Christmas
*These are the late night musings of a shift worker*
The holidays are here and everyone is happy and of good cheer! Wrong, irritability, bitterness, and depression skyrocket this time of year. We try to overcompensate for a year of not listening or valuing each other by buying exorbitant gifts that many times just put us in more debt. The days leading up to Christmas feature frazzled dads and moms bickering about gifts, bills, and what dinners to attend. Kids keep seeing more and more things they just "have to get" all the while overlooking the miles of stuff they already have. And sprinkled all around are those poor souls who by default, design, or sheer bad luck face yet another Christmas alone. Has this gotten your attention? Have I missed anything?
What happened to the joy of Christmas? I don't mean our lovely memories of Christmases past, family gatherings, or long-time traditions, wonderful as they can be. I mean the joy we had when we realized what Christmas meant. The joy that caused angels to split the skies open and proclaim, "Do not be afraid. I have come to bring you good news, the most joyous news the world has ever heard! And it is for everyone everywhere!" Luke 2:10 (TPT). The joy of the birth of Jesus; our salvation had finally arrived. Our reconnection with God was finally happening! No gifts bought with money can ever begin to compare with the gift given to us 2,000 years ago. Our King was born and He had come to reclaim His people.
Satan loves to steal anything he can. It's fitting that he would take the observance of Jesus's birth and try to warp into a perversion of the real celebration. Instead of truly enjoying a day with family and friends, we fret and worry about gift amounts, prices, and if they were the right kind. We can't extend our hand to the lonely because we have a packed house. Besides we already put change in the Salvation Army Pot outside the store; isn't that enough? Instead of experiencing the awe of Christ's birth, we are filled with worry that we forgot and missed something or someone.
I'm not saying that gift-giving or family gatherings are bad, in fact they are far from it! Just remember why and who we celebrate. Two thousand years ago, a baby was born and just that simple act changed the world. Do you celebrate your birthday every year as if you were still a newborn? Of course not, yet many times we seem so content to talk only about the little baby Jesus. Sure He was a baby but He isn't anymore. He is the Conqueror of death and disease, the King of kings, Lord of lords, the only Way by which we are made whole, and the Savior of the the world! He doesn't lay in a manger anymore; He sits at the right hand of God! He is the Joy of Christmas and like the carol says, "Oh come let us adore Him, Christ the Lord!" I challenge you to make that your hearts cry this Christmas season, don't here it in the nice comfortable carol way but feel your heart and soul crying out to the heavens. Let us adore Him, our Savior and King. Have a Mighty Christmas! Embrace joy this holiday and spread it to everyone everywhere!
The holidays are here and everyone is happy and of good cheer! Wrong, irritability, bitterness, and depression skyrocket this time of year. We try to overcompensate for a year of not listening or valuing each other by buying exorbitant gifts that many times just put us in more debt. The days leading up to Christmas feature frazzled dads and moms bickering about gifts, bills, and what dinners to attend. Kids keep seeing more and more things they just "have to get" all the while overlooking the miles of stuff they already have. And sprinkled all around are those poor souls who by default, design, or sheer bad luck face yet another Christmas alone. Has this gotten your attention? Have I missed anything?
What happened to the joy of Christmas? I don't mean our lovely memories of Christmases past, family gatherings, or long-time traditions, wonderful as they can be. I mean the joy we had when we realized what Christmas meant. The joy that caused angels to split the skies open and proclaim, "Do not be afraid. I have come to bring you good news, the most joyous news the world has ever heard! And it is for everyone everywhere!" Luke 2:10 (TPT). The joy of the birth of Jesus; our salvation had finally arrived. Our reconnection with God was finally happening! No gifts bought with money can ever begin to compare with the gift given to us 2,000 years ago. Our King was born and He had come to reclaim His people.
Satan loves to steal anything he can. It's fitting that he would take the observance of Jesus's birth and try to warp into a perversion of the real celebration. Instead of truly enjoying a day with family and friends, we fret and worry about gift amounts, prices, and if they were the right kind. We can't extend our hand to the lonely because we have a packed house. Besides we already put change in the Salvation Army Pot outside the store; isn't that enough? Instead of experiencing the awe of Christ's birth, we are filled with worry that we forgot and missed something or someone.
I'm not saying that gift-giving or family gatherings are bad, in fact they are far from it! Just remember why and who we celebrate. Two thousand years ago, a baby was born and just that simple act changed the world. Do you celebrate your birthday every year as if you were still a newborn? Of course not, yet many times we seem so content to talk only about the little baby Jesus. Sure He was a baby but He isn't anymore. He is the Conqueror of death and disease, the King of kings, Lord of lords, the only Way by which we are made whole, and the Savior of the the world! He doesn't lay in a manger anymore; He sits at the right hand of God! He is the Joy of Christmas and like the carol says, "Oh come let us adore Him, Christ the Lord!" I challenge you to make that your hearts cry this Christmas season, don't here it in the nice comfortable carol way but feel your heart and soul crying out to the heavens. Let us adore Him, our Savior and King. Have a Mighty Christmas! Embrace joy this holiday and spread it to everyone everywhere!
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