Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel;
Born is the King of Israel!

“She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Matthew 1:21 NIV

It is widely known that Noël is the French word for Christmas, but do you know the original origin of the word? Noël comes from the Latin word natalis, meaning “birth.” Therefore, the title of the hymn, fully translated, is “The First Birth.” This song is about the Nativity Story, the birth of Jesus as we see in the Bible. Angels came to Joseph and Mary, telling them “She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21).

Jesus came to save us from our sins. That is what this season is about for us: the remembrance of this birth, and the life of Jesus. He was born here, lived here, died here, and was raised again here, all so that we had a new way to find relationship with God. This song reminds of the hopes and the expectations of salvation that came with the birth of Jesus, and serves to remind us that, no matter where we find ourselves in our lives right now, that this Jesus was here, and we will always have hope in that. This is a chance to celebrate not only the newness of his life, but this season all provides you an opportunity to start your life over with a new birth.

Whatever sin, whatever shortcoming, whatever failure, whatever weakness you have, a child was born, and he has come to save you.

Questions:
What are the things that you need Jesus to save you from?

How could this birth change the lives of people you know this holiday season? What will you do about it?

Chestnuts roasting on an open fire,
Jack Frost nipping at your nose,
Yuletide carols being sung by a choir,
And folks dressed up like Eskimos.

I live in the high and holy places, but also with the low-spirited, the spirit-crushed, And what I do is put new spirit in them, get them up and on their feet again.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     Isaiah 57:15 MSG

If there’s one song that has the “Christmas Spirit” it’s this one. It makes us think of a scene from a Norman Rockwell painting. Or maybe we imagine carollers coming to our doors while we offer them some tasty, homemade apple cider fresh off the stove. We attend parties at friend’s houses and services at church. Let’s not forget about being all bundled up on Christmas morning with our families while the most beautiful snowflakes fall to the ground.

And then in the midst of our Christmas illusions, our children storm into the room yelling “Mom!” or “Dad!” because someone hit them or because one of them use the other’s pellet gun without asking or because one of the neighbours took the basketball away that they had or because they fell off the zip line. Oh, for the love of all that is good and right in the world, can we not stay in our little piece of Christmas paradise just a tad bit longer?

That’s life, isn’t it? No matter how perfect we try to paint the canvas of our lives, there will always be something extra put on it that wasn’t in our minds when we dreamed it. Something that cramps our perfect picture. Something that breaks our heart.

A relationship that ended.
A loved one who died prematurely.
The betrayal of a friend.

Did you know that God isn’t surprised by the interruptions in our lives? In fact, nothing surprises Him. Don’t mistake bad things happening in your life as Him not being in control. No, this is not about His ability but about His sovereignty.

While we may wish that bad things would never happened in our lives, they will happen. Jesus said we’d have trouble (John 16:33), but He also promised that He’d calm us in the midst of it (John 14:16). So, no matter where we are in life, whether we expected to be on the path we are on or not, rest assured, that our God can make broken things beautiful.

Friend, we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who’ve been called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). Press on and trust in the One who will never let you down.

Questions:
How have you seen God in control in the midst of life’s interruptions?

Still, still, still, One can hear the falling snow.
For all is hushed, The world is sleeping
Holy Star its vigil keeping
Still, still, still, One can hear the falling snow.

“Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”
Psalm 46:10 NIV

Still, still, still… These words do not seem to have a place in the hustle and bustle of a busy life, especially at Christmas time. Parties, presents and projects usually have us in a frantic frenzy as we rush from one event to the next. Often, before we know it, Christmas day has come and gone and we realize that, despite our good intentions, we never experienced the peace that comes from truly relishing in God’s amazing love for us.

Isn’t it interesting that God commands us to “Be still”? Do you think it’s because he knows we sometimes have a hard time doing it on our own?

What happens when we actually take time to be still? The answer lies in Psalm 46:10…”Be still and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth”. When you are still before God, you better understand that whatever you are facing, whatever your day has been like, you can completely rest in the fact that God is God. He’s awesome and amazing and sovereign. He loves us more than we can imagine and He’s got things under control.

Spend time today purposely pursuing stillness in different moments. Perhaps you could wrap up in a blanket & head outside for a peek at the stars, wondering what that holy star looked like, the one that signalled Christ’s birth many years ago. Maybe take a minute to watch your young child sleep and you wonder what Mary and Joseph thought of their newborn son as you gaze at your own child’s sweet face. Open your Bible, read a favourite Scripture…then sit and wait.

Questions:
What truths resonate in your soul about Christ as you take time to be still before Him?

Mild He lays His glory by;
Born that man no more may die.
Born to raise the sons of earth;
Born to give them second birth.

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.                        1 Peter 1:3 NIV

It’s fun to look at a tiny baby and imagine what he will grow up to become. It could be anything – a pilot, a policeman, a chef, an astronaut, a pastor, or a million other options. The future is wide open and full of possibilities.

Jesus was born with one purpose. As it says in the carol, he was “born that man no more may die.” His birth was all about our new birth. In 1 Peter 1:3, Peter praises God for the “new birth into a living hope” – and all that is possible because Jesus laid aside his glory and offered Himself in our place, taking the punishment of death we deserved for our sins. His death and resurrection gives us new life. As you go about your business and your busyness of the season, intentionally take a few moments to slow down and remember that Jesus was born to give YOU a second birth. What a reason to praise Him!

Questions:
How do you express your gratitude to Jesus for the new life He gives you?

Who in your life doesn’t yet realize the true reason for Jesus’ birth? What will you do to share it with them?

Christmas Eve will find me
Where the love light gleams
I’ll be home for Christmas
If only in my dreams

But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior. He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same power with which he will bring everything under his control.
Philippians 3:20 NLT

The term home is simply defined as this: Where one resides. A familiar setting. A place of origin. Where’s our home?

Our home is the place where we’ve spent most of our years growing up and making memories. It’s where we took our first steps. It’s where we learned to drive a car. It’s where we had our first crush. It’s the place where we graduated high school and college and maybe even met our spouse. Or our home may be the place where we now reside. A place where we’ve grown into the people we are now. Home for us is where we feel at ease with those we love the most. It’s the place where we can be ourselves and not worry about the world outside. Home is where our heart is.

Or is it? According to Webster, our home is where we reside, it’s our place of origin, our familiar setting. But according to the 1 Peter 2:11, our home isn’t in this world:

Friends, this world is not your home, so don’t make yourselves cozy in it.                                                                                                                                                 Don’t indulge your ego at the expense of your soul.

There is nothing wrong with enjoying places on earth. We have wonderful memories and experiences in different places our entire lives. But we weren’t meant to be 100% at home here. Our home is with our Jesus in Heaven. Until He says it’s time to be with Him, we’ll stay here. And as much as we love our earthly homes, we’ll never be fully satisfied. It could be what songwriter Laura Story says in her famous song, Blessings:

What if my greatest disappointments or the aching in this life is the                                                                                                                                                          revealing of a greater thirst this world can’t satisfy.

Only Christ can satisfy. Only His presence and peace can bring us pure, unadulterated joy. Only His comfort can truly take us off the ledge of disappointment and disaster. One day we will truly be Home with Him. Not just for Christmas but for eternity.

And what a day of rejoicing that will be.

Questions:
How can you allow Christ to satisfy you and to fulfill your every need this Christmas season, instead of relying on what the world can give?