{"id":30905,"date":"2022-09-10T15:09:12","date_gmt":"2022-09-10T20:09:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/a-reason-for-the-weary-world-to-rejoice-this-christmas\/"},"modified":"2022-09-10T15:09:12","modified_gmt":"2022-09-10T20:09:12","slug":"a-reason-for-the-weary-world-to-rejoice-this-christmas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/a-reason-for-the-weary-world-to-rejoice-this-christmas\/","title":{"rendered":"A Reason for the Weary World to Rejoice this Christmas"},"content":{"rendered":"
Pablo Heimplatz on Unsplash <\/p>\n

By Marissa Postell<\/em><\/p>\n

A thrill of hope,<\/em> the weary world rejoices.<\/em> <\/p>\n

The\u00a0French poet Placide\u00a0Cappeau\u00a0composed\u00a0\u201c<\/em>O Holy Night\u201d\u00a0more than 175 years ago, and the world is still weary\u00a0today.\u00a0The world is weary\u00a0from challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic. The world is weary from loss. The world is weary from natural disasters\u00a0and broken families and failed plans. The world is weary from the\u00a0effects of sin in this life.\u00a0<\/p>\n

According to a study from Lifeway Research, when asked which feeling they seek to avoid the most, four in 10 U.S. adults (41%) say fear. Fewer say shame (24%) or guilt (22%). The world is weary of feeling shame and guilt, and the world is definitely weary of feeling fear\u2014especially in the midst of the 2020 and 2021 pandemic years.<\/p>\n

The world is weary of feeling shame and guilt, and the world is\u00a0definitely weary\u00a0of feeling fear\u2014especially\u00a0in the midst\u00a0of\u00a0the 2020 and 2021 pandemic years.\u00a0\u2014 @MarissaPostell Click To Tweet <\/p>\n

And as the world carries the weariness of this season, everyone is looking somewhere for hope. Everyone is searching for light in the darkness. Everyone is looking for a reason to rejoice, an opportunity to lay aside the weariness. <\/p>\n

In 2020, U.S. adults said their top source of hope was the kindness people have shown (40%), relationships (38%), their religious faith (36%),\u00a0and stable finances (33%).\u00a0Fewer Americans drew hope from the knowledge of scientists and experts (19%), recreation or fun (17%), new opportunities (14%), their work (13%), or research they\u2019ve done themselves (10%). One in 20\u00a0Americans\u00a0say none of these (5%) or they\u2019re not sure (5%).\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Around one in 14 U.S. adults (7%) say they didn’t have any source of hope during the problems they faced in 2020.<\/p>\n

Around\u00a0one\u00a0in 14 U.S. adults (7%) say they didn't have any source of hope during the problems they faced in 2020, according to Lifeway Research. Click To Tweet <\/p>\n

Perhaps this Christmas season you find yourself\u00a0feeling depleted in ways you had never experienced before, and yet there is still the\u00a0thrill of hope that was born on that holy night over 2,000 years ago.<\/p>\n

The weary world<\/strong> <\/h3>\n

I don\u2019t often associate the words \u201cweariness\u201d and \u201crejoicing.\u201d We\u2019re often weary because we don\u2019t see anything to rejoice over. And in our weariness, we, quite frankly, may not feel like rejoicing. Perhaps that\u2019s why these two words feel so powerful when they come together in this line of \u201cO Holy Night.\u201d Because it can seem strange for weary people to rejoice, the words invite us to search for what sparks this rejoicing. And what is this thrill of hope? The Christ child who was born into a weary world to bring hope much unlike any hope that we could experience in anything else.<\/p>\n

On that holy night, there was a thrill of hope\u00a0despite\u00a0the world\u2019s weariness.\u00a0And when this thrill of hope came, the world rejoiced\u00a0despite\u00a0its weariness.\u00a0\u2014 @MarissaPostell Click To Tweet <\/p>\n

The Christ child was born into a weary world\u2014not a perfect, satisfied, or content\u00a0world. God wasn\u2019t waiting for the world to get over its weariness before He offered a thrill of hope because the world wouldn\u2019t be able to get\u00a0over its weariness without the thrill of hope He offered. On that holy night, there was a thrill of hope\u00a0despite<\/em>\u00a0the world\u2019s weariness.\u00a0And when this thrill of hope came, the world rejoiced\u00a0despite\u00a0<\/em>its weariness.<\/p>\n

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A thrill of hope<\/strong> <\/h3>\n

It\u2019s that same thrill of hope that gives us, in the weary world today, reason to rejoice. Ultimately, we have hope, not because people are kind or because our friends and family encourage us or because we feel financially stable. The thrill of hope that God offers in giving us His son is a hope that remains even as we experience suffering and hardship. <\/p>\n

Yes, we feel the weariness of the world, but at the same time, we can hold to the hope that we have in Christ\u2014the hope of a new and glorious morning. The hope that we have in Christ comes from the promise that the world won\u2019t always be weary, that Christ will make all things new, and that all who put their faith in Him will one day experience wholeness and union with God. So our hope is not dependent on the circumstances that we experience but on the Messiah who was born. <\/p>\n

Let\u2019s remember to rejoice\u00a0this Christmas season\u00a0as we recognize the thrill of hope\u00a0that we have in Christ.\u00a0And invite others to join in the rejoicing\u00a0too. It\u2019s\u00a0OK\u00a0if they are\u00a0also\u00a0weary this Christmas. \u2014 @MarissaPostell Click To Tweet <\/p>\n

On the night of our dear Savior\u2019s birth, the thrill of hope led a weary world to rejoice. Are you thrilled by the hope of Christ today? Has the weariness of the world caused you to forget the hope that we still have in Christ? Weary world, weary pastor, weary church leader, let\u2019s remember to rejoice this Christmas season as we recognize the thrill of hope that we have in Christ. And invite others to join in the rejoicing too. It\u2019s OK if they are also weary this Christmas.<\/p>\n

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Marissa Postell<\/h2>\n

@marissapostell<\/p>\n

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Marissa is the managing editor for LifewayResearch.com.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n