Fulfilled

A couple of weeks ago I joined what seemed like the majority of us who either caught a cold or some other kind of upper respiratory thing. This time of year the temperature fluctuates from well above normal to well below normal in a matter of 24-48 hours. This time of the year, my mother always reminded her children to “put on a cap” when we went outside, or we would catch a cold. And sure enough, usually one or the other of us would ignore her advice, run out the door for something, stay outside for longer than we had planned, and then come down with a cold. Almost without fail her prophecy would be fulfilled. Moms usually have their own medical degree – not from laboratory science but from their own practice of caring for children and spouses over the course of time. They also have their own medicine cabinet of things to get us through the misery. In time, with the help of chicken soup, vitamin C, Nyquil, Vicks, and various over-the-counter meds, we survive! And now, all of this is about to be exchanged at our family gatherings in the coming days!

What Isaiah prophesied centuries before the coming of the Lord was at last fulfilled in the birth of Jesus that we are about to celebrate this week. What Israel had longed for came to be realized in Bethlehem. Matthew’s gospel tells us, “All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet.” That which becomes fulfilled is realized. The coming of “Emmanuel” – God with us – was fulfilled in the birth of Jesus. And the name Jesus, in Hebrew means, “One who will save us from our sins.” From the time of the fall of Adam and Eve, a savior was promised who would redeem us from our sins.

There are various experiences of fulfillment in this life. This week there are many who hope that Amazon or FedEx or the USPS will fulfill their orders for delivery before Christmas. Children anxiously await the fulfillment of their hope that Santa will deliver that one special toy they want for Christmas. With the Olympics just around the corner, I think of those who train their bodies for years to have the fulfillment of winning the gold! Like Mary, there are expectant mothers who pray for a healthy pregnancy and a safe delivery, the fulfillment of bearing new life into this world.

But for each of us, Christmas is perhaps the greatest “fulfillment” in all of human history. It is the realization of our hope for a savior. Human rescue takes place every day in our world: from flooding, burning buildings, from exposure to the cold, from wrecked vehicles, from viruses and more.  But the rescue that is ours in Jesus is that of our soul – the eternal consequences of our faith in God and our obedience to his Word. There is no salvation in any other name!  In the Nicene Creed we profess our faith saying, “For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven.” The source of our greatest hope first appeared in that humble manger in Bethlehem of Judea.

Now consider what fulfillment FEELS like. There is a certain satisfaction that comes from what fulfills us. When the entire family is able to gather for Christmas; when a project we have been working on goes well; when a dating relationship turns into an engagement; when a grateful neighbor drops off a gift basket out of gratitude and when I can be myself and be appreciated for who I am. We all long for the satisfaction of being fulfilled in this life, yet what is most fulfilling cannot be wrapped up with a bow and placed under the tree. No, the ultimate satisfaction comes form accepting the salvation that is ours in Christ Jesus.

There is a restlessness in all our hearts that cannot be fulfilled with more stuff. In fact, the restlessness of daily life is a longing for intangible fulfillment. How many people this Christmas want someone to pay attention to them?  How many people want to enjoy being with others without trying to impress them?  How many people just want to sit in darkness with only the Christmas tree lights on and snuggle with those who mean the most to them? Jesus came to fulfill our hope for eternal life, a satisfaction that will have no end – a place of light and peace and communion of minds and hearts. Christmas is truly about the fulfillment of our deepest desires.

After that, what do any of us really need for Christmas? In Christ, we have all that we need.  In Jesus is the fulfillment of all that really matters. Faith, hope and love put us in deep union with our Lord here and now, already in this life, and with each other.  One of my favorite things to do in my spare time is to spend an evening with friends sharing “higher mysteries.” That’s my term for the things of God, things more sublime than local gossip. Few things are more satisfying or fulfilling for me than to be engaged in conversation with others about our Lord, especially here at Christmas time. After all, Christmas is the fulfillment of our hope for salvation.

This Christmas, let me encourage you to pay attention to what desires are stirring in your heart. What longs to be fulfilled in you? It may be for the healing of a relationship. It may be for the strength of enduring chronic pain or the loss of someone dear to you. Share with the Lord in a simple time of prayer what would most satisfy you these days. Then, close your eyes and with your imagination, gaze into the holy face of the infant Jesus – beautiful, perfect, asleep and full of love for you. Stay there for some time. Rest in his gaze. Then speak to him from your heart what comes up in your prayer.  Allow the Lord to bring his saving love and tender mercy to all that you are carrying and all that is longing for fulfillment in you.

As St. Matthew says, “All this took place to fulfill what the Lord has said through the prophet.” Christmas is not simply an historical event.  Rather, Jesus came to be Emmanuel – “God with us” – for each of us, in every age. The world is a mess to the degree that it tries to find fulfillment in other things. Our lives can only be fulfilled by opening our minds and hearts to the love God has for us and to a life that is faithful to his Holy Word. May this Christmas be a new beginning for us all – going forward in relationship with Our Lord and not striking out on our own. What we have to offer the world is a contentment, a satisfaction and a fulfillment that can only be found in Christ. This Christmas, invite others to return to Bethlehem in order to discover the fulfillment of all our desires.  Merry Christmas!

Let me leave you with this...

(Prayerfully consider these words to my favorite Christmas Hymn.)

O holy night, the stars are brightly shining;

It is the night of the dear Savior’s birth!

Long lay the world in sin and error pining,

Till he appeared and the soul felt its worth.

A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,

For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.

Refrain

Fall on your knees, O hear the angel voices!

O night divine, O night when Christ was born!

O night divine, O night, O night divine!

Led by the light of faith serenely beaming,

With glowing hearts by his cradle we stand.

So led by light of a star sweetly gleaming,

Here came the wise men from Orient land.

The King of kings lay thus in lowly manger,

In all our trials born to be our friend!

Truly he taught us to love one another.

His law is love and his gospel is peace.

Chains shall he break, for the slave is our brother

And in his name all oppression shall cease.

Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,

Let all within us praise his holy name!

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