Christmas Eve
by
Pastor Joseph McGaha
First Baptist Church, Lenoir City, TN
Often we feel as if time is almost standing still. Events and circumstances that are important to us are moving at a snails pace. It could be the arrival of a child, the prospect of a new job, or even the coming of Christmas. For children especially, Christmas seems as if it will never get here. The days and weeks seem to drag on and on. Mom and Dad have taken care of the tree, gifts have been purchased and packages have been wrapped, the hours seem like days; but still Christmas is not here! But then, after many weeks or even months of waiting, Christmas Day comes. It has finally happened! The day that you have been waiting for since December 26 of last year is here! The morning is filled with tons of excitement and activity. Bows and boxes now cover the living room floor as presents have been torn into by eager recipients. Gifts are exchanged and a happiness that should have been present all year long fills the heart.
I have often wondered what it must have been like for those individuals who lived in the years prior to the birth of Christ; especially after the Old Testament was completed. For four hundred years there is no word from Heaven. Perhaps
some began to wonder if the prophecies that had been given were ever going to come to pass. But When the fullness of time had come, there begins to be a whirlwind of angelic activity. Angels start appearing to the inhabitants of the earth, announcing to them that something wonderful was about to take place. A woman named Elizabeth hears that she will give birth to the forerunner of the Messiah. Zacharias, Elizabeth’s husband, is even told what to name the child.
Angels also visit a carpenter from Nazareth and his fiancee. It was to Mary that the news first came. She is told that she had found favor with God and was going to give birth to the Messiah. This news was troubling to her. She was a virgin.
How could she be with child? Joseph, confused and concerned, is instructed to take Mary as his wife for she is with child of the Holy Ghost. What an unusual time this must have been for these people. Aside from the appearance from the angels and the miraculous news that each was told; there is something else that these individuals have in common. Upon the arrival of the angel, each person became overcome with fear. Think about this for a minute. The very people who had waited for so long for the coming of the Messiah were now gripped with
extreme fear. To each person, there is a common response. For when they were afraid, they are told - “Fear Not.” Even the shepherds were fearful at first. The words “Fear Not” are also spoken to them, assuring them that they need not be
afraid of this wonderful event that was taking place.
So often we are just like these people. We pray, we long for, and even try our best to cause something to take place; and when it does we are suddenly afraid of What the future will hold. Gripped with fear we run frantically to and fro
searching for answers and assurance, when God has already given them to us in His Word. The New Year, and the remainder of this one for that matter, may bring with it cares and concerns, Worries and Woes. At times anxiety may capture our attention and consume our thoughts. But for the Child of God, for the believer in the inerrant, infallible, inspired Word of God, our hearts can be set at rest and be comforted with the knowledge that God is in control of it all. Nothing has ever, or will ever, escape Him. The very One that made the heart can speak peace to the heart even in the midst of a fearful storm. In 2018, and every day, Fear Not!
Pastor Jody
I have often wondered what it must have been like for those individuals who lived in the years prior to the birth of Christ; especially after the Old Testament was completed. For four hundred years there is no word from Heaven. Perhaps
some began to wonder if the prophecies that had been given were ever going to come to pass. But When the fullness of time had come, there begins to be a whirlwind of angelic activity. Angels start appearing to the inhabitants of the earth, announcing to them that something wonderful was about to take place. A woman named Elizabeth hears that she will give birth to the forerunner of the Messiah. Zacharias, Elizabeth’s husband, is even told what to name the child.
Angels also visit a carpenter from Nazareth and his fiancee. It was to Mary that the news first came. She is told that she had found favor with God and was going to give birth to the Messiah. This news was troubling to her. She was a virgin.
How could she be with child? Joseph, confused and concerned, is instructed to take Mary as his wife for she is with child of the Holy Ghost. What an unusual time this must have been for these people. Aside from the appearance from the angels and the miraculous news that each was told; there is something else that these individuals have in common. Upon the arrival of the angel, each person became overcome with fear. Think about this for a minute. The very people who had waited for so long for the coming of the Messiah were now gripped with
extreme fear. To each person, there is a common response. For when they were afraid, they are told - “Fear Not.” Even the shepherds were fearful at first. The words “Fear Not” are also spoken to them, assuring them that they need not be
afraid of this wonderful event that was taking place.
So often we are just like these people. We pray, we long for, and even try our best to cause something to take place; and when it does we are suddenly afraid of What the future will hold. Gripped with fear we run frantically to and fro
searching for answers and assurance, when God has already given them to us in His Word. The New Year, and the remainder of this one for that matter, may bring with it cares and concerns, Worries and Woes. At times anxiety may capture our attention and consume our thoughts. But for the Child of God, for the believer in the inerrant, infallible, inspired Word of God, our hearts can be set at rest and be comforted with the knowledge that God is in control of it all. Nothing has ever, or will ever, escape Him. The very One that made the heart can speak peace to the heart even in the midst of a fearful storm. In 2018, and every day, Fear Not!
Pastor Jody