Celebrate Christmas

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

Christmas is almost here. Are you ready?

Can I be candid with you for a minute? (I almost asked if I could be honest for a minute which I guess could imply that I wasn't being honest the rest of the time or in the worst case it could be a question where I am asking you "...if I can be honest with you?" and you might answer "I don't know. Can you?" Which is not where I wanted to go with this.)

Ok, back to being candid. I have some mixed feelings about the Christmas season. There is part of me that loves it and part of me is almost ambivalent about it and that scares me a little and I'm being candid about that.

I love so much of the Christmas season. I love the Christmas carols and most of the Christmas songs that deal with the culture of Christmas, but not all of the songs.  (Yeah, I'm talking about songs like "Simply Having A Wonderful Christmas Time" and "This Christmas" - not my favorites - and I just lost some of you.) But I love "The Christmas Song," the Nat King Cole version and "White Christmas" but not "Blue Christmas." (not sure if that is the right title but I didn't want to stop to look it up.) 

I love "It's a Wonderful Life and "Miracle on 34th Street," the original, not the horrible remake. (I just lost more of you). I love most of the decorations people put up. I love Christmas parades (if our boys are in them, otherwise I am not a parade fan - ok, more of you are leaving every minute.)

I love getting together with family. I love getting presents but I am not very good at giving great presents especially now that the boys are older and want to sleep in on Christmas day and basically want only gift cards and Stacey doesn't usually know what she wants and most of the time doesn't want anything.  So this year we got her a new computer (she already knows and already has it so you don't need to tell her I ruined the surprise) because she really wanted and needed a new one. And did I really just write "I love getting presents?" I told you I wanted to be candid. The correct thing would have been to say, "I love to give presents" but I wanted to be honest and candid.

I love the idea of Christmas but it doesn't always live up to expectations.

My mother always struggled with Christmas. We think it was because her childhood wasn't the greatest but I think too that there was too much pressure on wanting to make everything perfect and it was just too busy and too hectic. We enjoyed our Christmases as children but we all knew she struggled with it so it took some of the enjoyment out. Later in life I think she enjoyed it much more when it was quieter and "smaller."

I know other people struggle with Christmas too, especially when families grow older and move on or after someone's passing and the empty space that is left is just a little too much. It's not the chairs that are filled but the ones that are empty. That can bring a lot of baggage.

I think though that the biggest issue I have with the Christmas season is that you really have to take a deep dive to find Jesus in the midst of everything. Jesus is the reason for the season but so often He is forced to take a back seat or a time at the kid's table while everyone else is eating a meal to celebrate His birthday.

How does this happen? He should be the guest of honor but He ends up being the guy in the back of the room whom no one seems to notice back there because they are too busy partying.

I guess in some ways, I am not asking for less of Christmas but actually more of Christmas. Why does Christmas have to be a one day kind of thing? Shouldn't it be an every day kind of thing?

Everyday of our lives is lived in a world where the Son of God has come.

We live in a world where a Savior was born and we can know Him! We live in a world where the light has come to overcome the darkness. We live in a world where there is hope and a God who loves us and He came into this world and became one of us.

We live in a world where some wise men found the baby and every day people find Jesus for the first time and they receive eternal life!

We live in a world where our sins can be forgiven because this baby we celebrate grew up and died and rose again!

We live in a world where we have access to the God who spoke the universe into existence because that baby is now in heaven as our personal attorney (ok Advocate) representing us in His holiness.

And speaking of holiness we live in a world where God sees us as holy because that baby was holy and His holiness and righteousness were imputed to us (look it up).

That's not fair! and that's the point. It's not fair, it's grace! And that baby was full of grace and truth and that's just who He is and it's His birth we celebrate.

Shouldn't we celebrate that everyday? Not with presents or movies or songs or decorations or parties but with gratitude and expectation and joy and abundant life.

There's not biblical mandate to celebrate Christmas - not like Passover with the Jews. God never said, "Set aside a day every year to celebrate the birth of my Son." It's not there in the Scriptures. Yet, we are told to keep our eyes on Him, the Author and Perfecter of our faith, and if we keep our eyes on Him every day we won't miss Him on His birthday.

And on top of that I want to celebrate the birth of Jesus. He changed my life. He gave me life. He guides my life and encourages me and loves me and died for me. I don't need to be told to celebrate His birth. I want to though.

I want to with all of God's people. We have so much to celebrate.

I think I will celebrate His birth - today - and it's not even Christmas. And I think I will after Christmas and maybe any other day I think about it. I may not even tell any one else about it that day or give any one else a present or eat a special meal or listen to music. Maybe I'll just recognize that everything I have and am is because of Him. His life changed my world. He changed my life.

If you're still with me, I do hope you have a great Christmas. I hope you celebrate the birth of the Savior. And I hope that every day of the rest of your life is filled with good news of great joy.  For unto you is born THIS DAY in the city of David, a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

Merry Christmas to you and all your family...

...and Happy Birthday Jesus, today and everyday.