Are You Ready for Christmas?

     Are you ready for Christmas???  

I can't even tell you how many times I have been asked that question in the past few weeks.  And in a way, it seems funny, because I don't think I can ever answer, "Yes, I'm ready for Christmas!"  The best reply I can muster is, "I'm as ready as I'm going to be."  But really, is anyone ever ready for Christmas?

This past week we were lucky enough to have some beautiful, warm weather with clear skies at night.  One night we went for a walk and saw the Starlink satellites zipping across the sky.  And a few nights later I let the kids stay up extra late to sit outside and watch the Geminid meteor shower.  

Sitting there in the cold, dark night, just staring up at the moonless sky, we could see so many stars.  We felt our smallness in the midst of such splendor and vastness. We had fun identifying a few constellations and even saw Jupiter and three of its moons with binoculars.  But the shooting stars were what we were waiting for and we were not disappointed.

There is something so gripping about light, piercing the darkness.  First we saw one, then another, then another meteor flash across the sky.  Even as these potentially dangerous space rocks are burning up in our atmosphere, we see them as something beautiful - light piercing the darkness.   We saw 13 in all in about 40 minutes of watching.  Every one resulted in a thrill of excitement. Sudden...unexpected... stunningly beautiful.

This makes me think back on that question....are you ready for Christmas?  We live in a world filled with so much sorrow and chaos and pain...the darkness seems so impenetrable that at times we can't imagine a way out.  I remember the story of the three wise men, who saw and followed the unusual star in the sky that eventually led them to Jesus.  On their journey of many months, did they ever lose hope?  Did they wonder what exactly they would find when they reached their destination?

When we take the time to be still, to look for God, we find Him.  But we have to make that time...we have to be quiet and patient and let all of our pressing demands fade away. What are we striving for? What things are we pouring our time and energy into?  Christmas has nothing to do with checking everything off a list, and everything to do with setting our lists aside to focus on God.  Christmas isn't about how many things we can cram onto our calendar, but instead is about creating space to rest with the Lord and truly appreciate what He has done for us.  Christmas isn't about finding the perfect gifts, it's about rejoicing in the greatest gift ever given, the gift of Jesus, our Savior, Who rescues us from this dark and hopeless world and offers us a whole new life with Him.  

Even thinking about a gift like this now, I am so humbled and quieted.  How could anything else compare?  How could we feel like we need to add on anything else to make Christmas more special?  

Dear God, help us to slow down this Christmas season, so that we do not miss the beauty and hope and joy that Jesus offers us.  Help us to spend time in Your Word, which offers us truth and light.  Help us never to forget the reason we celebrate Christmas...Jesus.  Like a shooting star, He appeared in our dark and hopeless world, and brought Light.  Brilliant piercing Light, offering us hope, if we will only open our eyes to see...

Good Tidings of Great Joy...

I can't think back to a more memorable field trip I've done with the kids than our trip to see the Goodyear Blimp in December of 2019.  We drove to Ohio on a cold, snowy morning and were just in awe to be able to walk into the hanger and go right up to the blimp. 

Seeing it up in the sky from time to time you really can't appreciate the size of it.  But being up close you get a whole new perspective.  And I associate it with Christmas time because our visit was just shortly before Christmas.  After we saw the blimp, we stopped by a nearby church that advertised having an enormous number of nativities they had collected from all over the world.  We loved walking around and seeing all the different displays, and down in the basement of the church was an area with costumes for all the nativity characters that the kids could put on to act out the scene.  The girls wanted to dress up as angels...well two of them did!  

So why remember back to this trip right now?  As I watched the kids decorating our tree this evening, I thought back to my own childhood and the wonder of Christmas and the many traditions we shared.  I wanted it to be a beautiful and peaceful time for them. But the kids were arguing quite a bit about what color lights to put on the tree and how many, what decorations to hang, what music to listen to. There was name calling, pushing and shoving, pouting... Derrick and I sat back and let them do everything on their own for the first time.  It was utter chaos.  Ornaments were falling off the tree as soon as they were hung, kids were tripping over boxes strewn all over the floor, pine needles were everywhere.  I wasn't sure if anyone was feeling any Christmas joy!

But isn't this why Jesus came??  So quietly, so humbly, He came into the most imperfect world in the most inconspicuous way, amongst smelly farm animals and visited by lowly shepherds.  He came into our sin-marred world to bring light and life and hope.  It's easy to go through our days and not even notice Him or give Him much thought.  It's easy to go through the whole year and not think about the wondrous gift He has given us...until we return to Christmas.  But it is a gift we can appreciate every single day.

