Christmas Through Broken Branches (Day 6) Copy
He Can Make It Whole
I don't know what your situation at home is right now. I just know this: there isn't anything Jesus can't step into and make whole.
Romans 8:1 (ESV)
There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
Devotional Thought
We've spent this week looking at the family tree of Jesus. We've seen murderers and compromisers. We've seen prostitutes and deceivers. We've seen people doing their best in broken situations and living for God in godless places. All of it has led us here.
Here's what I need you to know: no situation is too small and no problem is too big for Jesus to step into.
The marriage that is falling apart? He can make it whole. The child who is missing a parent in their life? He can make it whole. The financial situation that never seems to get better? He can make it whole. The spouse who never seems to be healed? He can make it whole. The child who never comes home, never calls, never makes contact? He can make it whole. The parent who never says I love you, never says they're proud of you, never shows up? He can make it whole.
This is the promise of Christmas. Not that our families will suddenly become perfect. Not that all our problems will vanish. But that Jesus will step down into our brokenness just like He stepped down into 42 generations of dysfunction.
Can I just say that Christmas is not about being the perfect family? Christmas offers the hope of Christ in spite of the family.
So maybe your family Christmas this year feels more like a battlefield than a celebration. Maybe you're dreading the gatherings because you know what's waiting for you there. Maybe you're spending the holidays alone and the silence is louder than any noise.
Jesus knows. He was born into a scandal. His earthly father almost divorced his mother before the angel intervened. His family tree includes names that would make most of us blush. He gets it.
And because He gets it, He can enter it.
That's what the incarnation means. God with us. Not God watching from a distance. Not God waiting for us to clean up our mess first. God stepping into the mess. God becoming one of us. God entering a broken family so He could offer hope to every broken family.
Christmas is about second chances. It's about new beginnings. It's about hope that refuses to give up no matter how dark things look.
This week you've read about people who should have been disqualified. But grace qualified them. If you're willing to confess and obey, Jesus will write you into His story too.
Here's what I need you to know: no situation is too small and no problem is too big for Jesus to step into.
The marriage that is falling apart? He can make it whole. The child who is missing a parent in their life? He can make it whole. The financial situation that never seems to get better? He can make it whole. The spouse who never seems to be healed? He can make it whole. The child who never comes home, never calls, never makes contact? He can make it whole. The parent who never says I love you, never says they're proud of you, never shows up? He can make it whole.
This is the promise of Christmas. Not that our families will suddenly become perfect. Not that all our problems will vanish. But that Jesus will step down into our brokenness just like He stepped down into 42 generations of dysfunction.
Can I just say that Christmas is not about being the perfect family? Christmas offers the hope of Christ in spite of the family.
So maybe your family Christmas this year feels more like a battlefield than a celebration. Maybe you're dreading the gatherings because you know what's waiting for you there. Maybe you're spending the holidays alone and the silence is louder than any noise.
Jesus knows. He was born into a scandal. His earthly father almost divorced his mother before the angel intervened. His family tree includes names that would make most of us blush. He gets it.
And because He gets it, He can enter it.
That's what the incarnation means. God with us. Not God watching from a distance. Not God waiting for us to clean up our mess first. God stepping into the mess. God becoming one of us. God entering a broken family so He could offer hope to every broken family.
Christmas is about second chances. It's about new beginnings. It's about hope that refuses to give up no matter how dark things look.
This week you've read about people who should have been disqualified. But grace qualified them. If you're willing to confess and obey, Jesus will write you into His story too.
Application Questions
What specific area of your family life will you invite Jesus to make whole this Christmas season?
Today's Challenge
Gather your family together and pray the prayer below out loud. If you're alone, pray it for yourself and for the family members God brings to mind. Ask Jesus to step into the brokenness and make it whole.
Today's Prayer
Lord Jesus, I invite You into my family today. I don't come with perfection. I come with brokenness. I come with struggles and failures and situations I don't know how to fix. But I believe that You can make it whole. Step into our marriage. Step into our relationships with our children. Step into the gaps and the wounds and the places where we've given up hope. You came from a broken family so You could come for a broken family. Come for us now. We receive Your hope in spite of our imperfections. In Your name, Amen.
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