Christmas Devotional 9: An Invitation to Freedom

Luke 2:15-20; John 8:36

God has wired our bodies to turn our view inward when we’re sick. It’s like our body nudges us and says, “Look here! Pay attention to this!” Could be the nausea of a stomach flu or the aches of a head cold that bring thoughts like, “Ugh, I feel terrible.” “I’m not sure I can do that today.” “Maybe this is something worse. Should I call my doctor?”

We each have only so much attention to go around. So when our body begins to draw more attention, we have a tendency to not think as much about other places, tasks or people. The truth is, when we’re sick, we naturally become self-focused and, dare I say, sometimes self-absorbed.

Cancer treatment demands much more attention than a head cold. Let’s face it. Cancer is a scary, complicated thing that needs to be given a lot of attention to navigate, so please don’t neglect this. And yet, it’s Christmas time. Perhaps we need to pull our attention a bit away from ourselves and our cancer, so we don’t miss Christmas.

On that first Christmas, there were some shepherds on the hills outside of Bethlehem that received a special invitation, so they would not miss Christmas. An angel appeared and invited them to Jesus’ Birthday Party. To make sure they understood the immensity of this invitation, a whole choir of angels filled the sky, singing praises to God. You have to admit, that is quite an invitation!

Let’s see what the shepherds did next.

15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” 16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told. Luke 2:15-20

In these scriptures, who did the shepherds say had told them about the birth of Jesus? (vs15)

Angels

the Lord

FedEx

Circle the word “hurried.” (vs 16) Why do you think they hurried? (no right answer)

Circle the phrase “spread the word.” (vs 17)

Why do you think they spread the word? (no right answer)

Circle the phrase “all who heard it were amazed.” (vs 18)

Why do you think people were amazed? (no right answer)

Let me ask you to think about one more question:

What if the shepherds, after being invited by angels to Jesus’ Birthday Party, decided to stay put with their sheep, and not show up for it?

You may be thinking this is a kind of crazy question. “OF COURSE, the shepherds went to see their newborn Savior. Who in their right mind would be invited by a horde of angels to meet the Christ child and turn down the invitation?”

Who, you ask? Well, some Christmases- me. And maybe some Christmases- you. Have you ever woken up in January thinking, “I missed it. I missed connecting with the awe and wonder of the gift of the Christ child this Christmas!”?

Some years, missing the true experience of Christmas might have been due to life’s difficulties, like grief, illness or financial struggles. But, sadly enough, other years I can blame nothing but the hecticness of life. Regardless of the external reason, the truth is that I was too focused on me and my world to push myself to focus on the miracles of Christmas in my life. And, let’s be honest. If there is ever a time to need the wondrous renewal and rejuvenation that can come with Christmas, it’s when we are struggling with grief, illness, money or hecticness. And certainly, cancer.

Yet, most of us need more than an invitation to Christmas to leave the hills of Bethlehem, turn off the TV and put down our phone. We need that spark, that recognition that Jesus is more than the one-time gift of a Savior, but a gift we can turn to each day, to get through life.

Our certainty that we are saved should not block the awe that a Father gave his Son so we may be free, free indeed.

So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. John 8:36

Turning towards Christ each day brings the true freedom this scripture is speaking of. Think about this. Jesus freed you of sin and death. If you live today with no fear of death (freedom from death) and no fear that anything you have ever thought, said, or done could ever diminish your status as a beloved child of God (freedom from sin), don’t you think that you would become free of other things too?

Many days, these things feel much more real than the freedom we have in Christ. Stop and focus for a minute on the freedom Jesus has bought for you. Faith is living with understanding that since I will never die (freedom from death) and since I am firmly, forever a beloved child of God (freedom from sin), I am free of all these things above. Even cancer. None of this can touch that unexplainable, awe-inspiring place within me that is Christ. Christ within me.

Knowing that God is bigger than your cancer does not come with the certainty that He will shrink the tumor, raise your cell counts or remove every cancer cell from your body once and forevermore. (Although, He might.) God is bigger than your cancer, because cancer cannot touch that unstoppable, peace-delivering, strength-providing, eternal place that is Christ within you.

So, this Christmas, like every Christmas, the angels are inviting you to come and see the newborn King. They are inviting you to come and celebrate the Savior who has bought you His true, unstoppable freedom. Don’t let cancer keep you from celebrating your freedom that comes only from Christ. Oh come, let us adore Him!

Please pray with me:

Jesus, All praises to you for the sweet freedom you have placed in my life. In th emidst of cancer it is so hard not to focus on myself. So I ask you to drag my thoughts away from thoughts of me and place them on the splendor of Christmas and the unstoppable freedom you have brought into my life. Through you I am free indeed! AMEN