Christmas Is Coming!!!

Christmas is coming, that is FAITH. Long before the first Noel, Israel was looking for the coming King. That expectation bound together all of the Old Testament. Isaiah caught that hope so eloquently: "For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace". Isaiah 9:6 (NLT) Sometimes I have trouble keeping the Christmas faith. Times of intense suffering, times of emotional pain, times of financial insecurity, times of strained or fractured relationships, times of grief and sorrow. But I must keep the faith…Christmas is coming! We can take courage from Habakkuk: "This vision is for a future time. It describes the end, and it will be fulfilled. If it seems slow in coming, wait patiently, for it will surely take place. It will not be delayed." Hab 2:3 (NLT) The Christmas I am talking about is more than December 25, it is when Christ is re-born into our everyday lives. It is when He is re-born into our suffering, failures and even our joys. Soon after the holidays, the trees will go into the trash, many of the trinkets and toys will be broken, and families will go back to their jobs and duties. Decorations will be stored for another year, but the Baby lives! Jesus lives to love us. He lives to comfort our aching hearts. He lives to touch our beds of pain. He lives to carry our sins. He lives to conquer the grave. He lives to rejoice in our victories. The great news has to be the fact that Christmas is coming! Hold on…Hang in there…Christmas is coming for you!