I don’t think I’m alone when I admit that the thought of Christmas does not always bring joy to my heart.  I used to think it was because Christmas had become too commercialized and we had lost the true meaning of Christmas.  I don’t think that anymore.  The part I was missing was how I prepared for Christmas, and the expectations I set. 
 
Christmas was not an easy time for Mary and Joseph.  Just think about it.  The trials and emotions that went on from the time Mary became pregnant until Jesus was born, was Mary’s and Joseph’s preparation for Christmas.  Was Mary’s situation any different than that of an unwed mother today?  Would Joseph support her?  What would people think and say?  Where could she go for an understanding ear?  Once all that was worked out, there was the journey for the census, right at her due date.  We are advised not to travel far from home as the pregnancy progresses.  Mary was told she must travel.  Can you imagine riding a donkey or walking long distances when you are nine months pregnant?  In addition to all that there were no reservations at the inn at the end of the day.  A new mother had to find a safe place for her precious baby.  I would have been in tears at this point. 
 
So now it's Christmas Eve and the Christ child is born.  All is quiet and the new family are cozied up together in a barn making the best of a difficult situation.  It’s not quite the same as sitting beside the fire roasting chestnuts in my living room.  However, I think that just as I like to sit in front of my fireplace in the quiet of Christmas Eve after everyone else has gone to bed, and soak up the peace and quiet, and reflect on the birth of Jesus, Emmanuel, God with us, Mary looked at her little baby and rejoiced that Jesus, the Saviour of the world, the son of God was safely in her care.  All tucked in and peaceful, her little baby was finally here, and as any new mother would do, she pondered in her heart what the future would hold for her child.
 
One of my favourite Christmas carols is “O Holy Night.”  The chorus says it all for me.  “A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices for yonder breaks a new glorious morn.  Fall on your knees o hear the angels' voices.  O night divine o night when Christ was born...”

And my music now plays on, and the chorus to “It’s About the Cross” plays  “It's about the cross.  It's about my sin.  It's about how Jesus came to be born once so that we could be born again.  It's about the stone that was rolled away so that you and I could have real life someday.  It's about the cross.”
 
Now it is Christmas.  The Christ child brings hope, joy, peace, and love.  So whether you love the hustle and bustle, the parties, and the feasting, or prefer the quieter approach make sure you feel that thrill of hope, make sure you fall on your knees rejoicing for God is with us, and He came to save you and me.

It is the most common command in all of Scripture, 'do not be afraid'.  God knows our human propensity to cave into fear and so over and over again in His Word he invites us to let go of our fears and to trust.

What is it that causes you to feel gripped by fear?

As I thought about this, my fears are often rooted in an inability to control my circumstances.  Feeling powerless to change what is now happening to me or around me or uncertainty about the future can easily lead me down the path of fear or allow me to be consumed with feelings of anxiety.  It is in these moments that I need to whisper again the words of Psalm 56...When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.  (Psalm 56:3)

I have to remind myself that God is God and He knows what He is going.  

The answer to my fears lies in a core conviction of my faith; an unshakable belief in the sovereignty of God -- that He is the Sovereign Ruler of this world and He is sovereign over all the details of my life.  And because of that, I can trust Him completely, even when I don't fully understand His ways, even when those details seem to be spinning out of control. I can trust Him in the good times and when the hard times come, when disappoint or uncertainty or loss threaten to overwhelm me.

When our path is filled with obstacles, when the way forward in unclear, when tragedy strikes, when our well-planned world comes crashing down all around us, when you find yourself in a place you never wanted to be, that’s when you discover what you really believe.  What you hold to as the core convictions of your faith are revealed during the dark night of the soul.  Your theology is revealed at midnight. And if you, like Paul and Silas you can sing praise to God at midnight, when locked in jail, then what have is real and powerful; hold to that faith with all your might -- hold on and don't let go; whatever you do, don't give up.

My friends at Valley when fear threatens to overtake us, may we like Paul, hear the words of our Lord: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.  (2 Corinthians 12:9)

The words are explicit and powerful:  They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. (Acts 2:42)   They are words that describe the early church and words that speak to the church today.  This one verse gives to us four pillars of our faith as we seek to be the church in our world today.

The word 'devoted' expresses the idea of holding firmly and not letting go, persevering or exercising diligence and doing so a body of believers, sharing life together.

They held firmly to the message, the authoritative teaching and doctrine that was passed on to them.  In the same way, the church today must hold the message, the authoritative teaching and doctrine we find in the Word of God.  It is truly a pillar of our faith.

The early church understood the necessity and value of fellowship.  Read the story of the early church and you will be struck by the powerful image of togetherness; they had to stick together, they needed each other and so do we.  At a time when matters of faith have become personal and private we need to come back to this value of a shared experience in the community of faith and hold to it firmly as a critical pillar of our faith.  

The breaking of the bread is another example of togetherness, the gathering of God's people to worship and celebrate the very core of our faith, the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  It is in and through the Lord Jesus that we find forgiveness of sin, a restored relationship with the Father and the hope of eternal life.  The coming together of God's people to worship and remember is absolutely critical to our spiritual well-being.  So hear me again, my friends at Valley...'whatever you do, don't miss the gathering'!

They also devoted themselves to prayer.  As we noted last Sunday, this is the same message declared by the Apostle Paul in Colossians 4:2:  Devote yourselves to prayer.  Prayer really is the pathway to God's presence and the pathway to God's power.  Prayer changes us and prayer changes what is possible.  And, as we saw last week we just never now when or how or in what way God is going to break through in answer to our prayers, so we must persistent in prayer.  It is one of the pillars of our faith.

Luke goes on in Acts 2 to reveal what happens we God's people devote themselves these things:  Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.  (Acts 2:43-47)