The Joy and Faith of Christmas 

   “For this day, in the city of David there has been born to you a savior who is Christ, the Lord.” (Luke 2: 11) 

   If you want to know what childlike faith looks like this is the season to find it.  The children gather around the Christmas tree full of anticipation and happiness.  They are confident that the present that they really, really, want is somewhere under there.  And if parents have been listening for the last month or so, they know very well what that present is.  Most parents will do whatever they can to make their children’s dream come true on Christmas morning.

   But what of the adults?  How many of them even come close to knowing the joy of a child at Christmas?  Most have given up on the true purpose for the season and now see it as more of a hassle than a blessing.  How sad, that they have forgotten how to be joyful at the gift of our Lord’s birth.

   Many times Jesus spoke about childlike faith and that the kingdom of heaven belongs to those who have that simple, confident faith in God.  Where is that faith today?  It’s not in the bank accounts or in the seat of the new car you bought yourself for Christmas.  It’s not in the diamond ring you bought your wife or the expensive watch she bought for you.

   That joy can’t be found in the malls; it can’t be found in the massive feasts we engage in during the holidays.  In fact, the kind of faith Jesus is talking about can’t be found in any of the earthly pleasures that seem so important to us.

   Read the nativity story in Luke and let it touch your heart and soul.  Contemplate the fact that God loves you so much that He would give His Son to die for you, so that your sins could be forgiven.  That is where you will find the childlike faith God wishes us to have.  A faith that brings great joy that lasts throughout all of life no matter what life may bring.