There is a lot of pressure on people today. There’s a lot of pressure that this day, Christmas eve, and tomorrow, that they be perfect days. I think most people have a picture in their mind of what they would like their Christmas eve and Christmas day to be like. You have your schedule all set, beginning with Church this morning. Then you may go out to lunch with some family, go pick up some last minute gifts, cook something, come back here for the service tonight, maybe go to some party, or family or home. You can see each scene in your mind; feel each feeling; smell the smells.
Those kind of expectations put a lot of pressure on the day. The perfect Christmas eve often has frustrations trying to get those last minute items in high-blood-pressure shopping malls. Many people, when they get together with their families, simply renew old habits of fighting, bickering and frustrating each other. And, for some people, Christmas is the hardest time of year. You may miss someone even more – feel lonelier or more depressed than ever.
No matter what may be going on, though, here’s how to have the perfect Christmas eve: live the meaning of the day. Fulfillment always carries with it a purpose. If our lives are meeting their deep-seated purpose, then there is fulfillment. If we have within our hearts the meaning of the day, that is the road to the perfect Christmas.
Many people have different ideas on what the meaning of Christmas is. For most of our culture, it is a nice time of year when we get off of work, out of school, and follow our cultural and family traditions. And we hear different phrases for what Christmas is all about: “Giving—isn’t that what Christmas is all about?" Or, "Helping the unfortunate—that’s what Christmas is all about" Or, "Being with family—that is really what Christmas is all about?"
Those are all wonderful things. Holidays, Santa Claus, family. That, to our culture, is what Christmas is all about. If you are more cynical, you may think that it is just about a good retail season. Our economy is dependent upon the frenzied, frazzled shopper – buying more, spending more, getting more – just the right gift. Somehow, if we have all this just right, we’ll have happiness and peace and joy and good will towards all men. We’ll appreciate our lives and each other more.
Now, that is a very good thing. But that is not what Christmas is all about. The Grinch is big this year. Let me steal a few lines from him:
Every Who Down in Who-ville, the tall and the small, was singing! Without any presents at all!
He hadn’t stopped Christmas from coming at all!
It came without ribbons! It came without tags!
It came without packages, boxes or bags!
Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before!
Maybe Christmas, He thought, doesn’t come from a store.
Maybe Christmas...Perhaps...means a little bit more!
Today, I’m going to focus on one scripture twice, now and tonight. This morning I want to focus on the meaning of Christmas by looking at what God gives us. In the book of Micah, the prophet foretold Bethlehem as the birth place of the Messiah. He said...
(v. 2-3) But you, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah, who are one of the little clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to rule in Israel,
This is a reference to Christmas. He’s saying that Christ would be born in Bethlehem. He goes on to say...
(v. 4-5) He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they will live securely, for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth. And he will be their peace.
These two simple verses teach us what Christmas is all about. They tell us why Jesus came into the world, and what he expected to accomplish here.
Micah says that Jesus came to be a shepherd to his flock. He came to take care of us. To lead us. To protect us. To save us. He came to be our shepherd. It gives us three ways he wants to be your shepherd. First of all...
1. He Gives You Strength.
Micah said...
(v. 4) He will stand and shepherd in the strength of the Lord.
Christmas is about this: you don’t have to live life in your own strength. You don’t have to handle it on your own. God doesn’t help those who help themselves. You have help. You can turn to God for strength, and he will give it to you.
While attempting to rescue a fellow soldier, Bob Wieland lost both his legs in Vietnam. He had dreamed of being a professional baseball player after the war, but that dream was gone forever. Many men in this situation are overcome with bitterness, but Bob wasn’t. He said, "I lost my legs, not my heart", and he became a great athlete. He walks on his hands now, and has completed a three year Walk Across America. He has participated in the Race Across America on a custom-made bicycle, and in the Hawaii Ironman Triathlon. He can bench press an amazing 507 pounds. He said that he learned to cast all his cares on Jesus (1 Peter 5:7), and he learned how "the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength." (1 Corinthians 1:25) In his words, "I do the best I can to apply the Word of God to my life, because I know it works."
That’s the kind of strength Jesus offers. No matter what happens, we can depend on him to get us through. Our lives don’t have to be characterized by failure, or bitterness, or missed opportunities. He will give you the strength to face whatever comes your way.
