Christmas is Coming

What do you Want?

For some it is peace toward men of good will. For much of the world it is mass confusion, furious rushing around in a hurry, seeking something to bring peace or satisfaction.

John 1:38 Then Jesus turned and saw them following, and said unto them, “What seek ye?” They said unto Him, “Rabbi” (which is to say, being interpreted, “Master”), “where dwellest Thou?”

Jesus asked the two men who were following Him to express what was on their minds. John wanted
to make clear that Jesus the Messiah confronts those who make any show of beginning to follow Him. He demands that they articulate what they really want in life.

The two disciples answer in a way that would enable them to seek Him out in private and at greater leisure: ‘Rabbi, where are you staying?’ Jesus’ simple response, ‘Come, and you will see’ constituted the beginning of their intimate relationship with Jesus Christ.

That is a question for us this Christmas: What do we need. What are we looking for in this life to bring real peace and satisfaction?

Did you ever ask yourself, “Why am I here? What do I really want out of life?” Those are the most penetrating questions you can ask yourself.

HOW DO YOU SPELL RELIEF?

We are all looking for something that will change our lives, and give it more meaning and purpose. Where are we expecting it to come from? What is the meaning of it all, and where can we find peace in all of this right now, and assurance of what will happen when this is over?

Malcolm Muggeridge, the British journalist who helped the world discover Mother Teresa, and who during WWII worked forcefully against communism also spoke about the danger of seeing education itself as the ultimate answer: Education, the great mumbo-jumbo and fraud of the ages, purports to equip us to live, and is prescribed as a universal remedy for everything from juvenile delinquency to premature senility. For the most part, it only serves to enlarge stupidity, inflate conceit, enhance credulity and put
those subjected to it at the mercy of brainwashers with printing presses, radio and television at their disposal.

We are the frogs in the kettle.

The frogs are us, the water is our habitat, and the Media, by accustoming us to the gradual deterioration of our values and our circumstances, ensure that the boiling point comes upon us unawares. ~Malcolm Muggeridge

Education can have great, obvious merit. But elevating it to the highest place leads us to look for the wrong thing to bring us peace and fulfillment. The dilemma of all mankind is we can never satisfy
ourselves—we always want something else.

“Meaninglessness does not come from being weary of pain, but meaninglessness comes from being weary of pleasure. We have exhausted ourselves in this indulgent culture.” ~G. K. Chesterton

If you feel it is imperative to fill all your needs, and if these needs are contradictory or in conflict with those of others, or simply unfillable, then frustration inevitably follows.

The most dramatic truth about the gospel is that it contradicts us in the way we experience ourselves as alive and compels us to drastically redefine what we mean by life. Jesus contradicts our routine in the way He countered the disciples, even as He headed toward the Cross. They were the ones marked out for death. He, “the dead one,” was really The living.

With all that the cultural terrain presents to us, the injunction “to find one’s self, one must lose one’s self,” contains a great truth any seeker of self-fulfillment needs to grasp. It is a reminder that the Church must keep in mind: apart from the Cross of Jesus Christ, there is no other hope for peace and satisfaction.

The late Christian songwriter Rich Mullins alluded to the bigger picture of God’s purpose for us when he observed of his own life:

“What I’d have settled for/ You’ve blown so far away/ What You brought me to/ I thought I could not reach.”

In the intentions of God we find that where we would have settled, He moves us far beyond. Where we would have failed, He took our place. “He who is mighty,” proclaimed Mary, “has done great things for me.” (Luke 1:49). Let us not settle for less than what God has intended.

Many People Think They Have Found Their Own Relief

The Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw once said, “There is only one religion, though there are a hundred versions of it.” In our pluralistic society an increasing number of people find Shaw’s interpretation of religion appealing, for many peace can be found anywhere.

The Question Is

Do all of these different provisions of peace and satisfaction that people embrace bring a lasting peace or do the individuals have to look elsewhere next month?

Jesus said, “My peace I give unto you, not like the world gives. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid, Trust Me.” John 14:27