TIRED OF CHRISTMAS AND IT'S ONLY NOVEMBER
Most people love Christmas. But some people LOVE Christmas. These are the people who've already had their lights up for three and a half weeks, who set up three trees in their living room and four in their bedroom (not to mention the two in the bathroom), who don't ever get tired of hearing Christmas carols and have maxed out the 40GB on their iPod with them. These are the people who really LOVE Christmas. You know at least one of them, probably more. I am not one of these people.
Christmas is my favorite holiday, for sure. I love getting together with friends and family, sharing gifts, getting gifts, the best food you can imagine. It's great. The lights and anticipation and joy are wonderful. But, if you're like me, by the time January hits, you're ready to sleep until sometime in March and you've sworn off eggnog forever. It's not surprising to me that more people are diagnosed with depression in December than any other time of the year. For many, it is only an all-too painful reminder of how lonely they really are.
We've all seen "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas". We realize by now that presents and roast beef are not the true meaning of Christmas. And yet, it is the busiest time of year for most of us. It is a time where we burn out, or at least come closer than is healthy. So, this year, I would like to issue a challenge. Consider it my gift to you (I know, it's a bit of a rip off, but it still beats fruit cake). This December, take some time to be with Jesus. That's it, that's all. We are celebrating His birth after all, and hopefully we are trying to honor Him with what we do. But I think that it would honor and please Him best if we stopped once in a while to let Him be our friend. Don't worry about saying the right thing or acting the right way; simply be present with Jesus. Take an hour a week, and let Jesus remind you that His presence is what the holiday is about. It would be a shame to get so caught up in celebrating that fact that we miss simply enjoying it.
How has the truth of Christmas been made real for you, this year or in years past? How do you maintain peace in this season of business and noise? How can you bring the reality of Christ's presence to the people around you?
Christmas is my favorite holiday, for sure. I love getting together with friends and family, sharing gifts, getting gifts, the best food you can imagine. It's great. The lights and anticipation and joy are wonderful. But, if you're like me, by the time January hits, you're ready to sleep until sometime in March and you've sworn off eggnog forever. It's not surprising to me that more people are diagnosed with depression in December than any other time of the year. For many, it is only an all-too painful reminder of how lonely they really are.
We've all seen "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas". We realize by now that presents and roast beef are not the true meaning of Christmas. And yet, it is the busiest time of year for most of us. It is a time where we burn out, or at least come closer than is healthy. So, this year, I would like to issue a challenge. Consider it my gift to you (I know, it's a bit of a rip off, but it still beats fruit cake). This December, take some time to be with Jesus. That's it, that's all. We are celebrating His birth after all, and hopefully we are trying to honor Him with what we do. But I think that it would honor and please Him best if we stopped once in a while to let Him be our friend. Don't worry about saying the right thing or acting the right way; simply be present with Jesus. Take an hour a week, and let Jesus remind you that His presence is what the holiday is about. It would be a shame to get so caught up in celebrating that fact that we miss simply enjoying it.
How has the truth of Christmas been made real for you, this year or in years past? How do you maintain peace in this season of business and noise? How can you bring the reality of Christ's presence to the people around you?
posted by Journey Church at 3:31 p.m.
2 Comments:
How has the truth of Christmas been made real for you, this year or in years past? How do you maintain peace in this season of business and noise? How can you bring the reality of Christ's presence to the people around you?
The truth of Christmas was made real for me in 2001. Wayne and I decided to ‘adopt a family’ through Church. We were given the name and phone number of the family that we were going to bless that Christmas. I called to speak to the wife and ask more about their family and their needs. She told me that her husband had lost his job and that they were struggling to get by. She was operating a day home, but not bringing in nearly enough of an income to support their family of four. When I asked what we could do for them, she was very humble and told me that they’d love the fixings for a Christmas dinner and also that she was down to her last rolls of her toilet paper. I asked about the kids and what they wanted for Christmas. She told me not to worry about that. I pressed her to find out that her daughter liked Barbies and that her son liked Rescue Heroes. I got off the phone that day and realized that we could be in that situation at any given time. Any one of us could be. I told my family and friends about our ‘family’. We stopped exchanging gifts in our family the year before. It didn’t take long for my family and many of our friends to get onboard and had unoffically adopted our ‘family’. When it came time to deliver what we had all put together, we could barely fit it all into our SUV. Our vehicle was LOADED with food, household necesseties, toys and most of all love. Adopting a family showed me Christ’s love for us. He showed this to me through the family that we absolutely blessed through His provision and His people. A few years later, we were at Church and saw our ‘family’. They were on the Communion Team. After the service I ran up to them both and gave them a huge hug. When I asked how they were doing, they were proud to say that he had a job, in fact he was part owner in a company, and that they were now homeowners. I had tears in my eyes and was once again reminded of the truth of Christmas.
I maintain peace in this season by blessing others with fruitcake! Seriously though, sometimes I find I am not at peace during this time. It’s busy, it’s annoying and there’s a lot of pressure to conform. That being said, I have to remind myslef to keep the focus on Him. I could sit here and complain about how much I don’t like the whole exchanging gifts thing, or how I think Christmas Lights are such a waste (don’t get me started on that). Often times I do criticize, complain and condemn. But, I will do my best to keep my focus on the truth of Christmas. I personally do this by devoting my time to charity, choosing to not exchange gifts and not conforming. I know that if I keep my focus on Him, I will have the peace that only He can bring. Sure, it’s a busy time…but if I am doing things to glorify Him, I believe that he will bring me peace.
I think I can bring the reality of Christ’s presence to people around me through how I live my life during this season. People often are shocked to hear that we don’t exchange gifts within our family at Christmas. And then I tell them that we have everything we could possible ever need in our family and would rather bless others at this time. I let them know that to me Christmas is about Christ’s birth and that I like to keep the focus on that. I’m not all stressed and freaked out about getting that ‘perfect gift’. Beyond that, I think that through events like Christmas In Cranston, we as a community can show our brothers and sisters the reality of Christ’s presence.
Annemarie
It's always been funny to me that people talk about this being a busy, stressful time of year because for me, as you know, Chris, this has always been a time for family, friends and reflection. Sure there's Christmas shopping - and people are a little pushier at the mall then usual - and baking, a few more functions to attend and Christmas cards to send but for me, I've always found joy in it. There's only two possible explanations for this:
1. my normal life is far too ridiculous or
2. I've started the process of putting your challenge in place.
I hope it's the second. That each day that moves me closer to Christmas is another day to reflect more intentionally on the gift of Christ. That each gift I buy for others is a small token of the love I have for them because of Christ. That the fun in decorating and baking cookies is because I can - because I have the freedom and resources to do so and I have reason to celebrate. That each Christmas carol, in it's own way, is a retelling of a truth that means so much to me...except maybe "O Christmas Tree"...I've never really understood that one!
I'm learning to put the meaning back in Christmas and look forward to the Journey there again this year!
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