“On the first Christmas night, the angel announced three purposes for the birth of Jesus:
- Christmas is a time for celebration!
- Christmas is a time for salvation!
- Christmas is a time for reconciliation!” (p. 9)
CELEBRATION
“‘I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people’ (Luke 2:10).
“The good news of Christmas is worth celebrating for three reasons. It is personal: “I bring YOU.” It is positive: “GOOD news of great joy.” And it is universal: “for ALL the people.” It doesn’t matter who you are, what you’ve done, where you’ve been, or where you’re headed–this news is for you.” (p. 15)
“Your emotions are susceptible to all kinds of influences, so they are often unreliable. Sometimes the worst advice you can get is ‘Do what you feel.’ Often what we feel is neither real nor right. Your emotional state can be the result of memories, hormones, medicines, food, lack of sleep, tension, or fears. Whenever I start to feel anxious about a situation, I remind myself that fear is often False Evidence Appearing Real…
One of Jesus’ names is Immanuel. It means God is with us. It’s no wonder the angel told the shepherds, ‘Do not be afraid!’ You lose your fear when God is near. God’s presence trumps our panic…” (p. 25, 27)
SALVATION
“The second purpose of Christmas is salvation! Salvation is typically defined as deliverance from sin, self, and hell. It definitely includes all that, but it also embraces much more. We are not only saved from something bad, we are saved for something good…
“God has a great purpose and a good plan for your life. Salvation also means being given the freedom and power to fulfill God’s purpose for your life…
“‘Today…there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.’ (Luke 2:11)” (p. 42)
“Let me be blunt: you are the source of most of your problems. Even when other people cause you problems, your natural response often makes them worse.” (p. 45)
“The antidote to fearing disapproval is to build your life on the foundation of God’s unconditional love for you. Love liberates. It is a confidence builder.” (p. 53)
“God never intended for you to go through life on your own power. He wants you to trust him and depend on him. That’s why he allows problems in your life that you have no possible chance of solving on your own. Actually, he had the solution to your problem in mind long before you even knew it was a problem. He’s been waiting for you to stop trying and start trusting.” (p. 58)
“As a young man, I was a lifeguard for three summers. People panic when they sense they are drowning and typically flail their arms around, grasping for anything. Every lifeguard knows that if he tries to rescue someone who’s still full of adrenaline and fearfully trying to save himself, the victim will likely pull the lifeguard underwater with him. An experienced lifeguard knows he may have to stay back a foot, tread water, and wait until the drowning person gives up. Then it becomes quite easy to make the rescue. When the victim finally gives up, he relaxes, and the lifeguard can take over. At that point the lifeguard simply puts his arm over the victim and swims back to shore. All the drowning person has to do is trust the lifeguard. But a person can’t be saved until he gives up trying to save himself.” (p. 80-81)
RECONCILIATION
“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” (Luke 2:14)
“The starting point to peace in your life is understanding the causes of conflict. There are many reasons, but here are two big ones. The first is our natural self-centeredness. When I want everything my way, and you want it your way, then my agenda clashes with yours. If neither of us is willing to compromise out of love, sparks fly…
“A second common, but less understood, cause of conflict is expecting others to meet needs in our lives that only God can meet…” (p. 92, 94)
“Jesus came at Christmas to bring to us three kinds of peace:
- Peace with God
- The peace of God
- Peace with others
“You may have never realized that if you’re trying to live your way instead of God’s way, you’re in conflict with God…
“The symptoms of being at war with God are easy to spot: irritability, a quick temper, insecurity, impatience, manipulation, arrogance and boasting, holding grudges, and many other attitudes and habits that the Bible calls the ‘works of the flesh…’
“In contrast, the effects of being reconciled to God–being at peace with him–are all the qualities you’d like to have in your life. The Bible calls these the ‘fruit of the spirit.” (p. 96-98)
“How can you, an imperfect person, be reconciled to a perfect God? Well, it’s not a matter of compromise or bargaining or negotiating with God. Peace comes from surrender–totaly, unconditional surrender to God. You admit that God is God and you are not!” (p. 102)
“Once you make peace with God, you’ll begin to experience the peace of God in your heart and in your mind. The more you pray, the less you’ll panic. The more you worship, the less you worry. You’ll feel more patient and less pressured.” (p. 104)
“Once you’ve made peace with God and you begin to experience the peace of God in your heart, God wants you to experience the joy of being at peace with all the people in your life. He does this by turning you into a peacemaker. He gives you the desire, then the ability and power, to reconcile with the people in your life with whom you’ve had conflicts…When Christ comes into your life, one of the first areas where you see a difference is in your relationships.” (p. 107)
(Rick Warren, The Purpose of Christmas)
Nancy W. Jensen
