The Season of New Beginnings: A Christmas Devotional

Editor’s Note: This is a guest Christmas devotional by contributor Agnes Amos-Coleman (interested in her last Devotional Diva post? Here it is!) I specifically placed Agnes’ “Best Christmas Ever” post last in the guest portion of our Diva Christmas Series. It heavily relates to my post, which will be coming up next as the final installment. I guess the way Agnes describes Christmas as a “New Beginning” is precisely the way I feel about Christmas and why I love it so much. I really related! I hope you can too.

Want to catch up on the series? Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, Day 6, Day 7, Day 8

A little background info on our Diva Christmas Series: Every year I’ve been editor, I like to celebrate the Christmas season with a special series and theme. This is year 5!! This year’s theme is “The Best Christmas Ever” and I think you’ll enjoy the wide variety of posts everyone submitted! It was a pleasure reading them as they were submitted, and taking in everyone’s Best Christmases Ever. Submissions are closed, but if you’d like to read more about the series, here is my post announcing the series!

The Season of New Beginnings

My friends, Christmas for me symbolizes a season of new beginning. A new beginning when all hope is lost and suddenly, God shows up in the situation and changes all things around for our good.

I recall the Christmas season of 2011 during a trip to England and Paris – this was not just an ordinary trip, it was a trip with my husband celebrating our honeymoon. As cold and challenging as the trip was (because we got pick pocketed in Paris) it was a trip that embodied for me Hope and Joy. Why? I am glad you asked. After many years of being divorced, I had lost hope of ever meeting someone who shares my values and is interested in journeying through life with me for better and for worse. However, through series of divine intervention, the God of new beginning showed up and gave me my own new beginning in marriage. I know He will do the same for you too in Jesus Name. Amen.

Reflecting on this personal new beginning, I realized that God already gave us a new beginning when He sent his son, born of a woman, born under the law to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship (Galatians 4:4-5).

In this season, our new beginning is:

* Personal: Whatever our needs are – be it marital, financial, career, relationship, emotional, business, family and so on, the God of new beginning is available to meet us at the point of our need. Ours’s is to believe by faith that

“With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Matthew 19:26.

And then walk in the spirit of expectation that one day, the story is going to change. Such was my case (even when I was faced with unbelief sometimes) that my marital situation would ever change.

* Spiritual – God is calling us into a personal relationship with Him through His son Jesus Christ, so that we can do life with Him in wisdom, knowledge and understanding and above all be partakers of the hope of eternity. This new beginning is far important than the hyped consumerism synonymous to Christmas that often leaves us with the feeling of emptiness, financial debt and depression once the season is over. Think about it –

“What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?” Mark 8:36.

Christ follower, I pray for you that in this season, God will give you a new beginning in every area of your life – physical, spiritual and emotional in Jesus Name. Amen. If you are currently not a Christ follower, come and experience a new beginning with Jesus today.

All glory to God!