The holidays are upon us. Today is the 2nd biggest shopping day of the year, with over 100 million people braving the stores, so today’s message may be just what we need to kick off the celebrations in an intentionally joyful mindset!
For many of us, we are hoping to push through the holidays and look more forward to the end of December when awkward Christmas office parties are checked off the list, “Santa Baby” will stop being played in every overcrowded department store, and you can breathe a sigh of relief that no one in your family had any major blow outs.
But there’s a Christmas we will discover or rediscover together throughout the next six weeks that will open our hearts wide to the wonders and majesty that Christmas really brings. Oh, Lord, open our eyes and hearts wide!
There’s a deep sense that Christmas is bigger, so astronomically bigger than what we see. You can feel it in those gift-moments, when it feels as if the earth pauses in its orbit; when all that is unfolding before you strangely feels as if everyone on the planet is experiencing the same thing at exactly the same time.
It’s in the bright eyes and endearing smile of the bearded gentlemen ringing the Salvation Army bell outside the grocery store. It’s in the first snow of the season when the world goes silent for a moment and the fluffy, white flakes hits your nose and eyelashes as you tilt your face toward the sky. It’s in the sweet, little voices reenacting the Christmas story with the Fisher Price nativity in the next room.
Year after year, for me, it is the Christmas candlelight service that gives me a sense that all of our stories matter on a level that far exceeds our understanding. From the year I was old enough to finally hold that precious flame in my own small hands, it has lit a fire in my heart for this inconceivably powerful holiday. As one candle leans in to light another and another, suddenly, darkness begins to flee from the sanctuary, flee from lives and from hearts, until you look around and see row after row of faces reflecting His light.
In that moment, miracles happen.
As a little girl, I watched closely as families that shuffled in stiffly and coldly let the space between them disappear as they lit each others’ flames. I could see arms rest on the backs of wives and adult children as healing moved through the little fires. Their voices sang out together about a silent night two thousand years before, when the Light of the world, a little baby, brought with Him the grace and forgiveness that gave them a new hope for healed relationships and second chances.
He brought grace. For us. For you.
Christmas is a perfect time to practice giving and receiving grace. We could all stand to give each other a little more grace. And we can also stand to give ourselves a little more grace, especially at Christmas.
We cram our schedules full of baking, programs, parties, cards, and expectations and then feel depleted and crabby and miserable. As the 25th of December draws nearer and you still have several gifts to find, our Dec. 1st jovial responses to the cashier at Target turn into avoiding eye contact because there is no. more. energy.
Jesus calls out to us that there is a better way, one that doesn’t make sense to the world. When the world says do more, be more, have more, He says,
Come to me.
Over and over in God’s Word, we hear the word…come.
This is the perfect Christmas message. At this same time every year, I hear Him say the same thing…come.
“Come, Lord Jesus” is the way our family starts out our mealtime prayer. A couple years ago, I wrote about how “Maranatha,” meaning “Come, Lord Jesus,” is the perfect Christmas greeting, especially when peace seems so far and so impossible.
Let His words take your breath away as you read Matthew 11:28-30. I love several versions, but I especially love the Message translation:
“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”
He urges us to learn the “unforced rhythms of grace” which sounds glorious to me! But what does that look like? He asks us to COME, stay close to Him, and watch and listen; close enough to hear the rhythm of His heartbeat.
This week, our theme is, “Come, Let us Adore Him.”
As we come, sit at His feet , and adore Him, our hearts and minds will begin to take on His rhythms instead of the rhythms of a noisy, busy, and distracted world.
As you spend time in the Word this week, keep track of how the Holy Spirit leads and guide you in an ongoing scripture notebook or a Christmas journal.
Check the Falling in Love With Christmas Facebook page daily for
- uplifting scripture
- questions for reflection
- videos
- recipes
- worship songs
- leaving responses to our questions and what God is showing you throughout the study
- prayer requests
- encouragement
I’m so happy to be starting off our Christmas season together, and I will be praying each day you begin to fall in love with Christmas and rediscover your Christmas joy! Please feel free to message me any prayer requests you don’t want part of the larger group. I will be covering the next week in lots of prayer!
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