Friday, December 15, 2023
Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to people he favors! Luke 2:14
The Savior in the Manger Gives Lasting Peace
Our theme at church this Christmas season is “Behold Him.” The Merriam Webster dictionary says that the word behold means to perceive through sight or apprehension; to gaze upon. When we behold something or someone it Is more than just a glance. It is even more than just looking with our eyes. To behold Jesus is to understand with our hearts. Although we cannot really look upon Him with our eyes, we can see Him with our hearts, and then we can truly understand who He is and what He brings.
It seems like it would be easier to see Him during the Christmas season. Especially for believers, we focus on His birth – God coming to earth as a baby, becoming a man who gave His life so we could find mercy, forgiveness, and eternal life. But I find that in the hustle and bustle of the season that is supposed to be all about Him, He can get lost quickly in the festivities, bows and wrapping paper, and programs. This month more than any other we need to be intentional about focusing on Him and thinking about who He really is. To be awed by His holiness is a gift, and to be in wonder over His love for us covers every other thing in our lives. To truly behold Him will bring us true peace in our hearts.
Our world today is harsh and the reality of the condition of the world we live in can be overwhelming, stealing our peace. During this season we talk a lot about peace and interject it into many aspects of the season. After all, one thing that the baby in the manger brings us is peace. This peace is the peace that we need in our hearts because this peace is constant, like the Savior who brings it. The harsh realities and circumstances of life cannot steal it away, nor does it come and go according to the circumstances of our lives.
When we truly behold Him, when we truly understand all He is and what He brings, we can find this true peace in our hearts. We won’t find lasting peace in setting out the nativity and other decorations. We won’t find lasting peace in the soft lights or candles glowing. We won’t find lasting peace in the soft carols playing. We won’t find lasting peace in traditions, events, programs or church services. We won’t find lasting peace in any of those places at Christmas if we don’t have His peace in our hearts. We will only find real peace by looking to the Savior in the manger. The Savior in the manger never changes.
This Christmas I pray we can truly behold Him. I hope we can see with our hearts the love He has for us and the incredible gifts He gives us. May we not just look but understand the Savior in the manger and the gifts He gives. Once you truly behold Him, you will never be the same again.
