Christmas and the “Holiday” Season are in the air!  Everywhere we look it is in full force.  Radio, TV, internet, stores, people’s front yards, the office parties, etc.

Happy Holidays and a cheerful HO, HO, OH?

If everything that you are seeing before you during this year-end holiday were a movie, take your remote right now and push pause; go ahead, pause all of this in your mind and take a step back.

What is really going on here?  I have a 2 1/2 year old son and now we are entering the phase of asking, “What is that?” “Why?”  And as I attempt to answer these ‘childish’ questions of youth in this season, I am caught off guard.

Do I know why I celebrate  what I do during the Christmas season? Why stockings? Christmas trees and ornaments? Lights? Where exactly did this big guy in the red suit originate from again?  [Do you know about Santa’s predecessor,  4th century Pastor Nicholas of Lycia?] Well these are very enlightening rabbit trails to chase- and with Google and Wikipedia quite easy to complete.

Perhaps all of the overhyped, oversensationalized, give the greatest gift ever at any and all cost, tell everyone how great things are, overindulge in it all is accomplishing one frightening thing: it takes the place of the real spirit and intent of Christmas.  And on top of that, perhaps we unknowingly are numbing our senses like anesthesia to block the painful, hidden, broken places of the world and our lives.  Those loved ones no longer with us, relationships once close that have vanished, physical pain and suffering of this world and of friends & family, the loss of a job, depression, etc.

This Christmas season, I am reminding myself and family of this:

In our gift giving, tree lighting, decorating, traveling to  fellowship with family and friends…. it all comes to 1 core thing.

Placing our heart’s focus and our mind’s attention on the birth of Jesus -God’s perfect and lavish gift of His son to each of us. The light of the world arriving to rescue us from our ultimate demise. Every gift we give and beautiful lit house we see, let us reflect on the greatest gift ever given- the gift of eternal life through grace by faith in Christ Jesus our King.

His Joy & His Peace is enough to overcome our brokenness; and this is worth celebrating!   Let us be bold to share with others the joy we have experienced in good and bad times over this past year through the gift of Jesus.