It's a little early for a Christmas post, but then again, since the material world tries to get an earlier jump on the season every year, maybe posting now isn't so bad after all.
As a person goes out and about to plan their holiday decorations or to start their Christmas shopping, they will see many things.
The department stores display Christmas trees, tinsel, lights both white and multi-colored, giant snow globes with any of a number of characters looking out at passers-by, and light-adorned metal frames of animals such as reindeer, penguins, cows, and even dolphins (someone somewhere must have drawn a connection between marine mammals and Christmas, but I just don't see it). There are miniature displays of Norman Rockwell-like towns, and there are replicas of Santa's sleigh and his reindeer.
There are sales and specials and displays for every toy, game, and tool you can imagine, as well as nearly every kind of apparel you can think of. In the stores and elsewhere, music pipes out songs about snow, sleigh rides, and Santa Claus.
What - or who - is missing from the picture?
Even in this busy hustle-and-bustle time of year, wouldn't it be nice to pause once in a while just to dwell on what this holiday is for? The reason isn't a cliche', and it's not a warm fuzzy feeling that Christians invented to make ourselves and others around us feel good toward the end of every year. God loves the world so much that he sent Jesus into it to save from Satan, sin, and death those who choose to believe. It can be argued that the birth of Christ didn't happen in December, and that any number of details surrounding the 'traditional' Christmas story are inconsistent with the historical birth account of Jesus. That's not really the point though, is it?
The point of Christmas is to commemorate the earthly birth of the One who came to save us, and to express to others the kind of selfless, unconditional love that God expressed through the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. May the love of Jesus flow into every heart and through every household this Christmas and throughout the year.
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1 comment:
Christmas does seem to "start" earlier and earlier. Thanks for the early reminder to keep this season in perspective.
I am happy with talking about Christmas for an entire two months, but I need to focus that attention on the real reason for the season and not just on the Americanized Christmas Hype. Thanks again for the reminder!
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