Hope in Jesus for Christmas 2020

Oh, holy night! The stars are brightly shining;

It is the night of our dear Savior’s birth.

Long lay the world in sin and error pining,

Till He appeared and the soul felt its worth.

(Oh, Holy Night, Cappeau, P., 1847. Trans. Dwight, J.S.)

Our fallen world was shrouded in darkness, laying in sin and error for a very long time indeed. Because of Adam’s sin, all people are born as sinners and are spiritually dead (Rom. 3:1-20; Eph. 2:1-10). We’ve all sinned and “fallen short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23 ESV). We long, we mourn, we suffer, we ache as a result of sin.

The night was holy and set apart for all of history, created by a holy, holy, holy and supremely loving God, who “so loved the world that he gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life” (Jn. 3:16 ESV). Jesus, God Himself, became a baby. 

A baby.

A human. 

Jesus, fully God, also became fully man. He had to, because only a human who lived a perfect, sinless life could have paid the necessary penalty for our inborn sin. He was born to die, taking the punishment we all deserve, fulfilling all of our holy God’s just wrath on sin. 

Do you see this immense love, this amazing gift? (Rom 5:8; I Jn. 4:9-10). 

We who trust in Jesus Christ as our dear Savior know that our debt has been paid in full and, for all eternity, we will be with Him. 

Hope in baby Jesus, into weary of 2020

A thrill of hope – the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn!

Yet, we live in a world of weary. We are suffering globally this Christmas. Romans 8 describes our situation so well. 

For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now (Rom. 8:22 ESV). 

According to Matthew 24:3-14, we are living in a time of labor pains. But think about what is coming! As mothers, isn’t it hope in the baby’s arrival that gets us through those horrible labor pains? Isn’t it hope that we will soon see and hold our new baby? We look toward the baby to come at the end of our suffering. 

Yes, believers in Christ suffer from this fallen world’s labor pain. I know many of you are suffering agonizing trials right now. In our groaning and severe pain, as in childbirth, we are longing (Rom. 8:19). We are waiting 

eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies (Rom. 8:23 ESV).

So, we can rejoice into our weary and waiting, with a thrill of hope in Jesus for Christmas 2020! Why? We know what is coming for those who are in Christ!  

We wait for it with patience (Rom. 8:25b ESV).

Singing Christ’s Hope Into Your Suffering

Dear one, is the groaning overtaking your hope in Jesus this Christmas? As we wait for what we can’t yet see, is it hard to be patient for the completion of our Savior’s kingdom work? 

Beloved in Christ, maybe His metaphor of childbirth will remind us of our hope in Jesus this Christmas.

1. Our current suffering reminds us of the pain…and hope…of childbirth.
2. We then remember the pain of His justifying death for us.
3. We realize we can endure through assured hope in the day when we will see Jesus as He is and He eliminates pain forever! 

I recently read that this particular hope is what sustained the church’s earliest believers. It wasn’t hope in things changing on earth, but hope in the Baby who was born to redeem us and will restore all things one day. During this hard Christmas season of wearying loss, loneliness, and agony, let’s fall on our knees in worship to Jesus, our only hope as we suffer.

Because He became human, God incarnated, Jesus fully understands our true and deepest need and now reigns to bring it about for His beloved children. Can you hear the angel voices? We join the unending song at His throne!

Would gospel-centered Christmas songs help you? I’ve created this week’s YouTube playlist gift with singable songs to help you sing with hope in our incarnated Lord. It begins with the honest acknowledgment of our weary and groans, as in any time of lament and sorrow. Then it turns to the wonder of His incarnation…and a thrill of hope in what is to come. I pray that each lyric video I chose will help you to literally sing aloud, looking to Jesus with gospel hope!

Let’s adore Him this Christmas, into our weary and suffering, dear friend. If it would bless you to sing with daily renewed hope to our Savior, sign up here!

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