The Everyday Gospel Christmas DevotionalSample

We have no righteousness of our own; therefore, we place our hope in the presence and reign of the perfectly righteous one, Jesus.

Are you tired of another day of devastating news about some horrible thing happening somewhere in the world? Does your battle to cobble together a marriage of unity, understanding, and love discourage you? Are you exhausted by friendship hassles and family drama? Are you sick of hearing about the power of corrupt politicians or failed church leaders? Does your struggle to parent your children get you down? Does the moral state of the surrounding culture make you weary? Are you tired of all of the pain and loss around you? Do you look at all of these things and wonder what can be done? Sometimes it seems as though there’s more darkness than light in our world. Sometimes we find ourselves wondering where the true, wise, and moral leaders are. Often we wonder whether there’s anything that can be done to right the course.

Into the darkest of days in the time of the prophets, when it seemed as though things were about as bad as they could get and the end of the people of God was near, Jeremiah delivered words of hope. These words were not about human wisdom, human intervention, or new human solutions. When it comes to eradicating evil and setting the human community on a new course, human wisdom, strength, and righteousness fall short. This does not mean that we shouldn’t fight for what is right or fight against what is wrong, but it does mean that we are not the hope that we need. This is why the words of hope in the Old Testament—promises of what is to come—are so important. They speak comfort into sad and tired hearts:

"Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which he will be called: 'The Lord is our righteousness.'” (Jer. 23:5–6)

You may be thinking, “How do these words comfort us? Aren’t they the promise of a better earthly king for the children of Israel?” The New Testament writers understood these words to be specifically about and fulfilled by Jesus alone (see Matt. 2:2; Luke 1:32; 19:38; John 1:49). Ultimately there is only one solution to the many things that break our hearts and complicate our lives: it is the reign of the risen and ascended King Jesus. The righteous Branch has come and is now sitting at the right hand of the Father. His reign guarantees the final defeat of evil and the ushering in of a kingdom of righteousness and peace forever. In the midst of all the bad news that seems to flood into our lives every day, this is very good news. There is a righteous Branch, his will shall be done, and the scourge of evil will end forever.

Prayer:

I praise you, King Jesus! You are the righteous branch, promised of old. You have defeated evil and are ushering in a realm of righteous and peace! I extol your perfect rule and majestic reign over all things. May I rest secure in your everlasting kingdom. In your name I pray, amen.