Waiting for Christmas...Waiting for peace ...

We are waiting to celebrate.  We are preparing pierogies, cookies, and presents for our celebration. 

 Making bologna.

 Pierogie filling

 Pierogie dough

 Our youngest pierogie helper.

Jesus Christ, our hope in this hurting world.

 



We will celebrate Christmas, but our hearts will still groan for the hurt in our world.  Jesus came to forgive our sins and give us eternal life, but while we are on earth our hearts groan for his return.  There is sin and tragedy in our world.  Our hearts break for the victims of cruelty. 

We are not left here without hope.  Jesus brought hope for the world when He came as a baby, lived as the Son of God, died to forgive our sins, and lives again in heaven, waiting to return to redeem the earth.  He promised to come again.  We wait.  We wait with hope.

God's people waited for the Messiah to come to save the world.  Then, Jesus Christ came as a baby to save the world, to save you and me from the seed of sin in each of us.  In Luke 2:30, Simeon said, "For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel."  Jesus came to seek and save the lost, even me, a Gentile. 

I am now waiting to celebrate his birth, and waiting for Jesus to return to earth.  Psalm 37:3-6 reminds us to delight in the Lord and trust in Him, while we wait. "Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.  Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.  Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this;  He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.  Be still before the Lord and wait patiently of him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.  Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret- it only leads to evil.  For evil men will be cut off, but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land." 

As we wait for Christmas, but see tragedy all around us, let us remember the hope that Jesus brings to those who trust in Him. 

John 3:16 "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."

Revelations 21:4 says, "He will wipe every tear from their eyes.  There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."