There is no place for gloom at Christmas. Amidst all the hustle and bustle, tinsel and traveling, heartache and joy, one thing needs to be seen - the manger.
Great Reminder Jeff! Thanks for the positive encouragement. In a psychology class at Chabot Junior College in the 70's, the professor said he served on a suicide hot-line and the absolute busiest time of the year for them was the Christmas holidays. People torture themselves with the past and what could have been, but fail to rejoice in the future eternal hope Jesus brings. The effects sin and brokenness are real, but so are the promises of God. THANKS! Keep up the good word!
Thanks for pointing that out/reminding us. John Piper wrote a book called "Future Grace," and the title is enough sometimes to remind me of what you mentioned - "rejoices in the future eternal hope Jesus brings." Such is the beauty and difficulty of faith. Often, I'm like the father in scripture who cried out to Jesus, "I do believe! Help my unbelief."
I’m sure it is. Battling depression needs spiritual resources and perspectives. I believe the manger is a wonderful place to begin to lay your mind at rest.
Certainly meditating on it should be part of a multi-pronged approach. The crush of expectations of the modern approach to celebrating Christmas is burden we all should leave behind.
Modern approaches to a lot of things leave us wanting, for sure. I am assuming by the "modern approach" you mean the glitz, pressure, and commercialism. Meditating on sublime truth can be more than therapeutic. It has inherent power to transform and heal.
Besides Luke 2, I see Christmas in 1 John 4:9-10: "God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his one and only Son into the world so that we might live through him. Love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins."
Yes, the glitz, the overindulgence in food and drink, the overruling of stuff that never fills our hearts with real and lasting joy. I have been opting out of this more and more each year. The opening of John's gospel is sublime and my favorite. The light shines in the darkness....the darkness cannot over come the Light. Blessings of the season to you, Jeff.
Great Reminder Jeff! Thanks for the positive encouragement. In a psychology class at Chabot Junior College in the 70's, the professor said he served on a suicide hot-line and the absolute busiest time of the year for them was the Christmas holidays. People torture themselves with the past and what could have been, but fail to rejoice in the future eternal hope Jesus brings. The effects sin and brokenness are real, but so are the promises of God. THANKS! Keep up the good word!
Thanks for pointing that out/reminding us. John Piper wrote a book called "Future Grace," and the title is enough sometimes to remind me of what you mentioned - "rejoices in the future eternal hope Jesus brings." Such is the beauty and difficulty of faith. Often, I'm like the father in scripture who cried out to Jesus, "I do believe! Help my unbelief."
This is a difficult message for those struggling with seasonal affective disorder on Christmas.
I’m sure it is. Battling depression needs spiritual resources and perspectives. I believe the manger is a wonderful place to begin to lay your mind at rest.
Certainly meditating on it should be part of a multi-pronged approach. The crush of expectations of the modern approach to celebrating Christmas is burden we all should leave behind.
Modern approaches to a lot of things leave us wanting, for sure. I am assuming by the "modern approach" you mean the glitz, pressure, and commercialism. Meditating on sublime truth can be more than therapeutic. It has inherent power to transform and heal.
Besides Luke 2, I see Christmas in 1 John 4:9-10: "God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his one and only Son into the world so that we might live through him. Love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins."
Yes, the glitz, the overindulgence in food and drink, the overruling of stuff that never fills our hearts with real and lasting joy. I have been opting out of this more and more each year. The opening of John's gospel is sublime and my favorite. The light shines in the darkness....the darkness cannot over come the Light. Blessings of the season to you, Jeff.