Part 3 of a 3-Part Advent Series
How would you describe your comfort zone? While comfort zones might look different from person to person, most of us would be able to describe our comfort zones as calm and bright. They are the places or circumstances in which we are at peace without stress or anxiety. Over the last two weeks, we have looked at Jesus as the Word and the Light who has the power to provide that peace by making our lives calm and bright. He alone provides a sort of “comfort zone” for believers through eternal security of salvation. Paradoxically, the reason Jesus is able to provide this comfort zone for us is because he left his own comfort zone when he came to earth on the first Christmas. In order to be our source of peace and light, Jesus had to experience a day that was neither calm nor bright. Quite the opposite. He had to experience a day of pain, death, and darkness.
“There in the ground his body lay, Light of the World by darkness slain.”
The Gettys penned this particular day well in their song “In Christ Alone” when they wrote, “There in the ground his body lay, Light of the World by darkness slain.” Three decades after the so-called silent night of the manger scene, the little baby boy had grown into a man. This pure and sinless man took our sins and the sins of the whole world upon himself and died the death we deserve in order to satisfy the wrath of God.
The darkness thought it was victorious on that sad day, but – praise God – that’s not where the story ends! “There in the ground his body lay, Light of the World by darkness slain, Then bursting forth in Glorious Day, Up from the grave he rose again!” The darkness did not win! The Light of the World proved who he was by rising again.
This Jesus, the Word, nows calls us into a personal relationship with God through the power of the Holy Spirit. It is not always easy to be a follower of Christ. While Jesus provides the "comfort zone" of our secure salvation, he often draws us out of our self-made comfort zones to impact the dark world for him. As the Word and the Light, he makes our lives calm and bright regardless of our circumstances, and he also gives us everything we need to speak truth and bring light to those around us.
What does all of this mean for us this week as we wait for Christmas Day? (If you are an unbeliever, I pray you would use this time to consider your sins and your need for salvation through Christ. May this be the first Christmas that you truly understand why this little baby came.) For believers, it means we need to look for ways to bless others by sharing the light of Christ with them, even if it means getting out of our comfort zones. Here are a few ideas:
1. Read Luke 2 as a family before you open gifts.
2. Anonymously give a gift card to a family in need.
3. Leave a really big tip for your server with a note that says, “God loves you. Merry Christmas!”
4. Ask a cashier or server how you can pray for them this Christmas, and pray with them on the spot.
5. Hand out McDonald’s biscuits to the homeless or to the people in the emergency room on Christmas morning and share the true story of Christmas.
Do something that is not in your normal routine. It doesn’t have to be grand or difficult. Just do something to make a difference.
Jesus was not concerned about his comfort zone when he provided our eternal "comfort zone." He left his throne in heaven to come to earth as a baby. The powerful Word who spoke the universe into existence had to be rocked to sleep. The very one who invented the mechanism for walking and who created legs out of the dust had to be taught how to walk. The Son of God who never sinned a single time chose to die a sinner’s death on the cross for you and for me. If Jesus could do those things, surely we can show love to someone in a special way this Christmas. Jesus will calm our hearts and light our paths as we respond in obedience to him.
Merry Christmas!
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