day? When would we start receiving letters from the HOA and angry looks from neighbors?
Maybe we should leave them up all year as a reminder that the Christmas story isn't over yet.
At the very end of the Bible, Jesus reminds us that he's still on the move. He's coming back to set things right. The final words of the Bible are words of hope:
He who testifies to all these things says it again: "I'm on my way! I'll be there soon!"
Yes! Come, Master Jesus!
The grace of the Master Jesus be with all of you. Oh, Yes! - Revelation 22:20-21, MSG
No matter where you find yourself this season, Jesus is on his way. He'll be back soon.
And that's good news because it doesn't depend on us.
Questions to Ponder:
What do you think of the promise Jesus made to us in the closing words of the Bible? What are you most longing to see him set right?
Today, take some time to reflect on God coming into our mess. Give yourself grace for anything you've left undone.
P.S. Nobody Left Out will be taking a brief publishing break through January 5th. When we return, we'll be kicking off a series about what the Bible is. The new year is a time when many people recommit to some kind of Bible reading program, so I thought it'd be fun for us to take a closer look at why we should care about the Bible anyway.
I hope you and your family have a wonderful Christmas and New Year!
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