A lot is going on during the Christmas season. Whether it involves planning family travel, decorating the house for the kids, going out to find the best shopping deals, or buying and wrapping Christmas presents, it’s easy to forget the profoundly spiritual time of the Holiday season. Many people get caught up in the surface matters that ultimately don’t provide us with stronger faith or belief in God.
So if you find yourself distracted by the noise, irked by the incessant movement, here’s how to take a moment with you and your loved one and get close to God.
Relish the Bible Stories and Revisit Them With Enthusiasm
So put the shopping list aside for a moment and connect with the Word of God via the Bible and the Gospels. They not only help you connect to stories that have inspired generations of people, but they engage us in deep philosophical questions about our faith, what we believe, and the nature of God.
In essence, Christmas is about the celebration of the birth of Jesus. The stories are filled with wonderment and deep notions of how God made himself known—in the flesh— to the world.
So despite the preoccupations of the Holiday season, the time is really one for reflection and the exploration of the stories that founded the Christian faith and believers.
The Angel Visits Mary
The story of Jesus begins with a visit by the Angel Gabriel to a quiet teenage girl that was about to be married. This young girl was Mary, and the Angel paid her a visit and told her that she would have a son that she would name Jesus. Mary is first a little taken aback at this and gets a little frightened. The Angel calms her down and tells her not to worry.
“But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God.”
So what does this story teach us? The story is seen as a fundamental point in the Gospels. This is when prophecies of the Messiah will come to fruition, and they are done so through a young girl that was not expecting it. The importance of the story lies in Mary’s character, faith, and obedience. She replies to the Angel, “I am the Lord’s servant.”
Despite her fears and uncertainties, Mary welcomes the mission and is prepared to move forward. This offers important lessons about trusting God even when we cannot fully understand his workings. Strengthening your faith means that sometimes you must walk into the unknown, trusting that God is with you, next to you, and working things out for good.
The Nativity Scene — The Son of God Comes Into the World
Those that read the Gospels learn that Jesus was a revolutionary figure. He transforms the often harsh and vindictive God in the Old Testament and brings a new light to the understanding and forgiveness of the Father.
As Mary and Joseph traveled to Bethlehem, she was already with child from the Holy Spirit. The Inn was overcrowded, so the couple had no place to stop. The only place where Mary could give birth was in a manger. The couple stopped in a manger, and that’s where Jesus was born. The baby was wrapped in humble cloth. The well-recognized nativity scenes represent the magic of this moment, where the baby Jesus was born.
A star lit up when he was born, and the three wise men saw it. The news soon spread about the birth of the son of God.
It was the coming of Jesus that meant the world would learn the ways of God. Through Jesus, people would come to understand forgiveness and the power of God to do anything. As the well-beloved opening of John states, “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God.” Then, the Word became flesh and came unto the world to bring us peace and show us how to live a righteous life.
As the world experiences chaos, it’s easy to lose sight of the path towards a righteous life. It’s easy to lose patience with the ones we love and to stray into sin and despair. The story of the birth of Jesus reminds us that God sent his Son to earth to spread the Word.
Joining Us at Healing Place Church for the Christmas Season
If you’re looking to stay grounded this Christmas season and remember the things that matter, join the family at Healing Place Church.
