If you’re anything like me, the Christmas season goes by so fast you wonder if time actually sped up or maybe the hours only consisted of 30 minute intervals instead of 60. Either way, it is safe to say that if you aren’t careful the Christmas season will be filled with nothing more than parties, checking off to-do lists, spending an unhealthy amount of time in traffic to wait in an unbelievably long line at the store. Only then to get back in the car to spend an unhealthy amount of time in traffic going home with the same people you were stuck in traffic with on your way to the store and if we aren’t careful Christmas Day can come and go and we will find ourselves sitting in the living room surrounded by new sounds, shredded wrapping paper, and exhausted minds and we will wonder how it all could be over so fast.
But what if it doesn’t have to be that way? What if we could slow down the day and refocus on what is truly important? What if we did things differently this year? Now, don’t get me wrong. You might be the kind of family where before a single present is given out you sit around the table as a family remembering the gift that came thousands of years ago. You might be the family that acts out the manger scene using stuffed animals from around the house to give your little ones a visual presentation of the true reason of Christmas. If you are one of those families I commend you but urge you to keep going. Do not forget to remind yourselves and those little hearts you have that are sitting down near the tree the real reason of the hope we have. Actually, I plead with you to keep going. Do not let Jesus become buried under the wrapping paper and the sound of new toys or even the business of preparing dinner for the family.
But… if your family isn’t like this. If in Christmases past Jesus has been buried under all of the to-do’s and plans and schedules than my challenge to you is this. Don’t let it happen this year. We have all heard the phrase “Jesus is the reason for the season” but what happens so often and I am guilty of this is that though the phrase is true it gets tuned out. All because life has become so loud I can’t hear anything over my to-do lists and schedules that are screaming me from my calendar. So, if I may, let me encourage you in a few ways to hopefully help you do this.
- Slow down. (Luke 10:40-42)
- Remember. (2 Peter 3:1-2)
- Prioritize. (Matthew 6:33; 22:37)
1. Slow Down. In the book of Luke we see Jesus sitting down with people at the home of Martha and Mary. As Jesus is reclining he is talking to a very receptive and captivated Mary who scripture says “sat at the Lord’s feet listening” (v.39). While this is happening her sister Martha who scripture says is “distracted” (v.40) comes up to Jesus and says to him “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me!” (v.40). Now, at first glance her request doesn’t seem that outlandish. She wants help, I am sure that you have asked for help as well maybe even a few times. There are things to be done and cleaned and she doesn’t want to be the only one who is doing it. Now, look at how Jesus responds to her. He doesn’t look down at Mary and say “get up, and go help your sister”. Rather he looks at Martha with compassionate eyes and softly rebukes her by helping her see that though cleaning and house work is admirable and good she ought to be doing something else that is more important and if she slowed down enough she would have seen it. I firmly believe that Satan just wants you to pump your days full of things to do, to have busy schedules to run back and forth between the baseball field, school, work and home all in the name of being to busy to notice the Lord. He wants you to skip church and stay home to tidy up the house for dinner. He wants you to fly through the season being busy so that you don’t remind yourselves of the reason we celebrate in the first place. Look, if the angels that have been around him since creation are still marveling at him than how much more should we as finite creatures who have never seen him marvel at him and we can only do this if we take time to look at him.
2. Remember. 2 Peter 3 begins with a call to remember. Peter who is writing a letter to the early church is encouraging these believers to remember. Remember what? “The predictions of the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord” (v.2). Remembering God does a multitude of things for us but for the sake of this post I’ll mention just a few. First, it keeps us anchored to the Lord and his will for our lives. Without the daily reminder of God, who he is, what he has done, and what he has said we will become like ships in the sea without an anchor. Aimlessly wandering grabbing at the first thing that offers some sort of steadiness in our lives. Secondly, remembering God is the vessel to hope. Lamentations 3 is one of my favorite passages in scripture and it speaks about this very thing. The author takes up 20 verses to pour out his heart. He not only lists the things that are going on in his life but he also lets you see the plethora of emotions he experiences as well. But something happens in verse 21 that you cannot afford to miss. You see a shift. You see him shift his focus to something other than his situations. It says “but this I call to mind” (v.21). What does he “call to mind” (or remember)? The love of God, the mercy of God, and the faithfulness of God. What does all of this produce in his life? One word, hope. Hope that reminds us of the promises long ago of a little baby to be born of a virgin. Hope that reminds us of his death on our behalf to make a way back to the relationship we once had in the garden. Hope that reminds us of the fact that he did not stay buried in that tomb but rose again three days after he took his last breath. Hope, don’t forget it.
3. Prioritize. I wrestled with putting this one first because let’s be honest, if we don’t prioritize something we aren’t going to slow down enough to remember it. So, naturally if you prioritize your schedule and home routines over God then don’t be surprised when church becomes optional. If you prioritize worldly things over God then don’t be surprised when you start to think about spiritual things less and less. If you prioritize giving all of yourself to everyone else over God then don’t be surprised when your tank runs out of gas and exhaustion hits an all new high. The truth that is so hard for many of us to admit (me included sometimes) is that I am only able to offer, love, and accomplish as much as my life is rooted in Christ. Christ is the source of everything we need. He is the source of love we both receive and give. Christ is the source of strength to do the things we ought to do and the ability to do them well. Christ is the source of hope that can make even the darkest and coldest of nights warm and clear.
I pray that this encourages you to either continue what you have been doing or begin new traditions and mindsets this Christmas season. Either way, wherever you find yourself this season remember Christ. Remember him daily. Talk about him when you’re coming and going. At the grocery store and the carpool line. Talk about him with your kids so that the little ears in your home may experience the greatest hope their ears will ever hear. Remind your spouse of the hope they have been given so that they may find their strength in the Lord. Remind yourself in the bathroom mirror while you’re getting ready for the day of who you are working for so that you can silence all the other competing voices vying for your attention.
Lastly, if this has encouraged you and you find yourself wanting to refocus your attention on Jesus but don’t know where to start let me help you out, start small. Sometimes we can get overwhelmed when we want to implement change in our families routines so don’t try to go crazy. Maybe you simply gather everyone in the family room and before you open the first present you read through Luke 2:1-14. Maybe you enjoy breakfast with the family while you go around the table and talk about the gift that is Jesus. Whatever you decide to do I simply want to encourage you to find someway to incorporate Jesus back into Christmas.
“In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be registered, each to his own town. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, ‘Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.’ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!’”
Luke 2:1-14