True Peace and Hope at Christmas
I spent some time today planning out the month of December. Just a few things on my schedule: ministry events, Christmas parties, family traditions, travel—and that’s not even considering the extra baking, shopping, or wrapping presents. When I have a busy and overwhelming calendar, I find that planning helps me stay on top of what I need to do, which in turn helps me feel less stressed. One of the things I wrote down while planning was “what can I do to cultivate peace this Christmas season?”
That simple question lead me to consider—and reconsider—the purpose for everything I was trying to plan. As cliche as it sounds, I needed to remember the reason for the season. The distractions and commercialization of Christmas has never been so obvious as it is now that I have children. It seems like all the Christmas songs on the radio are about Santa Claus (or holiday breakups—why does anyone want to listen to that?!) while stores and advertisements of every kind are pushing you to purchase expensive gifts that no one needs. These aren’t the kind of Christmas memories that I want my kids to cherish; Instead, I want them to not only feel the excitement and joy of the season, but true peace and hope that only Christ can give.
Are you joining me in Romans this month? If so, in a few days you’ll come to Romans 5. Here are verses 1-5:
“Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we also have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we celebrate in hope of the glory of God. And not only this, but we also celebrate in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” (NASB)
True peace only comes through justification. The passage goes on to talk about our helpless state as sinners—we can only be “declared righteous” by placing our faith in Jesus Christ’s work on our behalf. This is the Gospel: He died on the cross for our sins and rose again, accomplishing salvation. If you have believed this, you are at peace with God right now and forever.
This special standing before God leads the Christian to celebration (Romans 5:2) because of the “hope of the glory of God!” What better thing could we rejoice in at Christmas, the holiday that celebrates Jesus’ birth? He was born to die; His death and resurrection brought us salvation and glory to God, accomplishing His plan. Talk about a reason to celebrate!
The so-called feeling of “Christmas magic” is just that: a feeling. It seems to disappear as we age and as our eyes are opened to the difficulties of life. And yet, this very passage has something to say about that. God gives us hope during trials. In fact, Christians can actually celebrate in the midst of tribulations (Romans 3:3). There is a purpose to trials; they are not arbitrary or random occurrences. The passage lists the many outcomes of trials for the Christian: perseverance, proven character, and hope. While all of these can be put into practice in our tribulations during the Christmas season, hope is special. It “does not disappoint” (Romans 5:5) because we are the recipients of God’s love. One way that He loves us is by providing us with the Holy Spirit. We are not alone.
Maybe, like me, you are feeling a bit overwhelmed by the upcoming season. Perhaps you’ve experienced loss or tragedy, and December seems much darker this year. Whatever it is, remember where true peace and true hope are found:
Through the Gospel.
Through God’s love.
Photo by Mourad Saadi on Unsplash
