With so much uncertainty in our lives, we long for rest from our cares and anxieties. This message looks at some of the things we worry about too much, some we worry about too little and the Saviour who promises us peace.
Matthew 6:25-34 // [outline]
Different people look to different things to reassure them and give them hope. Some look to a spouse or a parent or grandparent for confidence and strength. Others find hope in their goals and dreams. But what do you do when your symbol of hope dies? This short Christmas Eve message looks at a period in Israel’s history when that happened and helps us find our way forward when we don’t feel like we can go on.
As we prepare for our first Christmas in lockdown, most of us have put our hope in a vaccine or a better year or at least the end of the rising case counts and restrictions we’re facing now. Jerusalem faced a lockdown in its history as the Assyrian army besieged the city. God gave them a Christmas promise that pointed to a greater hope than the end of their isolation. This promise can give us hope, too.
Christmas can be a hard time for many people. It’s hard to be alone when we’re told we’re supposed to be together. It’s hard to face the holidays when there are loved ones we’re still grieving. Expectations, stress and conflict can all hit us at this time of year. But joy can be a reality when we hold the Christmas promises. This message looks at a dark period in Israel’s past where they were given promises of the arrival of Jesus, intended to stir their joy. Those same promises can stir up ours today.
When we think of Christmas, we think of the baby and the wise men and the gifts, but Christmas was the promise of good news. This message looks at the good news as it was promised through the prophet Isaiah hundreds of years before Jesus’ birth.
