Title: Someone Who Can See Hope
Christmas (6) A person who can see hope (Luke 2:8-14)
<Live like Jesus who was humbled>
The beginning of Jesus' life was the manger and the last was the cross. On the other hand, isn't our life too easy and colorful? Today, the church prefers splendid buildings and power rather than stables or mangers, and church members too seek the way to fame, power, and wealth rather than the way of the cross. Then it will be difficult to live a life that will bring glory to heaven and peace to earth.
Now try to draw closer to the manger of Jesus. Understand rather than be understood, love rather than be loved, serve rather than be served, forsake yourself and die. That is the path the saints and the church must walk. When he tries to share the suffering of the poor, the starving, the sick, and the struggling, he also has peace of mind, and the church he belongs to becomes the church that gives birth to the baby Jesus on this earth today.
Some workers pray like this even when they are having a hard time. "God! Now the cold winter has come, which makes it difficult for the poor to live. Make sure no one freezes to death, protect people from poisoning with briquette gas when briquettes are briquettes, and when the weather turns cold, there are a lot of jobs lost, but help not to starve families because there are no jobs.” Those who can give their heart to their neighbors who are suffering like that are those who have accepted the baby Jesus and are truly wealthy.
One day, a monk saw a beggar shivering in the cold, took off his coat and hugged him tightly. Then that night Jesus appeared and said, “Dear son! Thanks to you, I slept well last night!” When Jesus tries to meet us, He comes to us in the form of a very small person. So, if you want to meet Jesus, find “some little man” rather than “some mysterious way” and communicate your love. That is another important way to meet the real Jesus.
When John the Baptist preached the message of repentance, people asked, “What should I do?” John the Baptist said in Luke 3:10-11. “Whoever has two coats, give it to the one who has nothing, and let him eat.” The fruit of repentance is sharing. When we lower our desires and share our things with our neighbors in need, true peace will blossom. So, if you really want peace, keep practicing to live in a state of having less and enjoying more.
<The person who sees hope in the manger>
The greatest purpose of the Lord's incarnation is to bring peace to this earth. “The glory of God” and “the pursuit of peace among men” are one (verse 14). So, wherever there is conflict and prejudice, always live as a mediator of peace and overcome uncomfortable relationships with someone. If you have feelings of disappointment in front of people, you cannot be proud of God.
Now let go of your disappointment and bless and pray for the person who made you sad. Then you will be happy, and grace and blessing will abound. Even if it takes 10 years to build a friendship, once it goes wrong, it is completely ruined. However, even friendships that have been broken for 10 years can be restored quickly if you think about the Lord's manger and put your heart into it. When God moves you, if you knock on the door of peace, he will open the door, and at the same time, God will also open the door of blessing.
You need to know forgiveness to revive your life. A forgiven being has also received a mission to forgive. Without forgiveness, God cannot be glorified no matter how great a religious act is. One of the greatest signs of believing in Jesus is peace. When the lame get up or the blind open their eyes, they say that a miracle has happened, but more important than such a miracle is the sign of peace. A spirituality with a sign of peace is a true spirituality.
The sign of peace is given by the love of the incarnation. If you love someone passionately, you will lose yourself in no time. To be overly stubborn in front of a loved one is not to love him. If you only show your self-esteem as a strong ego, you don't know love well. If you truly love, your pride will melt like snow while you are in love. When you love, you become smaller in front of the object you love, and when you love more, you disappear completely in front of the object you love.
There was no miracle, no brilliant light, no earthly glory in the Bethlehem manger. Leave the splendid Tower of Babel and descend to the Bethlehem manger. The baby Jesus in the manger in Bethlehem was the seed of hope that took away all despair. Those who can see hope in that manger will never despair in any difficult situation.