By Alan Ahlgrim
A few unsuspecting shepherds were minding their own business when they were suddenly overwhelmed by Christmas. According to the classic Christmas text in Luke 2, the message and how it was delivered terrified them. An angel appeared. The radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were told in unmistakable fashion that the Savior had been born!
The news was stunningly and extraordinarily good. It’s no wonder the angels were overwhelmed when they heard it. Overwhelmed is a great way to describe how many of us feel much of the time—especially at Christmastime. In fact, I suspect you may feel overwhelmed right now. If not, all you probably need to do is watch an hour of national and world news to get downright disheartened.
Even if your personal situation is mostly comfortable and peaceful, you still may struggle to maintain your emotional equilibrium. That’s why so many are tempted to abuse medications or drown their sorrows with high-octane eggnog during this season.
Who among us doesn’t have reason to feel overwhelmed these days? As I write this, I am overwhelmed with sadness over the daunting struggles of friends and family members. Things are unfolding that I deeply grieve, but am powerless to fix. That’s life. The same may be true for you, and as a result you may be feeling overwhelmed. You may even wonder whether anyone anywhere can really understand. Wonder no more.
“I CAN HELP”
The essence of the Christmas message is God declaring, “I can relate to you; therefore, I can help you!” God documented that when he split history into before and after, took on flesh, and entered this struggle. The real purpose of his coming was not simply to bring a little sentimentality to the season. He came to be the Savior of the world.
The manger wasn’t far from the cross. Jesus was born to die for a sin-wrecked world in desperate need of a Savior.
The coming of Christ is breathtakingly good news for all who feel overwhelmed with any need. Jesus didn’t merely identify with us; he came to assume the crushing, overwhelming burden of our sin. We all lament the times we have been wounded by others, and even more, the countless ways we continue to miss the mark ourselves. No one gets it right all the time.
We all live in a land of nonstop surprises. Many of those are not good surprises, and some can be overwhelming. Life is filled with unexpected challenges. If you’re experiencing one of those right now, remember that God does some of his best work in us when we are uncertain and overwhelmed. In fact, such moments are when we can be most sensitive and open to him.
The fact that the angel appeared to some on the bottom rung of the social ladder proved God takes note of everyone and everything. The angel’s declaration made that clear: “I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people” (Luke 2:10). No one is to be left out of the celebration.
So imagine you were interrupted by an angelic intervention. What if God spoke the same words to you that he spoke through the angel on the first Christmas? What difference would it make if you heard, “Do not be afraid. . . . I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people”?
“I BRING YOU JOY!”
When I pause to consider the reality of Christmas, it immediately prompts me to rejoice! The news is more than amazing; it’s overwhelmingly wonderful! God hasn’t given up on this world or on any one of us. He is not only aware of our desperate situation; he is involved with us and is working to rescue and redeem us. That means rescue and redemption are not on our shoulders, but entirely on his. The position of Savior has been taken.
This is good news for those who feel they never fully measure up. We don’t have to “measure up” to merit God’s attention, intervention, and redemption. The shepherds more than proved that. First-century shepherds were on the bottom rung of the social ladder, often because they were thieves and social misfits. Such was the motley crew that first received word of the good news of God’s penetration into time and space.
That is good news for us all. Most of us probably wouldn’t see ourselves as any worse than the lowly shepherds. We may not place ourselves at the top of the social ladder, but neither would we place ourselves at the bottom.
The coming of Jesus brings joy to all people, no matter which rung on the ladder they occupy. Every person has good reason to rejoice. While the enemy wants to make us miserable, Jesus wants to make us joyful. The enemy is our accuser; Jesus is our advocate. Jesus came to bring a full, complete, abundant, and joyful life to all who receive him. This is good news to all people, no matter the situation or season.
In his new book, Devoted, my friend Arron Chambers shares some terrific thoughts on joy and rejoicing. Arron writes, “I once heard a preacher say, “Happiness shows up when expected, but joy shows up whenever it wants.” I love that line. It’s the reminder that joy is an unexpected gift, while happiness is related to the “haps” of life. That is, happiness springs from the happenings and circumstances that delight me. But joy is deeper.
Joy is that deep settled confidence that God is at work in this world, and even in me. Joy is the realization I am immensely loved and accepted by the lover of my soul. Joy is the reminder that my salvation doesn’t depend upon me and my performance for Christ, but rather it depends totally on my position in Christ. Joy is the conviction I am neither alone nor unnoticed, but even more, I am reason for God to smile, simply because he created me and loves me.
Each of our five grandchildren gives me reason to smile. They don’t have to do anything special for me to delight in them. In fact, whenever I think of them, my spirit lifts and my mood brightens. This year we will be rejoicing in the birth of our sixth grandchild, just in time for Christmas. We can hardly wait to rejoice over his arrival. This long-awaited little one will be another reminder that God hasn’t given up on this world quite yet.
“I’VE MOVED INTO THE NEIGHBORHOOD!”
The coming of the long-awaited infant in the manger was the ultimate documentation that God hadn’t given up on this world and never will. Despite our struggles and sin, as Jeff Walling said, “The Messiah has entered our mess!” The longer and deeper I ponder that message, the more I am overwhelmed by Christmas. Emmanuel, God is with us! God has “moved into the neighborhood!” He is not just here; he is happy about it!
Life is a search for recognition and acceptance. The ultimate acceptance we seek is the acceptance of Almighty God. We not only long to know we are not alone, but we are loved and accepted by someone who can relate to us and help us.
The best gift I can give to pastors I mentor and encourage these days is to let them know I can relate to them. I’ve been right where they are. I can relate to those living with the overwhelming and unrelenting demands of a young family and a complicated ministry. I can understand and accept those who lead and serve just as imperfectly as I did, and yet who desperately want to please the perfect God who is the Savior of their soul.
We all relate to the overwhelming challenges of some people better than we can to others. However, God has no limitation when relating to the challenging and sometimes overwhelming situations we face. God can relate equally well to all of us because he created us and understands us and accepts us through Jesus Christ.
The question is not whether he has accepted us, but whether we have accepted him. I don’t mean some casual or occasional acknowledgment that Jesus is God’s Son and our Savior, but rather a heartfelt and overwhelming sense of desperation that apart from him we have no hope.
As Pulitzer Prize-winning author Anne Lamott said, “I don’t know much but I know this, I am doomed without a savior!” This is the same woman who says the two best prayers are: “Help me, help me, help me.” And, “Thank you, thank you, thank you!”
Only when we are overwhelmed with our need for a savior will we be overwhelmed with gratitude for his grace. The coming of Christ changes everything for everyone who sincerely surrenders to him. His love becomes our love. His life becomes our life. His delight becomes our delight. His acceptance becomes our acceptance.
The celebration of Christmas is the celebration of God’s love and acceptance for each of us through Christ. There is no finer gift ever to receive, and no more important gift ever to give. To be overwhelmed by Christmas is to be overwhelmed by God’s grace.
Rejoice, the Savior . . . yes, the Messiah, the Lord . . . has been born. To get a grip on that is to be overwhelmed by Christmas all over again!
Alan Ahlgrim served for 29 years as the founding and lead pastor of Rocky Mountain Christian Church in Niwot, Colorado. He now serves as pastor-at-large with the church and director of pastor care with Blessing Ranch Ministries, now located in Tampa Bay, Florida.
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