Are you struggling this year, asking, “Where is God?” This message shows us that Jesus is close in our struggles, fears, and triumphs. Learn how God is with you wherever you are today.

How has the birth of Jesus changed your life? Because of Jesus, we can find hope in our uncertainties, peace in our struggles, joy in our discouragements, and love in our differences.

And now we find Christ in our world: Christ has come with hope, peace, joy, and love. During this Advent season, we are exploring the attributes of Christ. Christ has come to change our world—and change us—forever. Jesus is one of us, able to understand everything we go through, all of our longings, struggles and pain. He has come to restore these characteristics in us and restore us into a relationship with God.

This is a season of expectation and preparation, an opportunity to align ourselves with God’s presence and rediscover Christmas.

Struggling? There’s Good News for All!

What a Year!

This virus pandemic we’ve experienced the last 11 months or so has caused many to fear and others to feel alone, isolated, and emotionally depressed. Businesses and restaurants closed, then opened, then closed again. Churches closed, then excitedly opened for indoor service, then could open for only outdoor services. Now churches are only allowed to meet outdoor once again, but the weather being so cold, a candlelight Christmas eve service at night is just out of the question.

The challenges of 2020 have been huge for everyone. But none of that changes the fact that Jesus was born over 2000 years ago. I hope you all enjoyed and celebrated Christmas Eve and Christmas even if the entire family was not able to gather in one place. Taking precautions for the health and well-being of your family is good, only never forget to share the message of Christmas; our spiritual well-being and salvation is why Jesus was born and the reason why we celebrate Christmas. The message of Christmas is that Jesus’ birth is Good News for all the world to hear. Just think, some people do not have the freedom to openly celebrate Christmas or the birth of Christ even if there was not a pandemic. Did you ever think we would need to celebrate Christmas eve or Christmas the way we have this year?

What a year it has been! A year like no other. My hope is that you have been able to rediscover Christmas even during all the closures, the sheltering in place, and the suffering and loss that was brought on by the virus this past year! No matter what you experienced or suffered the last 11 months, the fact is we’re still able to celebrate Jesus’ birth and rejoice in the knowledge that He is the Savior and is returning soon.

Advent

We have been on a journey together over the past four weeks through Advent. We’ve learned together that Advent is a season of expectant waiting as we focus and reflect on Christ’s coming—His coming to earth on that first Christmas long ago and now we look forward to His eventual triumphant return to earth to complete God’s ultimate work of redemption. Each week of Advent we have focused on a different aspect of God’s character, brought into our world, and lived out in Jesus: hope, peace, joy, and love.

The Christmas story is a powerful story and is filled with wonder and miracles. It is the story of Jesus coming to earth as the most wonderful gift of all. As we have walked through the Christmas story these past four weeks, we have explored the intersection of Jesus in the lives of real people who played a role in His arrival. We have seen how Jesus brought hope, love, joy, and peace into their lives and He will do the same for you today.

As we trace our way through portions of this Christmas story again, and highlight what it means that Christ is come, I would like for you to consider how the birth of Jesus touched and changed your life and your family.

1. Finding Hope in Our Uncertainties

When uncertainty surrounds us, the promise of Christ fills us with the hope to carry on.

Hope is what keeps us alive. Hope is the fuel of faith, along with dreams and possibilities. Hope is that whisper of maybe, just maybe. It is the spark in the cold darkness that lights the spiritual flame in a your soul. It’s the flicker of first light on a new morning.

In all the sufferings and catastrophes of human history, there has always been a flicker of hope. The Hope of a savior. Throughout enslavement, imprisonment, torture, tragedy, pain and suffering there have always been some who have held onto to the smallest spark of hope and fanned it into a flame that has set hearts ablaze for Christ.

Throughout the history of the Jewish people, there was always a remnant of the hope, of God’s covenant. There was the promise of restoration and blessing through the Messiah. The promise of a savior started in Genesis and continued for generations. Abraham was given the promise of descendants and that all generations would be blessed through him. But as time dragged on, and the nation was plundered, it’s people were exiled and conquered. “How long, O God?” was the cry of the Israelite people as years and century passed.

But there were those who kept hope alive, living expectantly and faithfully, openly trusting, and wholeheartedly believing God would come through. Simeon and Anna were two of those people who encountered the baby Jesus. They had lived long and difficult lives. They knew loss and disappointment. But they did not abandon hope. And when they saw the baby Jesus in the temple, they knew without a doubt that this was the Messiah, the promised one, the Son of God. They had been ready and waiting so long for this moment. They embraced the moment of hope, filled with rejoicing and worship, spreading the news that the Messiah was born. The flames of their hope spread and multiplied.

