Looking at my wife’s calendar is exhausting. Looking at my calendar is as well. I’m reminded of my Grandmother saying this
one time: “we’re trying to put 10 pounds of sugar in a 5-pound sack.” Christmas means many things to many people,
but I think we can all agree on this one thing.
From Thanksgiving to New Year’s, we are super busy.
Work parties. School
parties. Getting together with family
and friends. Church activities. School programs. Who has time for everything that comes at us? Everyone wants to share some time with us
during the holidays, which is great. I
love getting together with family and friends and spending time with the church
family during the holidays.
But wait, there’s more!
Decorating, shopping, wrapping, cleaning, and cooking! And of course, there’s the dreaded waking up
in the middle of night, with the realization that we forgot to get a gift for
Great-Aunt Edna! What are we going to
get her? She has everything imaginable!
I’m not surprised that Santa made a list and checked it twice, I’m surprised he only checked it twice!
We get so busy that we often forget the purpose of the holiday.
What is the purpose of Christmas? It’s not the gifts, nor is it the
decorations, nor is it even all the get togethers. The purpose of Christmas is to take some time
to reflect on what happened in Bethlehem all those years ago. When a young woman gave birth to the Son of
God. If that isn’t amazing enough, that
same babe would grow up into a man Who would willingly give His life in
exchange for people who didn’t even know Him at the time (Romans 5:8).
As Christmas approaches, let’s purpose to slow down our
hectic pace and spend time quietly reflecting on the purpose of the
season. Stop pursuing the perfect gift
for Great-Aunt Edna and instead, pursue a closer relationship with Jesus.
The Bible tells us about some wise men who visited Jesus in
Bethlehem. The wise men must have taken
a wrong turn in the desert because they didn’t get to see Jesus until He was
about two years old. For two years, they
followed the star that was guiding them.
They didn’t give up. They didn’t
give out. They didn’t give in. They pursued. Over hill and mountain, moor and fountain,
they pursued the star, not because it was an astronomical anomaly, but because of
what it represented—the birth of the King of the Jews.
This season take time to celebrate Jesus. The
gifts, decorations, and the hustle and bustle are something we enjoy and
possibly endure, but Jesus is the reason for the season.
