When Jesus, the Messiah of Israel, was born on this earth, a lot of people missed what had happened. King Herod of Judea didn’t miss that the Jewish Messiah, also called the king of the Jews, had been born. But he did miss the point of the child’s birth. He feared this child being born, but only because he thought the child was after his throne. Herod was looking for a rival to his own power and wealth. The result of this misunderstanding of what or who Jesus was led Herod to tragically murder many of the children in the area. Is it possible that we, too, have missed the Messiah or misunderstood who Jesus is?

Not only are we extra busy during Christmas, but we are busy people all year round. It is easy to be challenged by our business, our events, or our trials, great and small. We miss the child, the man, the minister, the teacher, and the salvation of our lives, even when He comes to us in the moment. Jesus was and is the Incarnation of God on earth, born to live, teach, die, and save us in his resurrection. He is the past and present presence of God. No matter the generation, the time of day or night, Christ our Lord is with us. Emmanuel, a name for Jesus the Christ of God, is one of the biblical names used for Jesus, meaning “God is with us.” And too often, we miss the fact that the Lord of all is with us, and for us, each and every one. It is easy to get caught up like the masses of Israel, looking for the Messiah of our understanding to come and sweep the Romans or our problems away. We can also be like Herod at times, hopefully a much kinder version, and see the teachings and the paths God has laid out for us, as God is against me, thus we shield our personal world from the love and transformation of God in Christ. We insist on walking our own paths, then wonder why we can’t find God when we need Him. From time to time, we may understand our need for the Lord, but we are too busy looking at ourselves and our ways to see the saving grace God has put in front of us.

Remember the Gospel story of how Peter saw Jesus in the storm on the Sea of Galilee? Peter wanted to be with Jesus; he saw him and heard him call out to join him. So, Peter got out of the boat, the safest place a person in a storm could be. And looking and seeing Jesus, he faithfully walked on top of the dangerous storm waters toward Jesus. Everything went great until Peter took his eyes off of Jesus and the way to the Lord. When he looked at the storm around him, he forgot about his faith and began to sink into the sea. Even so, Jesus stayed with Peter, reached down into the merciless waves, and pulled him to safety.

There are storms in everyday life; some are small, and some are terrifying and life-threatening. They occupy much of our lives and leave little room for anything else. So we look and pray for good weather, we understandably want to stay safe and dry. Unfortunately, we often don’t see Jesus in the safe and dry times of our lives.

Many times, we don’t think he is needed at the moment and our eyes focus on everything else. Then the big storm hits and we don’t know where our Messiah is; we don’t know where to look. But he is there, with an open heart and hand. Sometimes, he uses His people to reach out to us. As Christians, that means it could be us who the Lord sends to someone to teach them or remind them where they truly find their salvation in this life and the one to come. It is often through God’s people that the Lord speaks to us and loves us in a way that opens our hearts and minds to the real source of power and love.

We are called to be like Christ, so the hurting world can see the God they desperately need, that they may see or feel the healing grace of God in times of storms.

A great example is our prayer and care team. On Wednesday, they visited the Bridgeport Stagecoach Retirement, Rehabilitation, and Nursing Center. They sang carols and shared gifts with the residents. Afterwards, they went to many of the homes of people who can’t easily leave their houses. Their songs of Christmas were pure joy to all who received them. They showed the love of Christ to the people they met. I can say this with certainty. Because Tracie and I were on the list. It was a list I didn’t expect to find myself on. At least not this year. But it was wonderful. We enjoyed the love and grace of Jesus through this small group of people from our church family. It was beautiful and filled our hearts with Christ’s love for us.

This year has been different. Tracie and I are enjoying the Christmas time through the thoughtful love and joy of so many people sent by the Lord. I know my Christ is with us and loves us because we have seen him in the hearts of others.

In Christmas, we all can celebrate the joy of Jesus. How? Because Jesus Christ is with you all, and we find him in one another!

God bless and may the grace and peace of our Lord be with you. Merry Christmas!

Pastor Rick