With the busyness and preparation for the day of Christmas, I often get frustrated because it seems like the One who the day is about is mostly kept out of all the planning. It is like I am planning a surprise party for Jesus, but instead of the focus then being fully on Him, he remains the little wooden carving in my nativity scene under our Christmas tree. All the beautiful Christmas songs, that are supposed to be sung in His honor become soothing background music in the whirlwind of my frantic seasonal marathon.
Earlier this week I was reading a devotional book called "A Joy-Full Season". The theme of the day was "Prince of Peace" and at the end of the short reading I was challenged to write down things I want to do for Christmas. I was to assign a number to each item on my list: 1 for things that deepen my faith or relationships, 2 for things that bring me pleasure, 3 for chores that meet expectations, and 4 for things that I dread. The devotional then asked if these things could all be done while making this Christmas one of peace and fulfillment. The second challenge entailed crossing items off the list that did not bring me peace or fulfillment. Wow, what a challenge that was!
I realized that I could or would do NOTHING to make this Christmas better. Christmas is a gift that was already given to us when Jesus was born! All the traditions, decorations, preparations, special food, yummy baking, and frankly the pressure of making it perfect, is just the same as all the census hoopla surrounding Jesus' humble birth back then. The census had made people prepare, and pack, and move, and stay busy. People were rushing to acquire the best rooms, find the most convenient transportation, and plot out the quickest route to their destination.
And in the Bible, the story is told of how when Mary and Joseph arrived in Bethlehem, there was no room at the inn left for them. They had a cumbersome road behind them and a eminent birth ahead of them, yet no-one was willing to give up their precious room. Oh, how that reminds me of myself! I am surrounded with menus, gifts to be wrapped, cookies to be baked, meals to be prepared, yet I am so unwilling to free up precious space in my schedule for Jesus.
As I was contemplating my selfishness, I wondered what God would want for Christmas from me. Would he want me to serve more, bake less, worship with more vigor? Would he want me to reach out to more underserved people, pray longer, not decorate at all? Would he want me to stop giving gifts, spend more time in his Word, live in total silence? I found the answer in two old German hymns.
One of the hymns was written by Paul Gerhardt and is called "Ich steh an Deiner Krippen hier" (Beside thy manger here I stand), and the other hymn was written by Peter Cornelius and is called "Die Könige" (Three Kings). The last verse of "Beside thy manger here I stand" is translated:
O grant me this abundant grace -
I hope t'will meet Thy pleasure -
That I might be Thy dwelling place,
Dear Savior Sweetest Treasure.
O Let me be Thy manger-bed
Then shall I lift my lowly head
With joy beyond all measure.
The last verse of "Three Kings" is translated as:
Thou child of man, lo, to Bethlehem
the kings are trav'ling, travel with them
The star of mercy, the star of grace,
shall lead thy heart to its resting place.
Gold, incense, myrrh thou canst not bring:
Offer they heart to the infant King, offer thy heart!
So there I found my answer: God wants my heart and wants to live in my heart this Christmas!
For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
2 Corinthians 4:6
Merry CHRSTmas!
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