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I can still remember the hopeful excitement of waking early on Christmas morning and feeling my way through the darkness toward the soft glow of the Christmas tree in search of the gift at the top of my wish list. Would it be there as Santa had promised? A quick scan of the room soon revealed what I was seeking.
There is always an element of hope in seeking. After all, why would anyone look for something that they don’t expect to find? We see this truth in the Christmas story as the shepherds and the wise men set out to feel their way through the darkness in search of the promised gift…
When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” Luke 2:15
…Wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him.” Matthew 2:1-2
Hope is a powerful force when grounded in confident expectation. We can know with confidence that God came to us by removing his robe of heavenly glory and wrapping himself in the humble rags of our humanity. In the form of a helpless baby the fullness of God entered our world to fulfill his promise of salvation through unconditional love and great sacrifice. And because he came to us, we can come to him.
As we are told in Acts 17:27-28: “His purpose was for the nations to seek after God and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him—though he is not far from any one of us. For in him we live and move and have our being.”
This is the confidence in our hope. God came to us and for us. He is not far from any of us. In him we can find life. So, seek him. Come to the manger and find the indescribable gift from God. Find the hope, peace, joy, and love that can be ours because of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.
As it has been said, wise men still seek him. May your Christmas be a merry and glorious reminder of the hope found in Jesus!
Opmerkingen