Psalm 34, 93, 96
Isaiah 62:1-5
Hebrews 2:10-18
Matthew 2:1-12
Sometimes keeping faith is the biggest challenge to faith
that we have. Christmas day has passed. The presents are opened and the family
gatherings are ending. We have done our holy duty by dressing up and going to
church for the extra services and maybe even donating to some of the myriad
causes asking for help.
But that is all done and now we can go back to normal.
Except we cannot do that.
The epistle passage from Hebrews further explains why Christ
came in human form. Verse 2:16 says, “For it is clear that he did not come to help
angles, but the descendants of Abraham.”
He came to be with real people, to live as a real person, and
demonstrate for us that his expectations can be met. As he, himself, was tested, he can help us
through our tests.
Maintaining the faith of Christmas takes a great deal of energy
and we cannot do it by ourselves. We have to rely on the strength of the Holy
Spirit who dwells within us. We are called into the ministry every day, not
just for a season. We need to keep our eyes open to the tests around us and our
hearts open to our role in responding to the tests. Being open to the Holy
Spirit allows us to do all things we should.
Let us remember that Christ was tested just as we are and
has left us the Holy Spirit in order that we might survive our trials just as
well as he did. He gives us the ability to meet the needs that surround us in
our every day as we allow him to. Let us move into the Christmas season, just
as we moved through Advent and will move on to the next. Each season gives us a
reason for service, not just a single joyous day of celebration. Each season
has a mission, and while we recover from the holiday, let us truly seek out the
mission it leaves for us.
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