While Christmas can seem so far away all year long, it is here and gone before you know it. If you are not careful, all you could be left with this Christmas is lots of shredded wrapping paper, a wrecked house from all the Christmas parties, and credit cards that need to be paid off. After December 25th you can be left asking yourself, “Where did Christmas go?”
The activities of Christmas can be so hectic that “The 12 Days of Christmas” should be rewritten to say, 12 tangled light strands, 11 gifts to wrap, 10 days till school starts, 9 crazy in-laws, 8 AAA batteries!, 7 hours of driving, 6 play rehearsals, 5 hours of baking, 4 easy payments, 3 kids with fever, 2 office parties, and a fruitcake from two years ago. All kidding aside, it is easy to miss the real meaning of Christmas. Many good things can crowd out the one great truth that Jesus came to earth, born of a virgin, to save people from their sins. Jesus is the reason Christmas even exists.
People today are not the only ones who miss Christmas. Most people missed the first Christmas as well. People went about business as usual, even in the same city and on the same street that Jesus was born! Luke 2 tells us about an innkeeper who had no time for the birth of Jesus. Joseph and Mary came looking for a place to stay but his inn was full and all he could give them was a dark, smelly, animal-filled cave. If a pregnant teenager came to you looking for a place to stay would you make her stay in the barn or your dog house? You would if you were preoccupied with other things you thought were more important.
How could you miss the first Christmas? There was a HUGE star in the sky! Angels appeared to shepherds, who I’m sure couldn’t keep quiet. Could you be quiet if an angel appeared to you? I’m sure it wasn’t a silent night. There was lots of chaos that night. A pregnant teenage girl claiming to be a virgin came into town to pay taxes with a man fifteen years older who was not her husband. She said, “The Holy Spirit did it.” Would you have believed her? They placed a newborn baby just where cows and pigs had been eating slop. She was nine months pregnant riding on a donkey. I’m sure that was a sight to see as well. People had to have seen them.
Most people don’t miss Christmas today because they truly hate God or are anti-Christmas. They are distracted. Preoccupation with holiday preparations and immediate satisfaction of physical instead of spiritual needs causes people to miss Christmas. Have you made room for Jesus in your house? Are you saving the best for Him this Christmas or giving Him a backseat to human holiday traditions? It is not too late to prepare for Christmas. Jesus is no longer a baby in a manger but a risen and ascended Savior! He is seated at the right hand of God and His Holy Spirit is longing to be the center of your lives, not just your Christmas day celebrations.
Don’t miss Christmas! The best way to not miss Christmas is to not miss Jesus the other 364 days of the year. Make Him first in all you do and not only will you celebrate the true meaning of Christmas, you will fulfill God’s divine purpose for your life.
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