I've spent a week decorating with live greenery. It has been arduous, frustrating, and great fun all at the same time. But it has consumed me. I've done it. I admit it. I've gotten wrapped up in Christmas. Exactly what I didn't want to do. I wanted Jesus to be wrapped up tightly inside my motives. Not things.
How many of us do that? Short woman frantically waving my hand here. It's such a fine line. Christmas that is. We should be celebrating and remembering loved ones near and far. Giving gifts to those who have helped make our lives easier throughout the year. We should be excited to host neighbors and celebrate with friends. But as cliche as it sounds? Jesus really is the reason for the season. Not the anticipation of gifts. Or the frenzy of loosing ourselves (cough cough) in making our homes picture perfect. Christmas is for us to celebrate. It is not to celebrate us. When we take Christ out of Christmas you simply have a holiday.
When our grown daughters were young it was very easy to keep Jesus the center of Christmas. Our girls received three gifts: one for each gift the wise men brought baby Jesus. My husband and I would read from Luke on Christmas morning before opening presents. We wanted, not to be militant, rather to make sure they understood why they were receiving presents. As they became teenagers those three gifts turned into three categories. But the gospel stayed the same. The message was tucked in their hearts. As they've left our home, and for the most part it's just me and my husband, there's no more teaching to do. There are no grandchildren yet. Just us. And just like that the enemy snuck into my Christmas. I got caught up in the frenzy of Instagram and Pinterest.
I guess the point is that we, as Christians, are not immune to the secular cultural lies. Television and the Internet telling us to buy more, spend more, decorate more. Our news outlets telling us to accommodate the world with "Happy Holiday's" rather than "Merry Christmas and God Bless you".
As society tries to push Jesus out in the name of tolerance we must remember to bring Him to the forefront. It is because of Jesus Christ, the King in the manger, that you and I have the divine privilege of everlasting life. When we forget that? When we take God out of our culture? We have complete and total chaos.
Jesus came to save the lost. He came to give all of us new and abundant life in Him. Let's rejoice this Christmas by honoring the King of Kings and Lord of Lords with our highest praises, prayers and thanksgiving.
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile”-Romans 1:16
