Why is Christmas Significant For Me? (4)
Rick Butterfield
Today’s post is by Rick Butterfield, Valley Church’s Communcations leader. Read on to see what he has to say about the significance of Christmas…
One of the major themes running all the way through the Christmas story is the idea of hope. Hope for Joseph and Mary on their arrival in Bethlehem and finding a place to stay. Hope for the Magi as they find the King they’ve been looking for. Hope for all mankind as the fullness of God is born into the world in the fullness of a human being.
For me, some of my thoughts on hopefulness at Christmas are summed up in the words of the carol O Holy Night:
Long lay the world in sin and error pining,
‘Til He appear’d and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.
A thrill of hope.
Just imagine the moment that you’re unwrapping that one present you’ve wanted all year. You spotted it under the Christmas tree a few weeks ago and you’d already decided that it would be the first one you’d open on Christmas morning. You start unwrapping and can see a glimpse of the corner of the box and you know that this is the one! Time freezes and you’re overwhelmed by a feeling of excitement that you just have to let out!
For humanity, in that moment where the fullness of God was born into the world in the fullness of a human, this thrill of hope was the whole of eternity being flipped right side up, to the way it should have been all along.
Jesus came to bring everyone in the world hope. Hope for the future, hope for a life worth living, hope that everyone can have a personal relationship with the Saviour! Because of that one single moment, our souls have worth and we can be joyous! We are valuable individuals whom God longs to have a relationship with. We’re precious sons and daughters of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
This Christmas, why don’t we all take a moment to consider this hope. Consider that everyone in the world has worth in God’s eyes through this one moment.
– Rick