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A Morning View From the Wood Stove

Christmas Eve is a day we bring Advent to a close and swing wide the door of Christmas. The Messiah has come. Emmanuel, God with us! The night of the dear Savior's birth. The reason for the season. So many ways to say Jesus. 

What does Jesus bring? You know, we wait for Santa to bring gifts. It is the most wonderful time of the year after all. So what does Jesus bring us? How can a baby born into unsanitary conditions with just family and the typical manger participants around him bring anything to the gift giving extravaganza? The next people to show up, as we are told are the less than marginalized shepherds fresh from the field. 

People were looking for a military strong person to lead them to freedom and peace while leading them away from oppression and suffering. God sent an innocent baby........... 

There was hope but there was fear. Hope produced patience but while being patient, doubt revealed itself in the hearts of humanity. Doubt then created faith because again, God promised redemption? Faith poured out of the doubts and fears of the people. Please realize this was not like a Hallmark movie where all of the sudden everything was alright. It can and does happen like a movie with God, but Israel coming back was a long difficult process. 

Faith will develop in the struggle of doubt. If God removed doubt from our lives, God would remove the need for the baby Jesus, Emmanuel. 

"Nevertheless, that time of darkness and despair will not go on forever. The land of Zebulun and Naphtali will be humbled, but there will be a time in the future when Galilee of the Gentiles, which lies along the road that runs between the Jordan and the sea, will be filled with glory. The people who walk in darkness will see a great light. For those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine.” - Isaiah 9:1-2 NLT

There is a doorway of doubt we face and need to decide if we are going to walk through it. All of the greatest faith is on the other side of the deepest doubt. So answering an earlier question, what does Jesus bring us? Jesus is the light of the world. For all who live in a land of darkness right now, a light will shine and the name of the light is Jesus. 

Peace in the Light,
PB

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