When Christmas is not Perfect
Published by Stanley Pouw in 2013 · 15 December 2013
I. CHRISTMAS CAN BE FULL OF HASSLES.
For many Christmas time is a time for paying bills without money; a time for finding yourself a year older. Christmas costs too much, too much time in shopping and decorating, too much stress trying to get everything done. But think about it, it was a hassle for Joseph and Mary too.
The first hassle was Mary’s pregnancy. Joseph and Mary were betrothed, but not married. Joseph was ready to call the whole thing off until an angel explained the situation. Would the angel explain the situation to mom and dad and the rest of the family? Imagine what Mary endured as an unwed mother, the whispers and guessing: why Joseph would do such a thing or who would have thought such a thing of a nice girl like Mary?
Not long afterwards the Emperor made every male Israelite return to their birthplace and pay a new tax---a bill Joseph hadn’t planned on paying, a trip he hadn’t planned on making. They make the difficult trip to Bethlehem, where they meet another hassle: no room in the inn. So Joseph settles for the only accommodations available: a stable surrounded by animals, without a doctor, without a nurse, without an epidural, Mary gives birth and everything is OK. But not for long.
Matthew 2:13-15 says, “Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, “Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him.”14 When he arose, he took the young Child and His mother by night and departed for Egypt, 15 and was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, “Out of Egypt I called My Son.”
How would you respond? Lord, haven’t we been through enough? But Joseph packs up his family, and strikes out for Egypt, where he stays waiting for a word from the angel. Over and over Joseph and Mary endure hassles all for the sake of the Baby.
But notice something: for every hassle, God provides help. He sends angels to explain what He’s doing. He provides funds them to get to Bethlehem, and provides a reservation in the stable. He sends the Wise Men’s gifts to finance the rescue of Jesus from Herod. Over and over God always provides help to deal with our hassles.
And He does the same thing for you and me. He won’t always save you from every pothole in the road, but He will give you grace to keep on going. When Christmas is full of hassles, remember God is full of help. Psalm 46:1 says, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” Why not turn to God for help?
II. CHRISTMAS CAN ALSO BE FULL OF HURT.
Pain doesn’t take a holiday. Christmas is a bitter time for many. Sometimes it is grief missing a loved one who has passed on; sometimes it is living in a sick or handicapped body. The single person or divorcee dreads spending another lonely Christmas wondering why. Families of military men and women miss loved ones even more at Christmas than any other time.
But the truth is Christmas has been full of hurt ever since Jesus was born. When Herod figures out the Wise Men have fooled him, he gives orders for his troops to ride out to the little town of Bethlehem to kill all small sons 2 years old and younger. These innocent children are slaughtered like lambs and nobody even tells the parents why their little boys were murdered.
O God, why do you leave me here, hurting and helpless in this sick body? Lord, why do I have to hurt so much at Christmas? There is no answer, all we really know is that God makes a promise to all of us who are in pain: He promises His presence. Psalm 34:18-19 says, “The LORD is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit. 19Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him out of them all.” So what does Christmas really offer to hassled and hurting people?
III. CHRISTMAS BRINGS US HOPE.
People can live decades bearing the heavy burden of shame and guilt of wrong choices, with no hope of forgiveness, no hope of peace. People can spend all their lives looking for meaning or purpose. People can live and die with absolutely no hope that they will live again after they die. But nobody has to live without hope.
Matthew 2:19-23, “Now when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, 20 saying, “Arise, take the young Child and His mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the young Child’s life are dead.” 21 Then he arose, took the young Child and His mother, and came into the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea instead of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And being warned by God in a dream, he turned aside into the region of Galilee. 23 And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, “He shall be called a Nazarene.”
Because Jesus lives, you and I can have hope today. Vs. 19 tells us the Baby lives despite the wicked king Herod who tried to kill him. History tells us Herod’s kingdom is divided up among his heirs. And an angel announces to Joseph its safe to go back to Israel, so once again the little family packs up and hits the road. So after praying Joseph and his family to go to Nazareth, where Jesus spends the rest of His growing up years, waiting for the day He will fulfill His mission.
The Bible explains it this way: John 13:1, “Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour had come that He should depart from this world to the Father.” Jesus didn’t die in Bethlehem as a Baby because His hour had not come. It would not come until many years later, when Jesus would willingly, purposefully lay down His life on the Cross to offer us hope.
That Baby in the manger grew up to be the Lamb of God on the Cross, and that Cross is what brings hope to the hassled, hurting people who need to know that Jesus paid the price for their sins. He cares for them, and with that hope, God can help them start all over again, can erase their past and give them eternal life. That’s why you and I can celebrate Christmas.
God doesn’t offer us a hassle free or hurt free life, but He does offer us a hope-filled life through our faith in Jesus Christ. This evening, Jesus Christ invites you to follow Him, and hope again, in spite of all the hassles and all the hurting—hope you can find right now, by believing His Word, and accepting His love. Let us come tonight to Him.