Real Meaning of Christmas
Often times we can miss the real meaning in something because we are distracted by something else really insignificant. What does Christmas mean to you? I’m sure that it means different things to different people.
To merchants it is the busiest time of the year. Stores stay open longer, & hire extra people to accommodate all the shoppers. It means more profit, hopefully enough profit to see them through lean times ahead. For some employees it means a Christmas bonus, a little more money in their pockets to do things that they want to do. For many teen-agers & adults it is a time of fun & parties and a break from school or work. For children it is a time of impatience, with time seeming to pass so slowly, as they wait for Christmas morning.
I wonder what Christmas means to a mother who has lost her husband, who must take care of 3 or 4 children, working every day, never quite getting everything done, never making ends meet? What does Christmas mean to her? I wonder what Christmas means to the little man in Moldova, 80 years old, living in a hut, who knows nothing of shopping malls or Christmas trees? What does Christmas mean to him? I wonder what it means to little Uzbek children with smudges on their cheeks, & sparkling eyes that look up in wonder as you walk past. What does Christmas mean to them?
I wonder what it means to missionaries who are half a world away from families & friends, who are sacrificing so much to take the precious gospel message to others who have never heard? What does it mean to them?
Sometimes I get the feeling that we are like the folks who decided to throw a party to honor a very special friend. They sent out invitations, decorated the hall, & had the food catered. All the people came together at the designated time, but to their surprise, the guest of honor was not there. Finally, they made the embarrassing discovery that no one had ever invited the guest of honor.
I wonder if that happens at Christmas time. Do we go through all the decorating, & buying presents, & preparing elaborate meals, but somehow forget whose birthday it really is?
One way our family tries to overcome that is by having a birthday cake at our Christmas table for Jesus, & call Christmas, “His birthday party.” We put candles on the cake, light them and then sign happy birthday to Jesus. This year we’ll have 2,009 candles on the cake. We’ll have to alert the fire department ahead of time and everything.
And then if one of my daughters is asked if she got everything she wanted for Christmas, she can answer by saying, “No, but then it’s not my birthday, it’s Jesus’ birthday.”
It isn’t our birthday, is it? It’s Jesus’ birthday & it’s a time to remember His birth & what it is supposed to mean to us. We have the same amount of time that Mary had. Our issues may not be as complicated or maybe they are. But if you don’t slow down, you will miss the joy of Christmas. Reflect on the meaning of events in your life. How can God get your attention?
Realize that spending time with Jesus is the most important time of all. All the Christmas preparations are good, but there is “only one thing” that is “needed.” And that thing that is needed this Christmas is spending time with Jesus in a personal, intimate loving way.
How can we be calm in the midst of stress all around us at this time of year? How can we be like Mary, and simply focus on what is needed? Here’s a good place to start: Cross out everything that takes away from the real meaning of Christmas. For instance, if it’s really stressing you out, do you absolutely have to make those special cookies that take a whole afternoon to make? Do you absolutely have to put up all the lights on the house that you did last year? Or do you have to spend as much money on gifts as you did last year?
Then…Lay out a plan. State your expectations up front (What is the main thing that needs to happen this Christmas?
Plan ahead. Share the load with others (other family members can help).
Lighten the calendar (Which events do you absolutely need to attend?)
Respect your budget (Have you determined how much you will spend before you go shopping?)
Put your most significant relationships first in this order:
Make time for Christ – spending personal time with Him and worshiping Him at church.
Make time for your Spouse – make a date night in December
Make time for Family – Don’t neglect them for what seem like other obligations. You’ll regret it later in life, and you honor Christ by honoring your family. You simply cannot make it to every social function and party.
Make time for your closest friends who feel like family.
Look for the spiritual dimension in everything (gift-giving is like the wise men giving to Christ, the colors of the holiday season represent red for the blood of Christ, green for growing in Christ, the lights on the tree represent the Jesus being the Light of the World) The holidays can be the most meaningful time of the year, when, like Mary, we focus on the child we call Jesus.
Tags: Christmas