Tis the Season

The Thanksgiving leftovers are a distant (well, relatively distant) memory and we are deep into the Christmas holiday season. The day after Thanksgiving, my sweet husband dug out all the decorations and the tree while the kids eagerly helped, making our living room look like Christmas exploded all over it.

The Christmas season can feel so overwhelming. It seems like there are expectations coming at you from all sides, fueled by social media, proclaiming all the things needed to have the “perfect” Hallmark Christmas, all wrapped up in a neat package that ends with the gorgeous man sweeping the stunning leading lady off her feet in a happily ever after moment. You Hallmark Channel junkies know what I am talking about.

The holidays can be far from this image, and usually are. Cookies get burned,  the wrapping paper gets all bunched up at the seams, and the kids are fighting over who gets to open the advent calendar door for the day, whining about how many presents they are going to get. THIS may have happened several times in the last 24 hours… I’m not joking. It totally did.

This year, I have been thinking about how to be more intentional about the season. We have three kids who are over the top excited about Christmas. They know the story of Jesus’ birth, quickly identifying Mary and Joseph. They are also excited for the more secular aspects of the holiday – the make-believe magic of Santa and magical reindeer and the Elf (on the Shelf) that appears at our house each year named Max. We love the way we can engage the kids in the spirit of the season, placing a stronger value on giving than receiving, which at the ages of 3, 7, and 9, they struggle with. It can be SO easy to lose sight of the celebration of Christ’s birth in the hustle and bustle of holiday concerts, parties, shopping, and eating.

 

What if there was a better way to focus on Jesus and glorify God in the midst of all of this?

The Birth of Jesus

2 In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. ² (This was the first census that took place while^[a] Quirinius was governor of Syria.) ³ And everyone went to their own town to register.

I can imagine the chaos that came out of this. Did the entire Roman empire come to a screeching halt to manage this? They all had to show up in person to accomplish this. I think about how the Internet allows for this kind of undertaking to be addressed from the comfort of our own homes.

⁴ So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. ⁵ He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. ⁶ While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, ⁷ and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.

Traveling at 9 months pregnant. On a donkey. Unwed. Today, the rumors would be flying. The online mommy wars would punish Mary for risking her baby’s safety today. Mary and David did what they needed to do. Jesus was born in the humblest of situations, in a barn surrounded by animals. They made the best of a tough situation. Far from perfect, they did not have the benefits of a private hospital room and Facebook to announce the arrival of their sweet little baby. But God had a much bigger plan to announce this birth…

⁸ And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. ⁹ An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. ¹⁰ But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. ¹¹ Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. ¹² This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

What would you do it an angel of the Lord appeared in front of you to give you a message? I would question my sanity. I think about all the people in Bethlehem, going about their business, with no idea of the momentous event that just occurred in an obscure stable. What if they knew? What would this be like if it happened today? Would we have the faith to believe in the miracle that God performed in this birth? Or would we judge Mary for being a teenage mom who got knocked up and is telling a story for her 15 minutes of fame in hopes of making a quick buck through donations from those who are sympathetic?

¹³ Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,¹⁴ “Glory to God in the highest heaven,
    and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” ¹⁵ When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

¹⁶ So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. ¹⁷ When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, ¹⁸ and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. ¹⁹ But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. ²⁰ The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

Those shepherds… they were just average people. Not the celebrities of that time, but typical sons, fathers, and brothers making an honest living. Today, media tells us to be compelled by the words of those with a celebrity status. Those with the largest platform or number of Twitter followers have the farthest reach and greatest influence. But these shepherds… they spread the word and the resulting response was amazement, and praise for God, and they were just like you and me. Their singular focus on sharing the glory of God in this miracle is inspiring to me.

What if, this season, the singular focus in all that we do is to glorify God? Can we find ways to glorify him in our gift giving? And in the gatherings we host and attend? Can Santa, or at least the idea of Santa, giving children gifts, represent the joy and love of Jesus Christ? What if???