I love this comic! The satirical truth of this resonates in my spirit as so many activities fill our calendar, it really is hard to fit everything in those 25 boxes. And that is the muse for this Thought. 
Three years ago God placed on my heart to study the Christmas Story in greater detail than I have ever done before. It led me into a series of posts that lasted for 25 days, exploring the “Reasons” that we should be “Thankful” during the Christmas Advent Season; while at the same time, delving into the all-too-familiar stories that have become commonplace in order to gain a fresh perspective on the birth of Christ! It was an amazing endeavor, one which meant a lot to me in my personal walk with Jesus who truly is the Reason for the Season!
As part of the series, I posted this blog called ★ Day 04 – Reason for the Season – Christmas Consumerism ★ encompassed a post from my daughter’s Instagram page called Undeserved Grace that she posted 4 years ago. She is now 18 years old and in her senior year of High School with many decisions before as well as a long list of things to do to prepare for the next season of life. The past 6 months has been filled with filling out applications, visiting colleges and lots and lots of discussions of what to do next as well as finals and end the semester papers.
As we have been incredibly busy coming into this season it got me thinking about the other “to do lists” that we have feverishly been trying to cross off…
What a second…that is the idealized list that we all wish that we were concerned with right? But the real list looks more like this…
…In an effort to get the house decorated, trimming the Christmas tree, shopping for gifts and making the endless lists of things that MUST GET DONE (take a breath…), I wonder has the reason for this season been lost or should I say Compartmentalized? It may be cliché, but the birth of Jesus Christ is the reason for the Season! Now there certainly is nothing wrong with family traditions and enjoying the holidays BUT when Jesus is reduced to just being mentioned on one day or maybe it is only the obligatory hour in church then something is seriously wrong. Galatians 4:4-5 (ESV) tells us…
“But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.”
Because of Jesus’ birth more than 2,000 years we have access to be adopted in family of God. That is what the 25th of December and all the preparation should be about. Let me ask you when was the last time you read the Christmas story? Part of the preparations that God placed on my heart was to not let the Christmas season go by without reading about the birth of Christ in totality, here are the major stories:
- The Birth of John the Baptist Foretold – Luke 1:5-25
- The Birth of Jesus Foretold – Luke 1:26-38
- Mary Visits Elizabeth – Luke 1:39-56
- Joseph Accepts Jesus as His Son – Matthew 1:18-25
- The Birth of John the Baptist – Luke 1:57-66
- Zechariah’s Prophecy – Luke 1:67-80
- The Birth of Jesus – Luke 2:1-7
- The Shepherds and Angels – Luke 2:8-20
- Jesus Is Presented in the Temple – Luke 2:21-24
- The Prophecy of Simeon – Luke 2:25-35
- The Prophecy of Anna – Luke 2:36-38
- Return to Nazareth – Luke 2:39-40
- Visitors from the East – Matthew 2:1-12
- The Escape to Egypt – Mathew 2:13-18
- The Return to Nazareth – Mathew 2:19-23
As you read through the miraculous circumstances that brought about the birth of the Savior of the world, if Jesus is just a small or insignificant aspect of your life that you would…
…STOP COMPARTMENTALIZING CHRIST IN YOUR LIFE, and fully embrace the greatest gift we could ever receive! He should not be relegated to a month or day or hour but should be a part of everyday. Whether it is having morning coffee with my wife or driving my youngest daughter to school or having or sitting down for dinner with the family after a long day at work, Jesus wants to be part of every aspect of my life. My prayer for you is that you would experience that this Christmas season and that the only thing that you are truly concerned with is how to celebrate that God gave us the gift of His Son Jesus!
“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16
Merry Christmas and may the Joy of Christ fill your hearts and bless you!
If you’re interested in digging deeper, check out:
For those who maybe have never read the Christmas Story in totality, here is a link that you can read it completely through – Luke 1:5-56, Matthew 1:18-25, Luke 1:57 – 2:40, and Matthew 2:1-23
★ Thought for the Day – Don’t Harden Your Heart ★
★ Thought for the Day – The Nostalgia of Christmas ★
You can start ay the beginning of Christmas Series of posts called: ★ #Reason For The Season – 25 Days of Thankfulness series by clicking Here ★
Daily Dependence 