When I think about that Christmas and reflect on the ways God was with us, I think of the Christmas carol whose refrain is simply this: “Tidings of comfort and joy, comfort AND joy, O tidings of comfort and joy.” The truth is, the human experience is riddled with chaos, the kind that causes emotional overload and stress. It was into this reality that God intervened. He saw we couldn’t handle life on our own. He saw we couldn’t handle our brokenness which is the result of the sin we are each born with. He saw we needed peace in the middle of the chaos that is life. And so, Jesus, the Son of God, wrapped Himself in human flesh, was miraculously placed in a virgin’s womb, and entered into our chaos not as an observer, but as a participant.
Some of our Christmas carols romanticize the birth of Christ. Conditions surrounding Jesus’ birth weren’t exactly calm. Mary was an unwed teenager, but she had already become legally bound to Joseph. How would she explain an immaculate conception to him or to anyone? How would they convince anyone that a virgin was carrying the Son of God? Mary was a true heroin in the Christmas story, and yet her world was thrust into chaos.
Joseph and Mary were required to journey to Bethlehem because it was time for a census and Joseph had to head home to be counted. It was a 90-mile, four-day trip. Mary was 9 months pregnant. Travel wasn’t exactly convenient. It wasn’t a good time to travel, but we typically don’t get to choose our chaos, do we? And, of course, chaos is never convenient.
Upon arrival in Bethlehem, Mary found herself in active labor, but there was no place to stay. The city was teeming with people who had also come to register for the census. A stable, surrounded by animals, and alone, Joseph and Mary would navigate the delivery of their baby. The only way to describe that scene is to use the word, “chaos.” Give me a nurse on a short shift any day, right?
Jesus was born with a target on His back as the area King was threatened by news of the birth of a King, as Jesus’ birth was being touted. He was so threatened that he ordered the execution of all Hebrew males under the age of 2. An angel spoke into that chaotic terror and told Mary and Joseph they had to leave the area and travel to Egypt to keep the child safe which furthered their chaos.
There was nothing routine, nothing predictable, nothing really even safe about the conditions surrounding Jesus’ arrival, but the noise, the challenges, the difficult conditions furthered the reality that God wouldn’t be deterred by the chaos of the human experience.
He isn’t deterred by your chaos. Your sin problem. Your addiction problem. Your marital stress. Your family dysfunction. Your health challenges. Your financial challenges. Your lack of belief in Him, none of it is too much for Him. When your life is defined by chaos and you wonder where God might be, I’ll tell you where He is. He is right in the middle of it, waiting for you to call out to Him for help. He isn’t off running the universe. He is leaning in, drawing close, and inviting you to let Him infuse His peace into your story.
Most of us wouldn’t say our lives have turned out as we had hoped or planned, but the good news is, the chaos hasn’t kept God from wanting to be close, from wanting to give us hope, from wanting to rescue us, from wanting to help us make something beautiful out of our mess. Perhaps this Christmas, you are thinking, “I’ve got a lot going on, and most of it isn’t something I would wish on anyone.” God’s got you.
I think the writer of “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” nailed it as he described Christ in the chaos. Listen to the desperate cries and eternal hope in these lyrics.
O come, O come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here,
Until the Son of God appear.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.
Do you see the suffering and sorrow expressed in this verse? What has you captured right now? What is weighing heavy on you? What are you longing for? From what do you need freed? What are you mourning?
O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free
Thine own from Satan’s tyranny;
From depths of hell Thy people save,
And give them victory o’er the grave.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.
Satan is real. His plan is to steal from us, to kill us in our spirits, and to destroy our lives. Hell is real. Unless we have made peace with God through the Savior, Jesus, there is no victory over the grave. This is a desperate plea the songwriter is making, and yet, there is a reason to rejoice because while Satan wants to steal from us, Christ has come to give us abundant life.
O come, Thou Dayspring, from on high,
And cheer us by Thy drawing nigh;
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
And death’s dark shadows put to flight.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.
So many people deal with discouragement, depression and despair. The darkness of the chaos leaves us longing for joy and light. They come through a relationship with Emmanuel, God with us.
O come, Thou Key of David, come
And open wide our heav’nly home;
Make safe the way that leads on high,
And close the path to misery.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.
It can be difficult to feel safe in moments of chaos, to know what steps to take when you are overwhelmed, to know how to navigate the chaos that is part of all of our lives, but if we follow Emmanuel, He promises protection now and perfection one day in Heaven.
The truth is, there is more to life than this life. There is a life beyond overload, a life beyond the chaos, a life beyond the sorrow, a life that is rejoicing, peace, and rest. That life is found in eternity in Heaven, and it has been brokered for us in Christ. He has secured it for us with His blood as He offered Himself as the payment for the sins of humanity and has offered His righteousness to every person who would receive Him. Receiving His righteousness enables us to have a relationship with God that can never be broken which subsequently yields a peace that anchors our souls no matter what our chaos looks like.
It’s also a life that can be yours now. You don’t have to wait to rejoice. You don’t have to wait to experience peace and rest. You can rejoice even in the chaos. You can have peace and rest even as you deal with sorrow and sadness. They will be yours as you invite Christ into your chaos this Christmas.
