Monday, December 19, 2011

The real meaning of it all...

I don't know about you, but for me, it's easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of Christmas and get a bit forgetful of the real Reason for the Season.

I think about Jesus, of course. I pray. I read my Bible. I hear the sermons on the virgin birth in church. I listen to the holiday songs on the radio and teach them to my toddler. I help her wrap gifts and teach her that giving is as much fun as receiving (she doesn't believe me yet ::wink::) We go to friend's parties and eat yummy Christmas food and bake cookies and spend time together as family and look at Christmas lights and eat our weight in candy canes but...

where is Jesus in all that, REALLY?

Here's the thing. He can be in all of it. Even in the candy canes. If we just invite Him.

Have you invited Him to join you this year? Not just the baby in the manger but the God of the universe, into your home, into your hearth this season?

My pastor said it best in church this past Sunday - that sometimes in this season, we get caught up on the baby element, and the "awww" factor, and the cozy nativity scene in the stable (which BOY couldn't have been that cozy!! I seriously hope Mary wasn't allergic to goats or sheep) and forget the whole story. The birth is the beginning, but the real message is The End (which is really just another beginning) - the death and resurrection. We wouldn't be doing the world any favors by talking about a baby and not finishing the story of how He became a man, and what that Baby was born to do...

Die.

That's really the joy of Christmas. The whole package, which isn't wrapped neatly and doesn't fit under a tree.

But is better.

This season, I challenge you to take a moment to ponder the depths of it all. The birth AND life of Jesus. And most importantly, His death. Don't wait for Easter to think on that and celebrate the resurrection. This Christmas, celebrate that whole package, and better yet - give it away.

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