It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas.
I’m not kidding. I’ve seen commercials on TV, decorations in stores, and next week the Hallmark Channel starts running their sappy made-for-TV holiday movies (Hey, I like some of those!).
I get as annoyed as the next person about this seeming over-saturation of the holidays. One can only handle so many snowmen, so much holiday food, and the endless stream of holiday music (who wants to bet we start hearing it on the radio on November 1?).
More important than all of that stuff is the fact that our culture has vacated the real meaning of the season. Christmas is the central miracle of our faith. We celebrate that God saw our wretched state, and decided that the only way we could change was for him to come himself in the flesh. Through a miraculous birth, Jesus came into the world, and set in motion the events that would culminate with his death on the cross and his rising from the dead.
I know you’re thinking, “Pastor John, aren’t you contributing to the early onset of Christmas with this article?” Perhaps. I am writing this because waiting until Thanksgiving or the beginning of advent to consider paring down the busyness of the season will be too late.
Before the holidays engulf us all, I’d like to encourage a few things. First, plan for the busy. Get your calendar out now. Make sure things like anticipated travel, holiday events, and kids’ activities are on the calendar now. Then the urgent won’t push out the important by accident or at the last minute. Second, make a conscious decision to put Christ first. Find a devotional (search “Christmas devotional” on google or in your mobile carrier’s app store) to help keep your focus more clearly on Christ. Third, be sure to make time for yourself and your family. Don’t let a season that is supposed to be marked with joy rob you of that very thing.
I know, it’s early. But it will be here before you know it.
Happy Holidays,
Pastor John
