What will we do the next 24 days of our lives as we anticipate day 25? Will our time be restful or frantic? Joyful or snippy? Shopping or serving? Preparing or abiding? Maybe we will have a mixture of all of it, working to comply with the demands of our culture while seeking to be the hands and feet of Jesus. Something about the next 24 days inspires generosity. We will all give gifts. Maybe handmade cookies and pies for the neighbors, random trinkets for Elf on the Shelf, or socks for our garbage men. All in the spirit of Christmas, we decorate trees, drink hot cocoa, drive around and look at Christmas lights and sing carols. We watch movies and sit by the fire and plan family meals. We have fun. And sometimes we pretend to have fun. Because it’s December and this is what we do in America.
We all want to say we celebrate Jesus. Some go look at nativity scenes or make a Happy Birthday Jesus cake, others intentionally celebrate Advent or read the Word with their families. Some really want to celebrate Jesus, but don’t know how so maybe they listen to Christmas music and tell their kids about baby Jesus. You know, it’s hard to know how to keep the focus on Jesus in the midst of the holiday parties, late night gift wrapping, finding time to shop and the decorating. How do we enjoy traditions and keep the focus, the spotlight, the point on Jesus?
No idea. (Smile)
None of us are alone in this influential culture. We don’t know what we are doing. We need more of Jesus. Maybe it’s time to spend some time asking Jesus.
How should the month of December look for my family?
Where should I spend my time?
What matters?
When do we need to be sharing and serving?
Jesus says care for the orphans and widows. “Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.” – James 1:27
What about being still, can that fit in somewhere? And rest?
And when do I get time with you, Jesus? I don’t want to miss you in this hustle and bustle.
Do we decorate, bake cakes, cook turkeys?
Let’s ask Jesus all the questions. Hey, it’s your day, how do you want me to spend it?
Actually, my life is yours, how do you want me to live it?
As we begin December, let us stay close to Jesus, ask Him our questions, listen to His voice and do what He says. It will be the best month ever if we dare to trust Him with the moments and the details.
The more the focus is on one month, the more it should make us wonder what Jesus thinks about the other eleven months of our year. Maybe the spirit of Christmas could be transformed into walking with the Holy Spirit every day of our year. Maybe the anticipation could be on what He would do next. And the gift giving could be from obedience and not obligation. Possibly serving could be a lifestyle and the random people to which we share gifts could develop into long term relationships. Consider what would happen if Christ was the focus of every decision we make and how we spend our minutes and our dollars. What if He was the filter of the words we think and say. What if Christians lived like this?
Here comes Christmas. Christians and Christmas. How are we going to do it?