How is the flame of your hope today? This has been a tough year. A kind of year that can threaten to extinguish the flames of hope. A virus pandemic that turned lives upside down, with all the restrictions and all the loss: Job loss, income loss, relational loss, and family loss just to name a few. Let me encourage you, no matter what you are facing and no matter where you’re at, choose to rediscover the hope of Christmas in the birth of the Christ child. Turn away from fear and worry. Look to the savior and allow faith and hope to increase. The reality of His birth and the Hope of His return is real. Lift up your eyes and hearts, He is faithful. His promises are yes and Amen. Not one of His promises will fall short. You can believe that with all your heart.

Understand, with the arrival of Immanuel, God With Us, God has come to restore hope—the hope of salvation, the hope of restoration and healing, the hope of His continued work that He will one day complete in our bodies and souls and world. As we come humbly to worship Jesus, we will find the renewal of His hope within us, the strength to take the next hopeful step, and the strength to carry us forward.

Rediscover the hope that Christ has come, and that He is working in our lives today:

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15:13, NIV).

2. Find Peace in your Struggles

The struggles in life are real, but the peace of Christ is also real, even in our darkest days.

The announcement of Jesus birth came in the dark of the night. The angels began their announcement to the shepherds with the words, “Don’t be afraid!” because, of course, they were afraid. They were human, and there’s so much in our world that can cause us to fear. There’s so much that happens in life that we struggle at times to understand. For the shepherds, that included why these magnificent, and yet terrifying heavenly beings, were showing up in the middle of the night sky. For us, it may be the normal pressures, disappointments, and uncertainties of our frailty in a broken world that can be terrifying at times. That would be true even without a global pandemic. It may be the inability to visit loved ones at this time, or simply the requirement of having to wear a mask everywhere can be hard on a person. No school, no work, having to shelter in place can be overwhelming, and even terrifying, at times.

But Jesus, Immanuel, God with us, the Prince of Peace arrived on earth that evening and was laid in a manger. The angels proclaimed a new peace:

‘But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests”’ (Luke 2:10-14).

The favor of God is here with humans. The peace of shalom, the Jewish concept of fullness, safety, completeness, and wholeness, is available to us. This is the peace of restoration with God that was promised. It is the peace that settles our souls deeply. It is the calm acceptance that “it is well with my soul” no matter how things look or what storms are swilling around you.

In a sense, it’s almost as if the coming of Jesus was the eye of the hurricane in human existence. The chaos of our world swirled before Jesus’s earthly life and ministry, and it swirls after. But it’s as if there was a cosmic pause that night as angels sang and ordinary shepherds gathered around a baby, Jesus was God in the flesh.

It’s my hope that each of us will rediscover the peace of Christ this Christmas, the peace and wholeness that happens in the eye of a storm. That our spirits would have a sense of peace even in the midst of life’s hurricanes. Those storms will come. Those winds may be howling right now. But let me invite you to step into the peace of Christ. Let me encourage you to turn your heart to Christ. Turn that fear and bondage over to Him. Bring Him your hurt and your needs. And let me encourage you that “the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7).

Call out to Jesus in times of need and allow the peace of God to calm your heart and soul. This is the rediscovery of the peace of Christ in this season.

3. Finding Joy in Our Discouragements

We’ve all had one of those days, weeks, or years. Even in times of discouragement, Christ can and will fill you with joy that defies your circumstances—if you believe and will allow Him in.

King David wrote in the Psalms, “Weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning” (Psalm 30:5).

Sometimes nights can feel so long. Sometimes night after night after night, as we try to carry on, it is the fear, sorrow, and worry that keep us awake. The anxiety and unhealthy fear that something might happen will take its toll on you physically and mentally. Sometimes happiness feels so elusive and distant. Yet at times joy, times of happiness and the peace of God can erupt and pour out of us like an eruption of water and steam from Old Faithful. Other times joy can simply bubble up slowly. But as we rediscover Christmas, the good news of great joy that is alive in us through Jesus is the strength that we need, and it will sustains us. That Joy and happiness is what people everywhere need to witness and experience. It is the reason Jesus was born. It is so that whosoever believes can experience the joy of salvation.

We’ve seen this in the stories of Elizabeth and Mary, united in the shared joy of their pregnancies. For Elizabeth, joy was in the fulfillment of long-dashed dreams of motherhood and the removal of a cultural shame, because she had never been able to bear a child. Her joy erased decades of disgrace. For Mary, joy came with a relief, along with the acceptance and understanding of being in the middle of God’s greatest miracle: that being a virgin with a child; that child being the Messiah. Mary knew that she would face scorn, disbelief, and misunderstanding for her pregnancy, but during her encounter with Elizabeth, Mary finds the freedom of joy. Like Elizabeth, both celebrate in their hearts—even as others might look on with disbelief. Both Elizabeth and Mary knew the truth and Joy of God’s wonderful and Glorious plan.

