The second stanza of the song says:
It's the hap-happiest season of all
With those holiday greetings and gay happy meetings
When friends come to call
It's the hap-happiest season of all
Unfortunately, some of us, Christians included, have
already decided that this Christmas is not going to be the hap-happiest season of all.
The Season has hardly begun and already we feel dejected. We are convinced that
for us it’s not going to be wonderful or gay.
We had some bad experiences
this year, our pain is still too raw, and we are not quite ready or able to
make that shift!
Spoiler alert! Christmas is the Christian's season of HOPE.
Some of us started out this year with great expectation and
dreams but along the way we were blindsided by betrayal, disillusionment and painful
losses. Others brought last year’s trouble into 2017 but with a belief that all would be resolved, which has not been the case.
Please be persuaded that, despite the letdowns, betrayals, job
lay-offs, scary diagnoses, legal trouble, disappointments, hurts, pains, and
losses, we are not alone nor are we forgotten, and we do have much to celebrate.
We are so incredibly LOVED by the Creator of the universe
that He came to take care of us!
Christmas may not be the hap-happiest season but it is, (with Easter) our most JOYFUL!
“…I bring you good
news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this
day in the city of David a SAVIOR, who is CHRIST the LORD. Luke 2:10
For the children of GOD, Christmas is primarily about
celebration and grateful worship.
Christmas became necessary because we have a need we could
never satisfy on our own and GOD stepped down from Heaven to take care of that
need. Out of His great love for us, GOD became a human being in the Person of JESUS
CHRIST. He did it because we needed a Savior.
For this reason we celebrate Christmas and worship our LORD
with gratitude.
The shepherds went
back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and
seen. It was just as the angel had told them. Luke 2:20
At this moment, we may not feel up to gift shopping, sending
greeting cards, decorating our homes, putting up lights, cooking, visiting
friends etc. but we ought not to approach the Christmas season with a feeling of
dread.
We must instead think of the reason for Christmas and ask
GOD to give us hearts to celebrate JESUS and what His coming to earth means for
us, not just in this present life but for all eternity. If we begin now and are consistent in this prayer our feelings will change, even if the reasons for our suffering do not.
God showed how much he
loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have
eternal life through him. 1 John 4:9
We must know that circumstances notwithstanding, this one
truth remains. GOD LOVES us totally!
Why does GOD love us so much? Because GOD
is love itself!
Child of GOD, the Season of Christmas IS the season to immerse
ourselves in GOD’s LOVE. It is the most wonderful time of the year!
Prayer and Thanksgiving: Holy Father, we worship and adore you! Thank you for
a love so inexpressible; LOVE that caused YOU to leave YOUR Heavenly Throne and
come down to earth to save us. YOU gave us this magnificent event to celebrate especially
each year so help us who are struggling with great sadness, disappointments and
losses to rise above them because of what YOU have done and rejoice for the
hope we now have for all eternity. YOU have not abandoned us and so we too can
join with the angels and the shepherds in celebrating the birth of JESUS
CHRIST, or Savior and our LORD! Thank you for being our Emmanuel and our Prince
of Peace in the midst of the storms of life. Strengthen us to endure with JOY! With
gratitude we sing, “Glory to GOD in the Highest!” All dominion and power belong
to you for ever and ever! We pray and ask all things in the name of JESUS. Amen!
Always by God’s Word and
prayer,
Cecile
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