by Dorette Saunders
Christmas has passed. But is it over? Perhaps the decorations in the stores have already come down to make way for New Year’s celebrations, and yes, even Valentine’s Day!
Despite our not wanting to, we are constantly reminded of conflict, strife, anxieties and uncertainties that plague us and our world, and threaten to unravel our peace. But linger a little longer at the manger. Did you catch all that Christmas has to offer? Did you grab hold of the hope that Christ provides? Did you see how the birth of Jesus brought salvation to us, not wrapped in swaddling clothes, but in a small linen cloth wrapped around the body of a crucified Savior?
Did you see the star? Not just the star of Bethlehem that guided shepherds and wise men to the manger, but the one that hovers over your house and mine? A star that tells us we are marked by God as his beloved children when we seek after God and accept the gift of God’s Son, Jesus?
Ponder a little longer. Think of all God has done and is doing in your life through the birth of Jesus. Begin to trust God and leave the consequences of life to him. In doing so, we can have the peace that defies comprehension because it is given freely to us by God himself.
“You will keep in perfect peace
those whose minds are steadfast,
because they trust in you.” (Isaiah 26:3, NIV)
Do we trust God? How’s our “trust” level? Trusting God is never like seeing a glass half-empty or half-full. Are we on “E” for “Empty,” or “E” for “Eager”? If we are honest, most of us would say, “Oh for grace to trust God more.”
What if we knelt at the manger just a little longer to worship? We would discover that Jesus brings us that grace.
“The Word became
a human being
and lived here with us.
We saw his true glory,
the glory of the only Son
of the Father.
From him the complete gifts
of undeserved grace and truth
have come down to us.
. . .
Because of all that the Son is, we have been given one blessing after another (John 1:14; 16, CEV).
Blessing upon blessing. Grace upon grace. All that we need to experience joy to navigate this life is found in Christ Jesus. Oh, the wonder of it all!
PRAYER: Come, Lord Jesus, fount of every blessing! We linger at the manger in awe that you would love us much more than we can truly comprehend. Keep our hearts and minds fixed on you now and in the year ahead. Don’t let us leave the manger without embracing the peace that only you can give. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
©M©dytations 2023