That’s what Christmas is all about. It means you are not alone. You are not a victim of the circumstances of your life. You have a shepherd, and you can live in his strength.
I know many of you are facing challenges right now that are bigger than you. You are in a battle that you don’t have the strength to win on your own – maybe even especially on Christmas Eve. You don’t have to face it alone. God will be your strength.
Secondly, he wants to give you...
2. He Gives You Security.
We live in an insecure world. Neither certainty nor safety exist, even though we spend our lives trying to find both. We look to the government, or our employer, or our investments, or our relationships—and none of them can provide us with the security we need. The things we turn to most often simply don’t have the ability to offer true security.
Like Bob Wieland learned in Vietnam, our world can come crashing down on us at any moment. One simple word can change our lives forever—a word like "divorce" ...or "cancer" ...or "downsizing." We hear that word and suddenly the world doesn’t seem so safe anymore. The fact is, we don’t know what will happen tomorrow; we don’t even know our Christmases will be like. We can’t depend on the world to offer security, because it doesn’t have it to give. There’s only one place we can find security. Micah said...
(v. 4) And they [his flock] shall live secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth.
Jesus offers the security of knowing that he is control, and he has the power and ability to take care of us. That’s what a shepherd does, and that is what he wants to do for you. Ezekiel says:
I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I will make them lie down, says the Lord GOD. 16 I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak (34:15-16).
He’s saying "I will take care of you. You are safe with me. If you’re lost, I will find you. If you stray, I will bring you back. If you’re injured I will strengthen you. I am your shepherd. I will take care of you."
God made this promise to us: he said,
"Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you." (Hebrews 13:5)
Jesus also said,
"My sheep listen to my voice. I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand." (John 10:27-28)
Jesus offers you security. That’s why he came into the world...that’s what Christmas is all about. He offers a kind of security the world cannot offer—security based not on things and circumstances, but based on his never-ending love for you. And his greatness, Micah says, reaches to the ends of the earth. He’s saying, "There is no place you can go, or nothing that can happen, that extends beyond the power of God to take care of you."
Thirdly...
3. He Gives You Serenity.
There is a Seinfeld where George’s dad, Frank Costanza, learns the relaxation technique of saying "Serenity Now"? Frank’s doctor told him every time his blood pressure starts to rise, simply say, "Serenity Now." Only, he doesn’t say it, he screams it. And it doesn’t work. No matter how much he bellows out "Serenity Now", he’s never able to get a grip on it. George’s friend, Lloyd, who used to be in a mental institution tells him, "Serenity Now doesn’t work. That’s what put me in the institution. It’s ’Serenity Now,’ insanity later."
It is just a little insane to think we can find peace by shouting out "Serenity Now", and that’s about how foolish some of our other attempts at finding peace are. We try to find peace of mind by drinking alcohol, or over-eating, or working, or jumping from relationship to relationship, or trying to manufacture the perfect Christmas, and it simply doesn’t work.
We don’t live in a peaceful world. Most people don’t have inner peace, and you only have to glance at the headlines to remind yourself that external peace is a rarity also. There has always been fighting between nations.
Jesus came to bring peace to all who follow him. Micah said... (v. 5) And he will be their peace.
Jesus’ birth was announced by the angels, who said...
"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men...(Luke 2:14)
And as Jesus was approaching death, he said to his disciples...
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you....Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. (John 14:27)
Jesus came to give us peace. Even when we can’t experience peace in the world around us, we can experience his peace in our inner world.
Jesus came into the world to take away all the things that destroy our peace. He wants to carry your burdens; he wants to lift your anxieties, he wants to take away your sins. Those things that tend to make your life miserable are the very things Jesus came to take care of. That’s what he wants to do. He wants to be your shepherd. He wants to give you peace.
CONCLUSION
It’s humbling to admit we can’t take care of ourselves, but that’s exactly what we must admit. It is hard to face the fact that our worlds are so fragile and insecure. And it is impossible to create peace. But there is a child who was born in a manger. And now it is not just this day that has meaning. Our lives do. For this child has given us the incredible gift of strength, security and peace. In all the circumstances of this day, know the meaning: God has become a man to give you strength, security and peace.