When I wish someone a Merry Christmas, I hope I am thinking about the words I'm saying.  We aren't joyful at Christmas because of our perfect decorations or the gifts we give, our family Christmas cards or the amount of baking we have done.  It is Jesus who offers us lasting joy, the greatest joy we could ever hope to find.  From a distance, I don't appreciate Him, don't grasp all that He means to me or all that He has done for me.  It's when I really start to understand and get close to Him, getting to know Him by reading His words in the Bible, and talking with Him in prayer that I can appreciate the gift He offers me.

I hope as Christmas nears, you will find some time to think about Jesus, and all that He means for us. 

Luke 2:10-12 - But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

Stop Comparing...

A few weeks ago, I was reading Galatians in my "Message" Bible.  I was feeling pretty discouraged and depleted.  Holidays aren't what they used to be with so many empty seats around our table that were once filled with family members.  It is hard not to be sad.  It is hard not to go on Facebook or other social media and see the photos that others post and compare, all the time.  It's hard to remember back to the days when our lives were not so permeated by this constant flood of "information", having an ever-flowing window into the world of all of our "friends".  But is this really healthy for our minds and our souls?  

As I read a passage I am very familiar with, in a slightly different version, I was gripped.  I read it again, and again, and again.  How had I missed it before?  How had I passed over the deeper meaning so many times in the past?

Galatians 5: 19-26 (my emphasis in bold)

It is obvious what kind of life develops out of trying to get your own way all the time: repetitive, loveless, cheap sex; a stinking accumulation of mental and emotional garbage; frenzied and joyless grabs for happiness; trinket gods; magic-show religion; paranoid loneliness; cutthroat competition; all-consuming-yet-never-satisfied wants; a brutal temper; an impotence to love or be loved; divided homes and divided lives; small-minded and lopsided pursuits; the vicious habit of depersonalizing everyone into a rival; uncontrolled and uncontrollable addictions; ugly parodies of community. I could go on. This isn't the first time I have warned you, you know. If you use your freedom this way, you will not inherit God's kingdom.

But what happens when we live God's way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard - things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely. Legalism is helpless in bringing this about; it only gets in the way.

Among those who belong to Christ, everything connected with getting our own way and mindlessly responding to what everyone else calls necessities is killed off for good - crucified. Since this is the kind of life we have chosen, the life of the Spirit, let us make sure that we do not just hold it as an idea in our heads or a sentiment in our hearts, but work out its implications in every detail of our lives. 

That means we will not compare ourselves with each other as if one of us were better and another worse. We have far more interesting things to do with our lives. Each of us is an original.

Whoa, read that again if you need to.  I might!  How have we become so obsessed with comparing?  And does it really make our lives any better? I have to argue that it doesn't.  I know I often find myself either wallowing in self-pity and envy or trying to outdo someone else...neither of which should ever be the result of indulging in social media consumption.  

Am I focusing on what is really important, or just what I want?  Am I working out the implications of living for Christ, the life of the Spirit, in every detail of my life?  Or am I trying to post every detail of my life on Facebook to garner as many "likes" as possible?  

I crave this exuberance for life, this serenity, this peace in not needing to know what everyone else is doing or what society views as "necessities".  What happened to "give us this day our daily bread"?  We are so far down the road trying to plan out our whole future, the kids college funds, our retirement.  What happened to just being thankful for today and living it out to the fullest, completely in love with Jesus Who has freed us from the bondage of this earth and our own sin?

During this Christmas season, I hope and pray that you might find some quiet time to reflect on why we celebrate the birth of Christ.  I pray that you might grasp the life-altering implications of this incredible gift that God sent to us in the form of a tiny baby.  I pray that you might come before the Lord, empty-handed, and thank Him wholeheartedly for all that He has done for you.  

Dear God, how very far I stray from You!  Over and over again I look to the wrong things, the wrong places for satisfaction in my life.  To be sure, life can be very hard, but in spite of my circumstances, I know that You and You alone are good, and the only thing worth pursuing.  Help me to keep my eyes fixed on You.  I thank You for the gifts you have so graciously poured into my life, the only gifts worth celebrating at Christmas time.  Help me to take hold of Your promises and never look back.  Thank you for the greatest gift of Jesus.  Amen.