What do you want for Christmas this year? It is likely not something that can be bought in a store. Join our congregation's writers for daily reflections, unveiling their heartfelt desires and dreams this holiday season. As their words help us lead us to the place of our own longings for this holiday season, they also remind us that in the place of our greatest Christmas wish, we will find God there with us.
Big thank you to Reid Gustafson. Reid is 13 years old and is a confirmation student here at Saint Luke. He is currently a freshman at Conestoga High School.
Solace
“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. -Matthew 11:28 MSG
We all know what conflicts and struggles are, whether it be a test you are struggling to pass, losing a loved one, or even simply having a bad day, or anything in your life that causes stress, anxiety, pain, suffering, and so on and so forth with negative emotions. But we are reminded multiple times by Jesus, not to worry, not to stress, not to be anxious. He tells us this so that we can go about loving and worshipping Him. Matthew 6:34 states “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” Jesus reassures us again in John 14:27, where He says, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” The Apostle Peter tells us to “cast all your anxieties on Him, because He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7), and at the end of the day Jesus beckons us towards Him with our stress, anxiety, and worries. He says in Matthew 11:28: “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
So, the next time that you are stressed, anxious, grieving, or in any way feeling down, there are multitudes of verses and quotes by Jesus and the Apostles, and throughout God’s Word, about how you are blessed for your struggles, loved, and will receive peace through Him.
Dear God, thank you for Christmas. Thank you for your Son. We pray to find the space to rest and decompress, to find inner peace, stillness and solace, during this Advent Season. Amen.