It’s finally here – December. The final month of 2011, marking the end of another year, including: The Winter Solstice. Cold weather and warm fires. Hanukkah & Christmas. And last but not least, New Year’s Eve! What an eventful month – a month of Hope.
The famous Christmas carol, O Little Town of Bethlehem, was written in 1867 by Phillips Brooks, an Episcopal pastor from Philadelphia. He had been in Israel two years earlier and had celebrated Christmas in Bethlehem. This song describes the city, not so much as it was when Brooks observed it, but as he thought it might have appeared on the night of Jesus’ birth. Savor the depth of the first verse:
O little town of Bethlehem, how still we see thee lie!
Above thy deep and dreamless sleep, the silent stars go by
Yet in thy dark streets shineth the Everlasting Light
The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight
Wow! That last line really speaks to me. I was browsing my online Bible concordance for scriptures on Hope recently, and I ran across Matthew 12:21 in the New Living Translation (NLT):
And His Name will be the Hope of all the world.
Isn’t that awesome and true? Bottom line, without Jesus, the world is hopeless. All over the world, many are cheating, lying, stealing, fighting, killing, raping, abusing and enslaving others on a daily basis. A world without Jesus, simply put, is a world of Hell on Earth.
In spite of all this, it’s the time of year that much of the world celebrates with gift giving, parades, and parties laden with glitter and gold. But sadly, many of these same people are hurting and in pain, and too few really know The Savior or have Him living in their hearts.
This season is always an opportunity for us as children of God to shine the Light of Hope to this dying world. We hold The Answer, His name is Jesus, and He is waiting to be unleashed upon humanity through our hands and voices.
When we sing, love, smile, give, help, care, bless, encourage and embrace, we are being the Light of the world that Jesus made us to be, and we are releasing that “Salt” into the earth, which the world simply cannot survive without. Without Light the world dies and deteriorates, and without Salt, it has no flavor or preservation. We are the Light and the Salt, and it’s only through the life-giving Spirit of Jesus living on the inside of us that we can make a difference in this hurting world.
As Jesus said, Let your light so shine among men so that they many see your good works and glorify your Father in Heaven. (Matthew 5:16)
Jesus is the only Hope of the world. Let’s give the best gift of all this Christmas: Let’s give JESUS in whatever way we can – through a song, a smile, a handshake or hug, a gift, a meal, a prayer or however the Lord leads us. Whatever we do, as the scripture says, Do all in the name of the Lord Jesus. (Colossians 3:17)
We love you and bless you, especially at this time of the year. We are very aware of how busy all the preparation can become, and the stress and financial pressure that can build inside each of us. Be assured that we are praying for you and trusting the Lord that God will bless you and make you a blessing to your family and friends this Christmas.
As always, we are so grateful for your prayers and giving to this ministry and want to say a huge THANK YOU for all your support.
Sent with love,
