Anglican Perspectives

God is Good. Christmas is Proof.

I’m not a big fan of Christmas shopping. I am however a fan of giving gifts to communicate love to my loved ones.  The shopping part, not so much though. Like many men, I don’t really shop anyway, I buy. I need something and a particular store has it. I go in, buy it, then leave. Done. My wife has tried to convince me that shopping is just researching for future buying. That idea helps me emotionally settle in when the right thing for our marriage is for me to follow her around a shopping center for a day!  Nevertheless, I’m not a big fan of Christmas shopping.

 

My wife has made it clear that she wants me to give her a new ornament each Christmas. Because I want to show her love, I make an annual trip to a nearby Hallmark store to buy one. This year, doing my best to get in and out of the store quickly, I found the perfect ornament, proceeded to the checkout counter where, in the impulse buy area, I saw a wooden sign that read, “God is Good. Christmas is Proof.” Although I didn’t buy it, its simple truth struck me. God is good. Christmas is proof! The fact that God is good is a message non-believers need to hear.

 

Many people don’t believe that God is (that he exists), however my experience has been that many more people believe God is but aren’t sure that God is good. The idea that there is an intelligent designer/creator is one thing, but whether that being is good or wants to be involved in our lives is another. Another message non-believers need to hear is one I first encountered through my work with “Celebrate Recovery”. Non-believers need to “Earnestly believe that God exists, that (they) matter to Him, and that He has the power to help (them) recover.” It’s the second part of that principle that I consistently saw people struggle with. “Sure, God exists and sure he is powerful. But that this powerful God actually cares about me and wants to help me, especially with all I’ve done wrong, is harder to believe.” It’s a question of his character. Is he good?

 

Christmas is proof that God is good and very much wants to be involved in our lives. Just reread some of these Christmas verses:

 

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.  John 1:14 (ESV)

 

But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.  Galatians 4:4-5 (ESV)

 

But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”  Matthew 1:20-21 (ESV)

 

For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.  Titus 3:3-7 (ESV)

 

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.  Romans 6:23 (ESV)

 

Be encouraged this Christmas that God is good. He is with you. By his mercy and grace you have been made a child of God and he dwells with you no matter how dark things may seem. Hope of eternal life is yours to hold on to.

 

Be bold this Christmas in proclaiming this proof of God’s goodness to any and all who don’t yet know it.

 

The Rev. Canon Mark Eldredge is Director of Church Revitalization & Coaching for the American Anglican Council.

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