The Christmas rush is in full throttle and the pressure is on to get it all done before December 25th. I admire those wise folks who make Christmas purchases all year long.
Of course, if I was smart enough to purchase gifts ahead of time, I’d probably forget where I hid them.
It’s easy to get caught up in the wrong things and completely miss Christmas. Some people missed that first Christmas. The innkeeper was preoccupied.
He had his hands full with a full inn. King Herod was too jealous and paranoid. The religious leaders didn’t care about a baby born in Bethlehem. Their focus was on the law; they didn’t need a Savior. Jerusalem residents lived only a short distance from Bethlehem, yet they missed His birth.
Let’s not take for granted everyone knows what and Who Christmas is about. Pastor Sterling Lynn of First Baptist Church in Daytona Beach, Fla. described his church’s mission trip to Bethlehem, Penn., several years ago. This youth group encountered a teenage girl who asked, “What is your group doing here?”
The youth pastor responded, “We’re here to help one of the local churches spread the good news about Jesus.”
Then came two words that shocked the short-term missionaries: “Jesus who?”
Get the picture? They were standing in Bethlehem and this girl asked, “Jesus who?”
One of my church members, Ali, had a similar experience. Ali works as a house parent at FAME Girls’ Ranch in Russellville, Ala., and one of her residents was a 16-year-old sent by the state to live there.
The girls brought out the boxes of Christmas stuff and pitched in to decorate their house. When Ali opened a box that contained the nativity scene, this student had no idea what a nativity scene was. She had been to church, she knew about Jesus, had heard about His death and resurrection, but had never heard about His birth.
Ali sat with this teen and had the privilege of sharing the details of Jesus’ birth. The youth was fascinated and deeply touched that God loved the world so much that He gave His only Son to be the Savior of the world.
So, how do we prepare to have our best Christmas ever? Several years ago, evangelist Dennis Nunn addressed that question in a Sunday morning message at our church (everybelieverawitness.org) has more information about Nunn’s ministry).
First, he said, to have the best Christmas ever, turn holidays into holy days.
“Man did not come up with the idea of holidays, and the Bible never commands us to celebrate Christmas,” Nunn said. Referring to a list of feasts God commanded the Israelites to observe in Leviticus 23, he pointed out that setting aside a regular time to celebrate something while briefly taking time away from work was God’s idea.
“When it comes to Thanksgiving and Christmas, we don’t want to make it to be what the world says it’s about, but what God says it’s about,” Nunn said. “It’s about Jesus. It’s not about secular thanks, but spiritual thanks. It’s so easy to allow the world to squeeze us into its mold, but we need to keep the focus of Christmas on Jesus.”
Second, to have the best Christmas ever, don’t go into debt. Overspending on gifts and going into debt is the world’s way to do Christmas, Nunn pointed out.
“The only reason people don’t own an elephant is it hasn’t been offered no money down, interest-free for eight years. If you can’t pay for it, then don’t buy it,” he counseled.
In Biblical times, gifts given during these holy celebrations were given to the Lord. While reviewing His instructions about feasts, God stated, “Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the Lord your God which he has given you” (Deuteronomy 16:17).
So, what are you giving to the Lord this Christmas?
Third, to have the best Christmas ever, focus on people, not presents. This is a season to invest in family and build family memories. “Spend as much time talking to your children as you do shopping for your children,” Nunn said. What memories will you build this year?
On the front end of what can become a stress-filled December, determine now your focus is going to be on Jesus. After all, without Christ, there is no true Christmas, is there?