Luke 2:11
Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.
Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.
Celebration and wonder. Two words I think of at
Christmas.
I tend to wonder if all the celebration I generate
glorifies Jesus. This year, I started in September. Since I create some of my
gifts by hand, I have to get an early start. I make my lists, I search for
bargains (we have a big family!) and I wrap. For two days, I wrap. The tree
sparkles in the corner (thanks to Maggie) and the manger scenes are scattered
around the house. I make fudge, cookie
dough, pizza dip, cheeseball, and cranberry cake. And oh yes, a birthday cake
for Jesus. I clean my house—company's coming. The
cards are in the mail and the Facebook greetings are posted. Did I miss
something? Probably.
So much celebration for a tiny King.
Are you exhausted after reading my Christmas to do
list? I am. Until I remember why I overextend myself this time of year. Jesus
walked on earth for me. He came as a baby, grew into a man, then sacrificed his
life for my sin. He did all of that for me and for you. What I do to honor his
birth is minuscule compared to what he has done for me.
The hustle and bustle can be overwhelming. But for
me, every cookie I bake, package I wrap, gift I buy reminds me of Jesus and his
love for me. Yes I can get caught up in the chaos and forget the reason for the
season. But I've learned—and it's taken years—to
stop, even for a moment and think about why I celebrate my Savior's birth as I
do. I want to let the pure intention of
showing Jesus to the world shine through my traditions. I want everyone to know
how much Jesus loves them.
Jesus is why I celebrate Christmas, I want to let that be known in all I do.
I wish you all a very Merry Christmas filled with
joy, peace, hope, and wonder!