Contentment

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There is a crisis of mental health happening in our country. We have never had more mental health apps and books and specialists and medications than we do right now; we’ve never had a higher level of mental health awareness than we have right now. But our mental health is not improving. And we all know that the holidays can be especially hard: we’re supposed to be so happy! But sometimes we just don’t feel that way. And then we feel guilty for not feeling happy, and it just gets worse. 
So this Advent series is built on the premise that some of the most important ingredients for mental health are found in the biblical stories of Christmas. Two weeks ago, Pastor Paul showed us how Christmas brings hope. Last week we talked about how Christmas teaches us to worship. And today we’re going to look at how Christmas teaches us contentment.  
Our English word “contentment” comes from the Latin contentus, which means “held together” or “intact.” Originally, it was used to describe literal containers– things like cups and buckets, that held together what was was inside them. Later, the word started being used to describe people–so a person who was contentus was someone who’s complete and whole inside–not reaching or grasping for something they don’t have. They are content. 
Two weeks ago Norma Jean had to go to Germany for a work conference, so I took the opportunity to join her. We spent a few days in Germany and a few days in Austria. By the way, the highlight of the trip for me was taking a cable car high into the Austrian Alps. We were way above the clouds; there was lots of snow on the ground; you could see for hundreds of miles. And I couldn’t resist drawing the new Chapel logo in the snow–it just seemed like the right thing to do. So the Chapel is being represented at 7,600 feet of elevation in the Austrian Alps! 
So anyway, we were in the Munich Airport, about to fly back home. I was planning to use the 8½ hour flight to work on my sermon–I really needed that time. So we’re in the terminal, and I laid my briefcase down on its side on a table. And then I looked, and there was this pool of water forming on the table around my briefcase. You know those moments when you realize something really bad might be happening? So I opened the briefcase, and there was a water bottle that I was carrying for my lovely wife–who insists on bringing water bottles everywhere she goes (but that’s for another day). And I thought I had closed it properly, but apparently it leaked and soaked everything in my briefcase, including my laptop. And our flight was about to board, so we didn’t have much time, but we tried desperately to dry everything off. I’m running to the men’s room to try to hold things under the blow dryer. It was chaos. And despite our best efforts, my laptop was ruined.  
So we got on the plane; I was agitated; I was frustrated; I was trying desperately to find a way to blame Norma Jean for what happened–even though it wasn’t her fault at all, but you know, marriage. And as I looked ahead to the next eight hours of not getting any work done, I realized this flight was going to be very different from what I had planned. And here was the question: in a situation that was much less than ideal, could I be content?  
And now let me turn that question on you. As you look ahead to Christmas next week, I’m going to guess that things in your life are less than ideal. Is that fair? Or is everything perfect with you? Probably every one of us has things–in our family; in our health; in our friendships; in our finances–that are not ideal. They’re kind of messed up. So here’s the question: in a Christmas that is less than ideal, can you be content? Because if you can, it will be like a superpower that will improve your mental health and guarantee you an amazing Christmas time.  
When you look at the original Christmas story, Mary’s Christmas was definitely less than ideal. Not that she had any expectations about Christmas, because there was no Christmas yet. But I’m certain she had expectations about giving birth to her first child, just like every new mom does. But the reality turned out much different. Let’s look at the Scripture–Luke chapter 2, starting in verse 1. Let’s hear God’s Word…  
1 In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2 (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 And everyone went to their own town to register. 
4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them. 
8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” 
13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 
14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven, 
  and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” 
15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” 
16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. This is the Word of the Lord.  
Try to put yourself in Mary’s place. On the day she gave birth to her first child, she was unmarried; she was in a strange town; she was surrounded by people she had never met; and she was delivering her baby in a stable. Years earlier, when she dreamed about the day she would become a mother, do you think this is how she pictured it? And yet, through this entire situation, Mary exudes contentment. How did she do it? She teaches us three things.  
First, Accept Your Circumstances. Mary didn’t plan these circumstances; Mary didn’t necessarily like these circumstances; but she accepted them. As I was thinking about Mary, I couldn’t help thinking of Paul. Because Paul also found himself in a much-less-than-ideal situation, sitting in a Roman prison. And one of the letters that he wrote from that prison contains the Bible’s strongest teaching on contentment. So Paul had some friends on the outside who had sent him a care package in prison. And in this part of the letter he’s acknowledging their gift. Listen to what he writes, starting in Philippians 4, verse 10: 10 I rejoiced greatly in the Lord that at last you renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you were concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. 11 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength. 
In other words, “I so appreciate your gift, but I want you to know that I would have been okay even if you didn’t send it.” And maybe that sounds like a weird way to say “Thank you,” but he’s making an important point. And this is really the essence of what contentment means. Whatever situation I’m in, I might prefer that it’s different; I might pray for certain things to change; but at the end of the day, I will be okay if things stay just like this….because I’m receiving supernatural strength from Christ. That’s acceptance.  
There’s a famous poem that was written by a woman named Emily Kingsley. She’s the mother of a child with a disability, and here’s what she wrote: 
I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability - to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It's like this...... 
When you're going to have a baby, it's like planning a fabulous vacation trip - to Italy. You buy a bunch of guide books and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum. The Michelangelo David. The gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It's all very exciting. 
After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The flight attendant comes in and says, "Welcome to Holland." 
"Holland?!?" you say. "What do you mean Holland?? I signed up for Italy! I'm supposed to be in Italy. All my life I've dreamed of going to Italy." 
But there's been a change in the flight plan. They've landed in Holland and there you must stay. 
The important thing is that they haven't taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease. It's just a different place. 
So you must go out and buy new guide books. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met. 
It's just a different place. It's slower-paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you've been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around.... and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills....and Holland has tulips. Holland even has Rembrandts. 
But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy... and they're all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say "Yes, that's where I was supposed to go. That's what I had planned." 
And the pain of that will never, ever, ever, ever go away... because the loss of that dream is a very very significant loss. 
But... if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn't get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things ... about Holland. 
That’s acceptance, and those words have helped countless people. And when you add the presence and the power of Christ, there is supernatural ability to be content. So here’s the question: even if your Christmas isn’t turning out the way you would have hoped, will you look to Jesus to give you a contentment that you didn’t even know you were capable of? 

