Commercial Christmas, part 2

Christmas is a hurtful, bitter time for many. Losing a loved one, losing a job, or whatever else the situation is, doesn't bring joy to people on Christmas. These people are hurting and broken. Christmas is a time of joy and hope, but they have none. Memories bring sorrow for them. Christmas reminds these people of another year gone by, another year someone has been gone. Or think about the people all across the globe that will have no Christmas. These people wake up as they do on every other day, just wondering how they will make it. This is our world.  This is what the society of Commercial Christmas doesn't mention. This is the part that is put on the shelf behind toys, electronics, and appliances. This is what a society looks like without Jesus. This is what a world looks like without Jesus. This is a society without hope. But, in God's perfect wisdom, that is not the case. We don't live in a world without Him. Our world was the same way two thousand years ago. The world was hurting, it had no hope. But that night the Hope of nations, the Son of God, Jesus, was born into a tiny manger in the small town of Bethlehem. That night the world had hope. We were no longer separated from our Heavenly Father. The magnitude of that night will never be surpassed in all of history, because it was on that night that God sent His Son so that we might be "white as snow" (Isaiah 1:18). It was on that night that God sent His Son so that we could worship Him forever in eternity. Jesus came to give us hope. This Christmas season, our world is the same as the one Jesus came into. People are busy, looking for other things to provide joy. People are hurting, and hopeless. For those of us who have professed Jesus as our Savior, we need to share that hope. The hope of a God that loves them, and wants to spend eternity with them. So this Christmas season, enjoy the fun, the lights, the family, the memories, the gift shopping, the sights, and the sounds. And while you do these things, don't forget to tell about the One who gives us hope and joy, the ultimate Christmas present: Jesus.