Pleasing God, Making Disciples of Jesus Christ

Celebrating Christmas

LUKE 2:8-11 – 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.

THEME OF THE DAY. CELEBRATING CHRISTMAS. Well. It is here. Christmas Day. How has the last month been? Did we feel the pressure of the season? Were we stressed over all the events and activities vying for our time? Did we succumb and place too much emphasis on things the world says matter at Christmas but really don’t? Well. It is here. Christmas Day. It will be over in a few hours. So, let me ask? What type of Christmas did you have? I am not asking us, “Did we enjoy the time with friends and family?” That is an important part of Christmas for sure, but not where I am going. Nor am I asking did the “list” get fulfilled? You know the “list” – the gift-giving list. I also am not asking if we took time off work to enjoy the break away from the grind. What I am asking is how did we celebrate Christmas? For those celebrating Christmas, it took on one of three forms.

First, a worldly Christmas centered on gifts and social activities. There were festive times of office parties, neighborhood gatherings, elaborate dinners, holiday concerts, and shopping; in person or on line, but it was all horizontal. What made this Christmas celebration worldly was the absence of Jesus Christ. He never made it to our gatherings. He wasn’t even mentioned, let alone the center of everything. And don’t think Christians are immune to a worldly Christmas. Just because we know the truth of Christmas doesn’t mean we live the truth of Christmas in our celebration of Christmas.

Another form of Christmas celebration was the sentimental Christmas centered on the nostalgic sounds and sights appealing to our emotions. This is the “Norman Rockwell-type” Christmas. It was fueled by such heart-warming songs like “Chestnuts roasting on an open fire. Jack Frost nipping at your nose” or “I’m dreaming of a white Christmas”. Christmas took on a “feel-good” experience. Like a worldly Christmas, this one too finds Jesus Christ absent. And Christians may be pulled into this type of celebration as well. They may acknowledge Christ, but the loud voices of nostalgia drown out His still small voice and He is not the priority.

The third type of Christmas celebration we may have experienced is the spiritual. It kept ‘The Reason for the season’ – the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ – central. He was first and foremost on our minds as the Christmas season unfolded. We placed more emphasis on God the Father and His great gift of His Son than any earthy gift or giving. For the spiritually-minded Christian and family, this was truly a celebration of what mattered most. Christ was present and recognized in everything we did. And the way we will know what type of Christmas celebration we observed is by our reaction when it ended on the calendar. A worldly and sentimental Christmas comes to the end of December 25th or the morning of December 26th and says, “Is that it?” Those who had a spiritually observed Christmas proclaim, “Yes, that is it!” and their lives reflect Christmas – Immanuel, God with us – daily, not once a year. So, how was your Christmas?

PRAYER: “Father, thank You for Christmas and giving me the greatest gift ever – Your Son.”

QUOTE: “We will decide what our Christmas celebration will be – worldly, sentimental, or spiritual.