How do you prepare for Christmas? In our house the preparations start in mid November, straight after our youngest daughter’s birthday. It begins with the playing of Christmas carols whilst putting up the Christmas Tree; finding once again all the ornaments from when the kids were really little. There’s lots of tinsel, which our eldest daughter loves to hate, and we joke about how many fairy lights my husband Philip can manage to squeeze on the tree this year. He then takes his annual photo of all of us in front of our tree, which usually takes several attempts, as someone for sure is not looking or smiling at the camera. The fairy lights go up outside, and I hope nobody is going to fall off the roof in the hot sun.
Gingerbread house making, lots of fruit mince pies and apple cider, light looking, celebrating with our church family, lots and lots of food, music, more lights, the annual Christmas movie marathon and shopping galore.
It would be fair to say our family loves Christmas…a lot!
But tonight as we went on our first tour of the lights in our neighbourhood I was struck with the thought, “what would the world be like if Jesus had never come? What if we had never had that first Christmas? Imagine Christmas day with no Christ in it. No stockings hung out on Christmas Eve, no trees, no carols, no wreaths, no churches, or their special services to celebrate, no books in the library about Jesus, no holiday. No comfort for the lonely, the dying, the seeker; no promises, no good news of the gospel, no freedom, no consolation, no hope of heaven.
It’s so easy in the midst of all the preparations, and busyness to overlook, and perhaps even to forget just how important this event is. We see in the bible that the birth of Jesus coming to the world was a gift for all, but just as the gifts under our Christmas tree must be received and opened, we too must receive the gift of Jesus’ coming for ourselves to truly enjoy it. (Luke 2)
Sometimes we can all behave and live like he never did. We get caught up in the world’s way of thinking and doing things, we forget about Jesus, and we lose sight of what and whom Christmas is really all about.
Today consider how your life and the world would be if Jesus had never come? And does His coming make your life any different. If so how does your life reflect that? Or have you forgotten Jesus, and that you can know Him for yourself this Christmas time.
I encourage you this Christmas time to not forget about or overlook the best Christmas gift the world has ever been given. Jesus is the reason for all the lights, food, gift giving, celebrations, and holiday, and He came for you that you might know Him and His love and forgiveness.
“For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful, Counsellor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6)
“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him. There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son”. (John 3:16-18 NLT)
Prayer: Jesus, thank you that you did come. That you loved mankind so much that you left heaven so that our we could have a relationship with you. Help me to remember in amongst all the busyness of the season, that you are the reason for it all, and for me to live that out today. In Jesus Name. Amen.