Keeping Christ...in Christmas?

"Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.  For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds." Hebrews 12:2

Good morning, dear friends!

Photo: falco pixabay

I have a confession to make.  (It seems like I do a lot of that here--oh well, you heard it here first!  Just trying to keep it real!)

Are you ready?

I have a love/hate relationship with Christmas.

(Collective gasp!)

How can that even be possible?

Is it possible for a Christian to feel -ish about Christmas?  After all, this is the birth of my Saviour that we are talking about here!

Before you start throwing things at me, let me explain.

I LOVE the reason for Christmas.  I love the carols and songs that announce Christ's birth.  I love the time spent thinking about God's love, His amazing gift, Jesus's sacrifice for my sins, and the thought that God came to live WITH His creation.  All of that makes me want to sit down and cry and shout and everything in-between.

The part of Christmas that leaves me feeling a little less fuzzy is...all the rest.  Every year, there are traditions that are carried out, that have become routine.  Setting up the tree.  Christmas stockings.  Even reading the Christmas story and gift giving can become, well, routine, if I'm not careful.

So, as I'm gearing up for the Christmas season, and thinking about our family's traditions, I want my Christmas this year to be anything but traditional.

Many people talk this time of year about "keeping Christ in Christmas." Let's face it--if you're going to have a holiday named after someone, shouldn't that day be all about that person?

Perhaps the problem isn't so much keeping Christ in Christmas, but just in keeping Christ in the forefront...period.  Just like I shouldn't only be thankful on Thanksgiving, I'm sure that Christ would appreciate it if "God with us" was a reality in my day-to-day walk with Him.

This month, if you will allow me, I want to share some of my "Christmas struggles" with you.  As we approach the Christmas season, maybe you are having some -ish thoughts about Christmas as well.  Maybe I can find encouragement this year to have a fresh look at my attitude during this holiday season ("holy-day"=set-apart days) and spend some time in meaningful worship of the Lord.

As I was thinking about the phrase, "keeping Christ in Christmas," the passage quoted at the top of this blog came to mind.  Many times as a Christian I have read Hebrews 12:1 and been encouraged by the great cloud of witnesses that have lived faithfully in difficult times.  At the same time, I realize that their struggles are very different from the life of relative safety that I lead here in France.  Sometimes I think that a little tribulation might be just what I need to walk closer and more faithfully for Him.

(Be careful what you wish for.)

At the same time, many times I skim over the instructions in Hebrews 12:2:  "...looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith."  That is my "raison d'être," my reason for being, as the French say.  My eyes need to be firmly planted on Him.  Everything through Him is possible.  Without Him, nothing is possible.  It is not I who should be in the center, but He.

As I rethink my Christmas traditions and living this holiday season, I want to look afresh at my focus.  Do I really desire to "look unto Jesus," or am I going through the motions in empty ritual?

I hope you will join me through my musings for this month.  I would love to hear how you keep the Christmas season meaningful in your home.  Feel free to leave a comment in the section below.



Looking for something interesting to do with your family this Christmas season?  There's a fun family countdown devotional to Christmas called The Promises Advent Study with a coloring book available from Stone Soup for Five.  (I'm not much of a doodler, but I'm excited about revisiting the promises of Christ's coming in a new way.)  To find this advent devotional, visit their site!  There are many other interesting resources as well!