Merry Christmas, ICA families! Each Christmas season, I rejoice in the hope I have in the Lord, and I know that this year, in particular, God is calling me to be still. I want to encourage you with the same challenge. Christmas can often be a time of filled schedules, and it can be easy to get lost in the noise of the holidays, even if your schedule is full of well-intentioned things and church events. Very truly, this is a season to celebrate! God delivered in His promise to us to bring a Savior, and through Jesus, we can know and have life eternal with the Father.
Yet, in all the busyness, I encourage you to find time to be still and reflect on God’s goodness. Be still and know that He is faithful to His promises, even when it isn’t how we imagined or on our timetable. Truth be told, I can often relate to the Israelites wondering when God is going to deliver on promises yet to be fulfilled in the Bible or my own personal prayers. In our limited human minds and perspective of time, I can understand why the Israelites thought Jesus would come in a different way, even though Isaiah clearly tells us Jesus would come as a child.
Recently, I was listening to Silent Night, and if you have ever been around a birth or a newborn baby, you know it wasn’t actually a silent night. I wasn’t there, but I can only assume that if Jesus experienced all of life as a human, he surely was not born in silence.
Silent Night is not about a quiet night, it is about the peace that Jesus brings through his birth and ultimately through his death. Jesus brought a stillness to our relationship with God and with each other. Be still and know that God will be exalted on this Earth, and praise God that we get to experience that with Him in heaven as His sons and daughters.
Take time this season, and every day, to be still and linger at the feet of Jesus by being in His word and in prayer. Then, we can celebrate the gift we have in choosing to follow Christ. In that, all is calm, and all is bright!
Julia Ellis
Ignite Christian Academy Principal