By Renee Meyer
We began our Advent journey at Lincoln Berean with the question “What if this Christmas were different?” We were invited to have a Hope-Filled Christmas by replacing
Busy. Stressed. Consumerism. Exhaustion.
with a Christmas full of
Worship. Generosity. Presence. Love.
And most of us are having a very different Christmas: A holiday season with no holiday parties, a Christmas Eve service you need a reservation or internet access to participate in. Masks, social distancing, zoom gatherings with family, and for many a tighter budget than usual after this pandemic year. My own family will be home alone on Christmas Day, all day, for the first time in, well, ever.
It’s a different Christmas, all right. And we need hope now more than ever.
“Don’t be afraid. I’m here to announce a great and joyful event that is meant for everybody, worldwide: A Savior has just been born in David’s town, a Savior who is Messiah and Master. “
Luke 2:10, The Message
Here is Hope: God is near, here, with us. That is good news. Good news for every year, every Christmas. But especially good news for this year, this Christmas.
God so loved the world that He sent His only Son. Savior, Messiah and Master: He is here with us in LOVE. He is here in our uncertainty, in ill-health and good, in disruptions to our routine, in tight budgets and disappointed plans. We may be masked and distanced, but He is here and near, with an unveiled face full of love.
This Christmas has been different. Thankfully, the invitation to a life of worship, generosity, presence, and love doesn’t end on Christmas Day. Christmas is just the beginning, an invitation into a life of love with Emmanuel, God with us. So with this weary world we rejoice, and we welcome Love in.
Silent night, holy night
Son of God, love’s pure light
Radiant beams from Thy holy face
With the dawn of redeeming grace
Jesus, Lord at Thy birth.
Equip Her 