Hope, Strength and Optimism for the Christmas Season

The Christmas season is upon us soon, and it's time to start thinking about the trappings of Christmas, the cards, the decorations, the shopping and the meals to be planned. Although it's easy to get caught up in the hoopla, it's also just as easy to use the preparations for Christmas to, well... prepare for Christmas.

This year has been especially tough for a lot of us, and you don't have to read the papers to know what's going on in our communities; for the first time since I can remember, whole families and social networks have been affected by the economic downturn. Times are tough. It's hard for a father to have to struggle to put bread on the table without the certainty that was there just a few months ago, and it's hard for a mother to keep a family together and put on a brave face when she knows all too well how bare are the cupboards. For once, I feel like Christmas can't come soon enough - we could all use a little hope, strength and optimism; it's time for a little Christmas magic!

I've asked many of my friends for Bible verses that would fit on a Christmas card and inspire hope, optimism and confidence. The first few verses are decidedly non-traditional, but still foreshadow the reason for the season, and the reasons to hold on for God's saving grace. The last few are more traditional verses, mainly from Luke. Enjoy, and please feel free to forward me any verses that have pulled you through tough times, and the stories that go with them. I'd be honored to include them in a sequel. Please also feel free to forward this article to anybody you feel might be able to use some Christmas magic.

The first verse is my wife's favorite - she got it from her general practitioner here in Houston, and it's been a comfort for her and some of our friends as they fought through some extraordinarily tough times.

"For I know what plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."Jeremiah 29:11

This one was the center point of a homily I heard at St. Dominic's Church on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. The central theme of the sermon was how we tend to see things from our limited human perspective and by doing that, we limit our view of what is possible. The central idea of the passage is Isaiah 64:4, but St. Paul gave it a lyrical flourish that I find simply beautiful.

No eye has seen,
No ear has heard,
No mind has conceived
What God has prepared for those who love him -
But God has revealed it to us by His Spirit.
1 Corinthians 2:9,10

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. John 14:27

Regardless of your religious affiliation, or spiritual bent, it's not hard to find simple beauty in these passages from St. John's first letter about the relationship between God, love, and humanity.

No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. 1 John 4:12

And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. 1 John 4:16

We love because He first loved us. 1 John 4:19

For those of us that tend to over-think our religion, or throw up institutional barriers to practicing what we know is right, St. James boils religion down into one simple passage, a passage that could drive a countless small "Christmas miracles" if we let it into our hearts.

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. James 1:27

The Christmas season of 2009 will be very difficult for many families, but there is always hope and the promise of another day. Here are a few verses that offer us hope in God's grace and plan for us.

Be still and know that I am God.Psalm 46:10

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not on thine own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make thy paths straight.Proverbs 3: 5-6

He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.Colossians 1:17

Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find: knock and the door will be opened to you. Matthew 7:7

Here are a few of the more traditional Christmas verses and themes.

This one came from a friend of mine who reminded me how wonderful it was to celebrate Christmas in the desert of West Texas where we grew up. Something about the desert in winter; the savory smoke of a fireplace fire, the crisp night air, the sky full of stars, the hint of a glow in the sky from a far off city. All of these things work together and blend beautifully with the anticipation and promise of a Christmas Eve so that you can almost hear the verse hanging in the air:

Glory to GOD in the Highest and on Earth, Peace, Goodwill toward men.Luke 2:14

This one also comes from one of my desert friends, and trumpets the coming of the Christ child.

For to us a child is born,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Might God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Isaiah 9:6

Imagine being a shepherd in those times, alone at night taking care of your flock amidst all the commodition. Even today, the next verse is comforting.

An angel of the Lord appeared to them and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people." Luke 2: 9,10

Finally, one of my favorites, and the reason for the season for practicing Christians, and the verse that the friend from Oklahoma who City sent it to me described as "the ultimate Christmas Gift":

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

I hope you'll share with me some of the verses that have carried you through tough times, and again, please feel free to share this article with your friends and families.