For some of us, Christmas is a joyful season filled with songs and celebrations, traditions, and comforts along with the giving of gifts, and celebrating the greatest gift, the birth of Christ. For others, the expectation of Christmas joy only serves as a reminder of deeper pains and disappointments. The lack of Christmas Joy when others are joyful can cause even more pain at times. For some, Christmas can bring a mixture of both joy and sorrow, if the season is only about giving and receiving of gifts.

It is my hope that we will all rediscover the true joy and meaning of the birth of Christ this Christmas season as we choose to rejoice in the birth of Jesus. May Hope, Peace, and Joy arise in hearts that were once bound by fear, worry and unbelief. And it will happen as we focus on Jesus. We can find His strength to face each day. As we pour out our hearts to Him even in the midst of our pain, He can transform our weeping into the joy that lets us appreciate and enjoy the goodness of His greater work within us and in our world.

Let Peter’s words ring true for you and your family, “Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls” (1 Peter 1:8-9).

4. Finding Love in Our Differences

There’s so much in the world that drives us apart. The love of Christ runs deeper than our differences and is seen in the grace, forgiveness, and unity we show to those around us.

We long so deeply to be loved. The desire for love is dominant in our culture. When future archaeologists and anthropologists explore artifacts of our era, they’ll probably conclude that love was an important quality of our society. Our songs, movies, TV shows, and literature are filled with themes of love. People long for love, celebrating it, and mourning its loss. At Christmas, there’s even a whole array of holiday romance songs, Christmas movies, and shows that are built around a love story. We are captivated by love, and yet we struggle badly to love each other on many different levels.

Instead of a culture that exemplifies love, we are a nation—and even a world, filled with division, conflict and hatred. Despite our best intentions, our broken and fallen human nature divides us.

Jesus, on the other hand, is the bridge of love that unites us. He is the promised Messiah. God so loved the world that He allowed His One and only Son to be the sacrifice for all our sins and shortcomings. God fulfilled His promise of a savior, who was born in a manger. And when He did, Jesus made the way for us to be restored into a loving relationship with God, if we would only believe and accept the gift of Jesus as our Savior.

As we explored love on our Advent journey, we saw how God gathered a varied group of very different people to be involved in the arrival of His Son. We discovered how these people represented the barriers and divisions that God was desiring to unite. There were young and old, the earthly and the heavenly, the lowly and the noble, Jews and Gentiles, clean and unclean. Ultimately, it was God and humanity.

As we rediscover Christmas, it’s my desire and prayer that we rediscover the love of Christ, God’s perfect love that allows us to experience Jesus and His complete acceptance by God and the perfect love that removes all our fears. It is the love of God that washes over us and fills us our hearts and souls with love.

I hope that the Love of God will help you to reach across the divisions around you, and even to your so-called enemies, with humility, forgiveness, and grace. Remember the story of the farmer? It only takes one act of humility, one act of love, to bridge a river of sin and hate. Jesus took the first step. All you need to do is reach out to Jesus in Faith and hope.

And like the apostle Paul wrote:

“I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God” (Ephesians 3:17-19).

What a love! We need the love of God in our hearts. Love that fills us with the full measure of God.

5. Finding Christ in Our World

Christ has come with hope, peace, joy, and love. Christ has come to change our world—and change us—forever.

His arrival into the world as described by Luke:

“While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them” (Luke 2:6-7).

It’s such a humble birth, such a lowly beginning to life, and yet such a normal entry into our existence. The Son of God arrives in this world as a fragile, helpless baby. Jesus is one of us, able to understand everything we go through, all of our longings, struggles and pain. And yet, Jesus is God. Jesus is hope, joy, peace, and love. He has come to restore these characteristics in us and restore a person of faith into a relationship with God.

Jesus is life rediscovered.

If you are struggling this year, asking, “Where is Jesus?” “Where is God?” let me offer this.

Jesus is closer than a brother:

• In our uncertainties, struggles, discouragement, and differences.

• In our celebration and mourning.

• In our crying and rejoicing.

• In our fear and in our triumphs.

• In our losses and our victories.

• In our brokenness and healing.

• In our sickness and our health.

• In our life and our death.

He is there. He is reaching out to you. Wherever you are, Jesus is there.

And He is only a prayer away. He is offering forgiveness and life eternal. He is calling us to trust Him, and to see beyond our immediate circumstances, and say yes, Come Lord Jesus, come into my heart and life.

Jesus is in our world and in our lives. He is Immanuel, God With Us, for all eternity. And He will never leave you or forsake you.

Rediscover Jesus in the Christmas story. Let’s run like the shepherds to encounter Jesus this season. Let’s worship and rejoice like the angles, and find renewal in His presence this year. Let’s rediscover Christmas in the life He brings within us and around us.

Merry Christmas! Christ has come! Christ is here among us! Christ will come again!

A blessing of Joy for you

“Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests” (Luke 2:10-14).

Suggested Praise and Worship

This and other sermons brought to you by Faith Chapel, an Assemblies of God church in Pleasanton, CA.