God With UsSample

Christmas is a time of light and darkness.

In the weeks leading up to Christmas, in the country I call home, we encounter well-lit darkness everywhere we go. From lights on houses to churches where candles are lit, we experience that good kind of darkness that creates feelings of warmth and joy.

However, we also face a difficult kind of darkness. We battle an inner darkness in the places where we feel shame, regret, and depression. We sit at tables and remember those who are no longer with us and those we are estranged from relationally.

In the Scriptures, the people of Israel endured 400 years of darkness. This period is represented in the Bible between Malachi and Matthew. There was no prophetic word for the people during this time. Though many incredible events occurred, God did not speak to His people through a prophet for an unprecedented period. The people also experienced domination by the Greek and Roman empires. God's people were living through spiritual darkness. That was the environment Jesus was born into — a moment we celebrate at Christmas.

If you could summarize the message of Christmas and why it is good news, these three words would be enough: God with us.

Whether you're excited for the Christmas season or dreading it…

Whether you're counting down the days until Christmas is here or you're counting down the days until it's over…

Whether you're weary or rejoicing, the message of Christmas is that wherever you are, God is with you. The big idea of this reading plan is pretty simple - God can only meet us where we are, not where we wish we were.

God can't meet us in the places that we wish we were. After all, many of us wish we were somewhere else, doing something else, perhaps with someone else.

If God can only meet us where we are and not where we wish we were, then we'll have to get honest and accept where we are.

Today, I want to offer you an invitation. What if you were honest with God and yourself this Advent season? Consider what Advent means as you begin to prepare and anticipate the arrival of Jesus' birth. It means "arrival" or "entrance." If God only meets us where we are, then we'll have a hard time meeting Him there if we're not honest about where we are.

So, I encourage you to open your journal or take a walk. Tell God how you're feeling this Advent season, and be honest about where you are—mentally, emotionally, spiritually, relationally, or physically.

On the second day of this plan, we'll discover a surprising connection between the opening scene of the Bible and the famous nativity scene of Jesus' birth.