Are You Ready for Christmas?

We had dentist appointments recently and the receptionists were talking about Christmas. One in particular didn’t like Christmas; “too much stress”.

From there we went to a second hand store and the clerk there was telling a patron how her dad had died around Christmas; they buried him December 21st. As I recall, her mother passed away the next Easter. “I don’t celebrate holidays anymore,” was pretty much what she boiled it all down to.

The eavesdropped conversations stuck with me . . . and saddened me.

When one of my closest friends was complaining about her Christmas stressors, (mainly gifting), I removed myself from her gift list; I gave her, (and other people I love), a free pass. I know people want to bless those they love, I’m no different from anybody else, but hearing my friend’s gripes was much like listening to the receptionist in the dentist office. “If you find something that screams me,” I told her, “great, get it. If not, that’s okay. I’m going to do the same for you.” She was so relieved! When did Christmas boil down to decorations, food, and a gift buying frenzy? Yes, I want to give gifts, I want to get gifts, but the true meaning of Christmas is WAY beyond that.

Think about the first Christmas. There’s Mary and Joseph, newly married, being gossiped about, taking a trip when she’s near delivery time — to pay taxes. Their first born son, the Son of God, is laid in a manger. They have no home at that time, they don’t even have a room in the inn. No family for support, just them. And we’re stressing?!

Here’s what God did: He gave them a stable all to themselves. He filled the sky with angels to sing praises to the newborn King. And when the time was right, wise men came with treasure for the toddler King.

So maybe “things” aren’t going our way. Maybe the cake went flat, the artificial tree is so old it’s losing needles, and we haven’t found the perfect gift for the people we love dearly. Or, like the woman in the second hand shop whose Christmas is darkened by the shadow of the death of her father, (and I agree that would be difficult), we’re having trouble seeing the Joy of Christmas due to circumstances. Let’s put this into perspective: What is our suffering here compared in light of eternity? Christmas isn’t about us; it’s about Christ. It’s about how He traded His perfect life in paradise to live as we do for thirty-three years so that He could be an example of God’s love for us and what “life, and life more abundantly” looks like. God gave us every gift He could, including His Son; we just need to unwrap His gifts, read the directions, and use them.

Let me ask you, “Are you ready for Christmas?” I’m not talking about what we made it, but what God designed it to be. A celebration of Him sending His Son, of Jesus being willing to come, of us glorifying and magnifying His holy name for all that He is and all that He has done. Will you join me in meditating on what a beautiful gift we received in the form of a Savior? And because we live on this side of the cross, it’d benefit us to make a point to be thankful for God living in us through Holy Spirit. We have SO MUCH for which to be thankful. Let’s turn our hearts to the ultimate Gifter and ask Him what He would like for His birthday. I can tell you right now, His first and consistent reply would simply be, “To be known and to be loved by you.” Take the time now to invite Him in if you haven’t already:

Dear Jesus, I acknowledge that You are the Son of God, that You came to earth, lived, died in my place, are resurrected and have gone to prepare a place for those who love You. I don’t know You and I haven’t loved You, but I want to. Please forgive me of my sins and be LORD of my life. Thank You. Amen.

If you prayed that prayer, tell someone, tell me. And with the rest of us, who have already made Jesus a part of our lives, join us in spending time with Him and making room in our lives for His presence. Then when someone asks us if we’re ready for Christmas, we can answer together with a resounding, “YES!”