Sometimes I like to rant a little about Christmas. I see people who have turned it into an opportunity to shove the day in people’s faces, snapping at them, “It’s Merry Christmas, not Happy Holidays” or something. That gets me riled up, because at its essence, I believe Christmas is a beautiful time of year, meant to be a season of peace, not a season to be short-tempered.
At Christmas, we celebrate the all-powerful Creator of the universe stepping into time and space, and becoming a human. And not just any human. A baby. A helpless, powerless baby that wets Himself, and needs His mother’s milk to survive. It’s an incredible thought. God cares enough about you and me to embrace fully what we go through as humans. The point of His coming was not just to die, but to live, just as we do. His life and death are all about God saying, “I understand. I love you. All the things that are getting between you and Me – let’s get them out of the way.”
One of my favourite Christmas carols is “O Little Town of Bethlehem.” I especially like the 3rd verse, where it says, “How silently, how silently the wondrous gift is given.” Despite the fanfare of a choir of angels, very few people were invited to the birth of Jesus, in a tiny town of a few hundred people. There was no celebration like for the birth of an earthly king, but it was pretty special for those who showed up.
In a similar way, I think that Jesus shows up silently for us today too. Even among people to try to make Him “the reason for the season”, it’s still easy to get distracted by the busyness of the month of December. We get so occupied doing good and useful things, that we rarely take time to sit down by a fire, take small sips of a comforting drink, and think about what God did for us on that Christmas long ago. We’re so busy going and doing, that we forget about thinking and being.
Christmas is a reminder of when God entered our lives, so that we could enter His. The angel told Joseph, “You are to call Him Jesus, for He will save people from their sins.” Jesus came to set us free from the ugly things that hold us back in experiencing God. That’s worth slowing down for, taking the time to chew on this truth, and savour its sweet taste in our spirits. Merry Christmas!
At Christmas, we celebrate the all-powerful Creator of the universe stepping into time and space, and becoming a human. And not just any human. A baby. A helpless, powerless baby that wets Himself, and needs His mother’s milk to survive. It’s an incredible thought. God cares enough about you and me to embrace fully what we go through as humans. The point of His coming was not just to die, but to live, just as we do. His life and death are all about God saying, “I understand. I love you. All the things that are getting between you and Me – let’s get them out of the way.”
One of my favourite Christmas carols is “O Little Town of Bethlehem.” I especially like the 3rd verse, where it says, “How silently, how silently the wondrous gift is given.” Despite the fanfare of a choir of angels, very few people were invited to the birth of Jesus, in a tiny town of a few hundred people. There was no celebration like for the birth of an earthly king, but it was pretty special for those who showed up.
In a similar way, I think that Jesus shows up silently for us today too. Even among people to try to make Him “the reason for the season”, it’s still easy to get distracted by the busyness of the month of December. We get so occupied doing good and useful things, that we rarely take time to sit down by a fire, take small sips of a comforting drink, and think about what God did for us on that Christmas long ago. We’re so busy going and doing, that we forget about thinking and being.
Christmas is a reminder of when God entered our lives, so that we could enter His. The angel told Joseph, “You are to call Him Jesus, for He will save people from their sins.” Jesus came to set us free from the ugly things that hold us back in experiencing God. That’s worth slowing down for, taking the time to chew on this truth, and savour its sweet taste in our spirits. Merry Christmas!