THE CHOICE WE MAKE THAT AFFECTS EVERYONE
With Christmas fast approaching, what matters most is no different than what mattered most yesterday: our soul’s eternal destination based on the source of our faith. Each person has this choice to make, and each person does in fact make this choice, each and day every, whether or not we’re conscious to its inevitable effect in our lives, and the lives of those around us.
HUNGRY FOR JESUS FIRST
This time of year, many people become incredibly distracted by details that don’t matter, at all, in eternity. Many are worried about what food to buy from the store and which gifts to buy for friends or family. Sure, it’s important to avoid food that a friend has allergies to, and it can be stressful to buy the right amount of food for a large group of people at a family gathering while keeping track of everyone’s health concerns; however, let’s talk highest priorities first: are we hungry for Jesus above all?
WHAT REALLY ISN’T IMPORTANT AT ALL
It’s a thoughtful deed to buy gifts for friends and family during Christmas (although Christmas has absolutely nothing to do with gifts or Christmas trees, or food, or decorations… that is all man-made ideology), but it’s not important. Let’s just say it how it is. It’s not important. It’s nice to buy someone a gift, and perhaps there are situations and circumstances where someone receives a gift and considers the love of God in Christ as a result of that gift. However, the gift-giving/receiving isn’t the part that causes angels to cheer in heaven, it’s the repentant heart that turns away from sin and towards Jesus (Luke 15:7).
What is important is that Jesus came down out of His glory in heaven with God, entered into flesh on earth to pay the price for our sins for us (Philippians 2:5-7). He gave us a way out of eternal damnation by means of faith in His resurrection.
CHRISTMAS IS IN OUR HEARTS, NOT ON THE CALENDAR
We don’t know that He was born on December 25th, that isn’t in the Bible. However, the date of his birth isn’t as important as the fact that He was in fact born and did in fact do what the Bible says He did. Celebrating this on December 25th is pagan, yes. But celebrating Jesus’s birth shouldn’t be done on just one day, regardless. Similar to how Thanksgiving isn’t just one day but is meant to be a heart posture for life itself, likewise, surrendering our selfish desires for the humble gratitude of Christ in us can serve as our way of celebrating Christmas every day in how Jesus was born to save repentant souls from hell.
OUR LOVE FOR PEOPLE WHEN WE LOVE CHRIST FIRST
This is all that matters. We could stop looking at our yearly calendars, counting down the days till the next big holiday and start looking inside our hearts to see how we feel towards Jesus, how much stronger our faith is than yesterday, and how much stronger our love for people is based upon our love for God in Christ. That could be a way to celebrate the truth of the Bible every day, and not just during man-appointed holidays.
UNGODLY EXPECTATIONS
It’s not a bad thing to get excited for the holiday season, to enjoy our peppermint mochas, our pumpkin lattes, our Christmas trees or glittery wrapping paper. It’s a beautiful experience to feel the joy of the Holy Spirit moving through us in the way we love others based on how we give out of our love for Christ. What is pointless and aimless is to celebrate the holiday as though it’s stressful as a result of missing the joy of loving Christ and placing all our energy into the man-made stress of living up to expectations that aren’t even from God.
TRAGEDY & TRAUMA AT CHRISTMAS
There are many broken hearts at this time of year. Many families that have had their peace and joy ripped apart by divorce, betrayal, family deaths, and other tragedies. I’ve been there myself, so I know its reality all too well. But this is why Christmas has nothing to do with the tree, the lights, the gifts, or the sweaters. It has everything to do with what’s in our hearts. Is Jesus in yours?
Tragedy and trauma can rip out our joy and crush it. But if there’s one positive thing about tragedy and trauma, it’s that once the fog of the debris has parted, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. There is a truth that’s unveiled if we will be willing to see it: family isn’t God. Gift-giving, being financially wealthy, drinking hot chocolate with our spouses or watching movies together as a family isn’t the soul of Christmas. It isn’t even the soul of faith. Only Jesus is our cornerstone. Only Jesus is our foundation. He is the Rock for our families.
ACHING HEARTS AT CHRISTMAS WITHOUT GOD
When we place everything we are, the core of our being, on the things and people of this world, we will find devastation after devastation. We will find death and disappointment. Trauma and suffering come knocking all too frequently. We’ll find tears and trembling, loss and mourning, shock and bewilderment at the fact that everything, everything under the heavens will fail us, but God will never fail us, and has not, in Christ.
OUR REASON FOR JOY
Jesus Christ is the answer to our lives. He is the soul of Christmas. He is the reason for our joy, and the holder of the soul of those who repent and turn away from their sins. If He isn’t the reason why Christmas is special, then Christmas will forever be as fragile as a glass ornament on our tree. We don’t want to live that way. But then again, that isn’t really living.
WHAT IS CHRISTMAS WITHOUT CHRIST
The only way to live is to know Jesus at the core of who we are, to place our faith in Him, and embrace the joy of knowing we don’t need man-made holidays and worldly stress anymore. We just need to focus on what really matters and what will still be around in one million years. God will always be there. Jesus will always be there. Our souls will always be somewhere… so, let’s think about this with slowness and deliberation: What is Christmas… without Christ?
Photo by Chad Madden on Unsplash
