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I know a few of you reading this don't celebrate Christmas, or you don't observe it the same way practicing Christians do, so let me start by thanking you for allowing me to share from my vantage point. (Even "practicing Christians" don't always get Christmas right, which is the point of today's offering.)
Some people spend months—and often more money than they have—looking for and buying gifts for loved ones (and not-so-loved ones). Others frantically rush around a few days before Christmas to get their shopping done. I suspect some buy gifts more out of a sense of obligation (it's tradition, what will people say, I don't want to seem stingy, yadda yadda yadda) than out of a true desire to give.
I see two ironies here: First, how much of that time and those resources are we willing to give to the One whose birth we say we are celebrating and, second, how can we be such un-cheerful (and insincere) givers one moment and then, in the next moment, say we worship Christ who left the comfort and glory of heaven to walk among us and give His life for us?
Here's another irony around our celebration of Christmas: We cook and clean and decorate and cook and clean and decorate. . . The house has to look just perfect. What will the guests say if our home doesn’t look and smell Christmas-y enough? Yet we know that Jesus was born in a stable, possibly surrounded by noisy and smelly animals, unrefined shepherds, and curious strangers. He was born to an inexperienced teenaged girl and her nervous but faithful husband. Jesus didn’t mind having a humble beginning or having common, uneducated, unsophisticated people around Him because He knew that their worship and awe of Him was sincere. Here were shepherds who left their flocks to go see the One who would become the Lamb of God!
Why are we so afraid of a little messiness? Why do we so easily cave in to the pressure to always be perfectly organized and competent (or if we can't achieve that, feel guilty and ashamed)? We do this not only in our outer lives but in our spiritual lives, too. We try to show people how spiritual we are, how knowledgeable we are about the Bible, when deep inside we may be hurting or doubting or even a little lost.
William McNamara said, “I stake the future on the few humble and hearty lovers who seek God passionately in the marvelous, messy world of redeemed and related realities that lie in front of our noses.”
This Christmas, enjoy your decorations and gifts, but I encourage you to also let things get a little messy. Spend less time fussing and more time worshipping. Be like the shepherds: Drop everything and run to meet your King, who wants nothing more than to have you spend time with Him.
Have a wonderful Monday and a joyous Christmas! (And happy Chanukah to my Jewish readers.) :)
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