Reason #685

Waiting is tiring isn't it? I hate waiting on big events to arrive. It seems like once you have a date set, time takes forever to pass. Think back to your wedding day. Now, it seems like the time flew by. Then, it seemed like the day was never going to get here. The same goes for graduation, vacation, holidays, and birthdays. I'm in the stage of life where everyone starts having babies. Some people share the news really early on, like the moment they find out, and so it seems like they have super long pregnancy. All pregnancies are the same length, but the earlier you know about it, the longer it seems. And so the seasons pass before that baby is born and a lot happens before they get here.

I was listening to Christmas music on the way to the groomer's this morning. O Holy Night was playing, which is my favorite Christmas song. Gives me chills just about every time I hear it. And I thought about the night that Jesus was born. Here's the thing, Mary knew she was going to be a mother before she became pregnant. And before Mary found out, a whole crew of people knew this baby was coming. In fact, they had been waiting on Him to make his arrival for centuries. We think 9 months is a long time, can you imagine what that wait was like? More than ready for that new baby to enter into this world and bring along hope with Him because they desperately needed it.

"A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices..."

Maybe you're weary, too. Maybe you're tired and you're worn down. The world is just letting you have it and you feel like you can't take it anymore. Maybe you're lost in the darkness, exhausted from trying to find your way out. Tired of fighting to keep your head above the waters. Tired of getting knocked down over and over again. Maybe you're tired of waiting for the perfect job opportunity, tired of being alone, tired of winning what seems to be a losing game, tired of disappointment.

It's the end of the year, and everyone is tired. But maybe there's a reason Christmas is in December. We've had a full year to fail, mess up, start over, keep going, and to keep trying and we're a little worn out. Exhausted and weary from every day life, from the never ending challenges, from fleshly battles, and from the constant tick of the clock. But rather than bringing more exhaustion and stress along with it, Christmas brings hope. A time where we stop and we rejoice because He came down to join us in the mess. Hope because He came to rescue us from this world. To take on our burdens, bear our sins, die our death, so that our weary souls could receive abundant life.

We don't have to wait for it. He has come! Wrapped in flesh, He dwelled among us. Immanuel, God with us. And so we rejoice because He has come with hope, come with peace, and come so that we may find rest in the new life He has given to us.

#685 - Because He came to bring hope to a weary world!

"Then Isaiah said, “Hear now, you house of David! Is it not enough to try the patience of humans? Will you try the patience of my God also? Therefore the Lord himself will give you  a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel." - Isaiah 7:13-14

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