Well, here we are, 10 days away from Christmas and no doubt there is panic starting to set in. If you’re hosting Christmas this year you need to have all the food and drinks organized, getting the house tidy – it’s certainly not something you want to be doing in the days leading up to Christmas. Already Wantirna Road is at a standstill with cars banked up trying to get into the carpark at Eastland. I’m sure Knox or whatever shopping centre you use is the same.
Then there are all the cards, presents, breakups and who knows what else you have to keep on top of – and don’t even think about the cost or the cleanup until after Christmas. And here Paul is telling us to rejoice about the birth of Jesus. And just in case you didn’t hear him – AGAIN I say rejoice.
Paul says that our reason for rejoicing is because “The Lord is near” – and yet this is the very reason many are stressed and can’t wait for Christmas to be over. But there is a difference between Christmas is near and the Lord is near. The Lord is near is what gives us hope. Paul also had stress in his life coping with the persecutions and hardships he was undergoing because of his faith. And it wasn’t because he was hosting Christmas or trying to find a car park:
He said: I’ve been in prison, been flogged, exposed to death again and again. Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked.
But it was his last hardship that probably caused more stress than anything else: Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches.
How did Paul deal with all these stresses? First by remembering that in all these matters – “The Lord is near”. The Lord is near – both in a present sense and in a future sense. The present sense – our Baptismal promise made by Jesus – I am with you always. So Christmas, Christ coming, is not just a one day celebration but a lifetime celebration. So as you pack up Christmas – don’t pack up Jesus. As you clean up the mess – remember, Jesus cleans up the mess in our lives.
The future sense – the promise that Jesus is returning to bring us home where there will be no more suffering or death. Hence Paul’s encouragement in Romans – I consider that our PRESENT sufferings are not worth comparing to the FUTURE glory that awaits. And how Paul dealt with these stressful situations was through prayer – as he says – and encourages us: The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
Prayer is often relegated to the thing we do when everything else has been tried. We tend to bottle up our stress – we bury it deep inside – but it doesn’t go away. Or sometimes prayer is a gesture we make but forget to follow up on – I’ll keep you in my prayers – or “our thoughts and prayers are with you”.
But here Paul brings prayer to the forefront of the Christian life: In EVERYTHING by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And Paul assures us that when we understand this and stop worrying about things and let God into our stresses we will experience something extraordinary: The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Keep a listen for this when people quote this text;You’ll often hear them saying – the peace of God that surpasses all “human” understanding’. No!
God’s peace surpasses ALL understanding – not just human. It surpasses even the heavenly realm who must wonder at times why does God persist with us when we constantly rejects and disobeys him. As Psalm 8 asks and is repeated in Hebrews chapter 2 – what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? And that’s why Jesus says in John chapter 14: Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. That’s why Paul rejoices and urges us to rejoice – and again I will say rejoice.
The birth of Jesus as we celebrate Christmas is the most incredible act of love by God for humankind. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son so that whoever believes in him will not perish but receive eternal life. Do not let the commercialism, busyness and earthliness of Christmas remove the joy that Jesus brings to us. As we sing in the Christmas Carol – Joy to the World – the Lord is come. Christmas is the most joyous time of the year and along with Paul I say: Rejoice in the Lord always – again I will say rejoice. And as you do and as you bring all your cares to God you have the assurance that the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
