Hope is coming....What christmas means to me and hopefully an encouragement to you!

Normally christmas time i am irritated. I dont like singing the same songs every sunday all the time, and hearing the same message, even though its in the bible, I just feel like I can tell these stories in my sleep...

Last Christmas I got the revelation of the salvation story in the hymns on the day of christmas, listening beyond the familiar tunes, but lyrics like "long lay the world in sin and error pining, till he appeared and a soul felt its worth" and "Let earth receive her king. Let every heart prepare Him room". However only getting the revelation on Christmas, means I only took the cd's out that day and then it seemed a bit weird me only listening to christmas carols after christmas....

This year...In the midst of absolutely no money, so not doing the mad rush to the malls but at the same time the stress of having no money, you've got to be strong to remain positive while the bank calls twice a day... I began to read articles on christmas in an attempt to prepare my heart, so it doesnt just come and go by with no effect on my life heart.

Firstly I learnt that Christmas is about Giving. Giving of yourself, Not Spending Money. Spend money if u must , but that is not the point and giving occurs in many ways, helping someone by washing the car,etc, etc... If you have no money you kinda think what am i going to do...!!! and this was just an answer to me, help around the house, stop arguing back over silly things, let it go, give in that way...

Secondly in trying to prepare my heart i was doing exactly what one needs to do? Anticipate, Wait, Hope, Expect...the people before Christ were waiting for their Messiah. This time before Christmas is about that, Waiting for my King, my rescuer, preparing my heart, Focusing on Christ, the author and perfector of my faith... Sorting out that...

And Lastly I listened to this sermon of Trusting God in this Advent time...
http://www.enstb.co.za/index.php?id=110&date=2008-12-07...And with all my money and other issues, this sermon came right on time...

So this is what Christmas means to me....

Perhaps ur life sucks right now, perhaps u have many questions and nothing makes sense. Perhaps you want to ask people about it but they either not interested or misunderstanding, so it seems this hole you in is getting deeper and yes as a christian you supposed to have hope, but right now u just want to be an Ostrich and stick ur head in the sand, or pull the duvet over your head and say Please Wake me up when this is over!... Perhaps u didnt feel like that, but thats how i've been feeling. A collision of all my dreams with uncertainty, and uncertainty seemed to be winning. And in the midst of it God was saying look to me, but then sin became huge and falling for that to and so it became even harder to go with God's initial word because now i wasnt where I was at when I got the word from the Lord. And even after dealing with the sin and still God was whispering, spend more time with me, come to me, yet all my questions and issues still whirlpooling around in my mind this is where christmas come in. Advent comes in. I stop. I stop questioning. I stop looking. And I start looking up.

At who? Jesus. I start reading his word. I silence the questions and read psalms instead which amazingly has references to Christ too. I start preparing my heart. Even though I dont feel like it I start reading christmas articles and listening to beautiful Christmas music...www.myspace.com/saragroves...

And then...

Hope Comes. Christ Comes. Our answer comes. The messiah is here. Emmanuel God with Us. The Lord is my shepherd I shall not want. Jesus is coming. Jesus is our hope. Stop worrying about the money issues, Jesus is coming and with him comes new life, new peace, new hope...

Christmas...

A new beginning,
A new reminder
That Jesus is here

And he is my hope and my song and my deliverer... I will trust in the Lord in this time leading up to Christmas and even after, i will stop worrying about my problems because my redeemer, my God is coming and is with me!

So excited and will be having a merry little christmas...
becuase I have Jesus :) and though the world was weary and in sin and error pining till HE appeared and a soul felt its worth!!!

God bless you all...Peace, Hope and Joy and Love be with you, because Christ the prince of peace, Emmanuel is with you...and Hope is coming