Merry Christmas to a Broken World

What makes Christmas so wonderful? Obviously this question is answered differently for many people. For some it is the time spent with friends and family that they love dearly. Others find joy in the simple things such as a a warm fire and hot chocolate. Kids can't wait to unwrap those gifts that have been taunting them ever since they were placed under the tree. Parents live for the expression of joy on their kids faces as they unwrap them.

But for every wonderful experience comes a tragic one. Perhaps Christmas reminds us of our broken family, loneliness, or poor circumstances. I feel that this is the reality for most and no matter how hard I try or how much I write, I cannot wrap my mind around it. There are so many lost and hungry, so many souls that are weary and just need a place to rest, so many families broken beyond repair, so many people just looking for a friend, so many in pain, so many abused, so many guilty, so many imprisoned; so many that have lost all hope. 

Christmas was marked by the birth of a God in the flesh, Jesus Christ, through a frightened teenage girl. Only when we examine Jesus's life can we understand how all of this makes sense. 

Matthew 2:17- On hearing this, Jesus said to them, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."

Yes Christmas is about God's gift of Christ to earth but we overlook one crucial detail, the receiver. You see, the gift is as much about the receiver as it is the giver and the gift itself. The receiver in this story is earth. My friends, Christ is a gift to the lost, the hungry, the weary, the broken, the lonely, those in pain, the abused, the sinners, the imprisoned; those without hope, A.K.A. us! 

Christmas is about these hurting people that Christ came for. Christmas is a turning point in the most profound love story in all history. This story involves all of us. We are the couriers of the gift of God which is love! I encourage everyone not to bare the burden of the world with depression and sadness but with Joy KNOWING that God is working to prepare the world for his kingdom.  Therefore let us minister to the needs of those around us. 

I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas no matter what their circumstances because the Joy of the gift of God is available freely for all!