Here’s the second thing we learn from Mary: Trust God’s Plan. This really builds on the first one. Because part of the reason you can accept your circumstances is that you believe God has a plan in what’s happening. It’s not random. It’s not purposeless.  

So how did Mary know this was God’s plan? She was directly told, by the angel Gabriel. He had told her, “You will conceive, by the power of the Holy Spirit, and give birth to a son.” Joseph had a separate visit from an angel, who told him the same thing. So this was clearly God’s plan. And making this trip to Bethlehem for the census was simply what they had to do–they didn’t have a choice. And then, angel visit number three: the shepherds who came to see Jesus had also been told by an angel that they would find the Messiah in this really unlikely place, lying in a feeding trough. And Mary seemed to have a simple trust that all of this was part of God’s plan. 

Many of you know the name Corrie Ten Boom. She was a Dutch woman who hid Jews in her home during the holocaust, and she was caught and sent to the Ravensbruck concentration camp in Germany, along with her sister Betsie. Betsie died 11 days before Christmas 1944, and the day after Betsie died, Corrie was told that she was going to be released–all she had to do was get medical clearance from the camp doctor. But the doctor diagnosed her with edema, and he sent her to recover in the hospital barracks. So instead of being released, she would spend Christmas in the concentration camp.  

She wrote about an experience she had that Christmas night. She heard a girl in a bed nearby calling for her mother. So Corrie went over to comfort her. The girl was skin and bones, and she was recovering from an operation, with the incision on her back covered with a makeshift bandage of toilet paper. Corrie wrote this: “That night I told this poor child about Jesus. How he came into the world as a little baby–how he came to save us from our sins.” And the little girl said, “I will ask Jesus to make me brave when I have pain. I will think of the pain Jesus suffered to show me the way to heaven.” And Corrie said, “Then I knew why I had to spend this Christmas in Ravensbruck in 1944.” 

She was still grieving the loss of her sister. She was dealing with the disappointment of not being released in time for Christmas. But she realized that God had a plan. God was working in the mess. He always does, if we have eyes to see. 

Accept your circumstances; trust God’s plan. Here’s the final thing: Receive God’s Peace. When the angels announced the birth of Jesus to the shepherds, they said these words: “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” When God’s favor rests on you, you experience peace. And God’s favor had clearly rested on Mary, right? We talked about this last week from Mary’s Magnificat–she realized that she was chosen by God not because of her stellar qualifications–it was all God’s grace. God’s favor. And just knowing that God is with you, and pouring his grace on you, brings immense inner peace.  

And you can see Mary’s peace in one of my favorite verses of the whole Christmas story. After all the commotion of the delivery and the amazement that any new mother has when they see their newborn, and after the completely unexpected visit of the shepherds, it becomes quiet. And Luke 2:19 says But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. She treasured up all these things because she knew what was happening would mark her for the rest of her life, and it was meant to be kept and valued. And she pondered them in her heart. The Greek word for “pondered” is symballo, and it literally means “to throw together.” In other words, Mary wasn’t just thinking about the things that happened; she was actively connecting the dots. She was “throwing together” what she’d heard from the angel Gabriel, and the fact that they were in Bethlehem–which is mentioned in the prophet Micah as the birthplace of the Messiah, and the visit of the shepherds. Because when you believe in a sovereign God, the things that happen aren’t random; they’re a connected part of a larger plan.  
So this was a woman who didn’t necessarily understand all that was happening, but she knew it came from God. So she took time to ponder and meditate and pray. And because she believed God was good, she experienced peace. Nothing was the way she expected it to be—she expected Italy and she got Holland; she expected 8 productive hours on the plane and she got a soggy laptop–it was crazy!--but she knew God was good, and Jesus was with her…so she was content. 
Two of my kids have gotten part-time jobs at a local retirement community, serving food in the restaurant. And they would come home and tell me stories about the people that they served. They said, “Dad, some of the people are so sad, because they’re never content. They didn’t get seated at the right table. The food came out in the wrong order. The coffee didn’t show up in time.” But then they would tell me about other people—many of them struggling physically; many of them widows or widowers; but totally different. They would say, “Dad, I love serving this lady. She’s always happy. She never complains. I love it when I get assigned to her table.”  
In those restaurants at the retirement community, the residents can fill out cards to comment on the service they receive. And a couple of times, my daughter brought home cards, and she saved them. One of them said something like, “Sara is the best. She always has a smile; she’s attentive to our needs. She’s going to be a success in whatever she does.” And my daughter took that card and pinned it to her bulletin board in her room, because it meant so much to her. So here is a woman who’s in the final years of her life, she’s a widow, and if she wanted to she could be so discontent. So many things to complain about. But she doesn’t have time for that. Because she’s too busy blessing and encouraging people. Contentment isn’t just good for you; it blesses everyone around you. 

So…Christmas time is here. Everything might go exactly the way you’d like it to…but probably not. The reality is, your Christmas will probably be less than ideal. And that can make you miserable…or you can take a deep breath, receive God’s peace, and be content.