584 Whereto From Here: A Christmas Reminder   

KEY SCRIPTURE  Isaiah 7:14 & Isaiah 9:6 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. 

RELEVANCE

Well, how did the day go for you? Plenty of food, drink and lollies? A giant lunch & nibbles followed by an arvo snooze? Yeah, I hear you.

Christmas is always a good time for catching up with others over a hearty meal. We were due to go to Mildura, but a couple of days before we were to leave, the car had a fuel injector problem, requiring us to get them replaced. Also, the bloke we engaged to regas the caravan air conditioner went to the hospital for heart palpitations. So, that didn't get done.

We took those as a sign to stay home. That enabled us to have an early Christmas lunch with our son and his new wife on return from their honeymoon, have another lunch on Christmas Day with a friend, and do some reorganising. Whether Jesus was born on December 25 or not, it's when most of the Western world celebrates His birth.

For some people, Christmas can't come around quickly enough. How do you see it? The same?

For many generations prior to Christ, His birth couldn't happen soon enough. 700-odd years before Christ was born, Isaiah prophesied of His coming. Once people heard that, they waited in hope for their King.

In 2024-25, we wait in hope for His second coming. But we have the advantage of the Holy Spirit with us. We don't need to wait for anything. Christmas Day, as with all days of the year, we have the joy, the peace, and all the wonders that come with the Holy Spirit.

How has your 2024 been? I know it will go down as a tough year for many people. Physical, mental, financial and relational woes and traumas have hit a lot of people this year. You might be one of them and are hoping for a much better 2025.

I know from personal experience that If you have Jesus Christ, you get through stuff much more easily. He is there to call on, share with, rely upon, speak to, and seek counsel from through the Word of God.

PRAYER