The Bible says this about the former King Hezekiah of Judah in the Old Testament: "The Lord was with him..." (2 Kings 18:7). This is one of the most emphasised encouragements in the Bible. And if the God, who creates, saves, recreates and ultimately redeems the world from all mortal evil, is with us, then all good is ours, and all good will soon be seen in us. At the first low point, at the birth of Jesus Christ, this good news was proclaimed: "God is with us!" The Father thus fulfilled his promise, and in Jesus Christ embraced the dying human race with his everlasting love: "Behold, the virgin conceived in her womb, she shall bring forth a son, and he shall be called Immanuel which means, 'God is with us'. " (Mt 1:23). The birth of Jesus was marked by a star shining conspicuously in the darkness (Mt 2:9). For those who have seen the Christmas message of joy shine forth, they know with certainty that the God of life and joy is with them always, even beyond death, for Jesus Christ, born on Christmas, has risen from the dead for them too. Therefore the person living in the spirit of Christmas stands by the other person! If God is with us and for us, we human beings cannot live in opposition to one another. We need a culture of mercy. God is with us, we are with each other, for each other.
God is with us, in Jesus Christ - and the Father sees us through the perfection of his only begotten Son, with justifying and sanctifying grace. This is why, many hundreds of years after his reign, the biblical writer looks back on King Hezekiah and states: "He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord..." (2 Kings 18:3). A more beautiful assessment, a testimony, can hardly be made of anyone, whether it is towards the end of a calendar year or the end of a human life: he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord. Verily, what is pleasing to God, what He thinks right, will be the source of a blessed and happy life for men. Indeed, Hezekiah sought to walk in the way of the Lord, to lead the people entrusted to him with devout responsibility and faith. Despite this, many, many missteps and tribulations also plagued King Hezekiah's struggles. Yet! God valued King Hezekiah's whole life, as He did King David's, in that they both did what the Lord thought was right. This is a reflection of grace that soothes mistakes and sins. That is how God looks at us now, at Christmas, at the end-of-year reckoning; and that is how He will look at us at the end-of-life reckoning: we have done what He sees fit. That is the gospel of Christmas! At the same time, this divine grace that precedes us does indeed lead us to seek ever more to do - by the Spirit - what is right in the eyes of the Lord, what will enliven and uplift the other person.
The most joyful Christmas and New Year's programme is this: to look up to the Lord, to trust in the Lord - as Hezekiah did more and more (2 Kings 18:5) - to act according to the Lord's love, because with Him we have the most perfect "strategy" ready for us!
My father used to hold my hand as a little child when we went to Veszprém, the county town, for something. I would have run across the busy road if I liked something... I would let go of my father's hand, but he would not let go of mine, but would hold my wrist tightly: he would keep me out of trouble. Even if we let go of God's protecting, saving love, He would not let go of our hand. Let us never forget that our faith in the Lord is always a gift from God! We can cling to the Lord because He is eternal and because He has an all-prevailing love for us, so that He never gives up on us. Whoever can trust in the Lord in this way is a happy and fulfilled person at all times. This certainty is an overture to the Christmas holidays and then to the calendar New Year and the rest of our lives on earth. One sees well, beautifully, rightly, only with faith,throughout eternal horizons.
Merry Christmas! May God's mercy move us all into a new year full of mercy!