OK, I will admit it. I love the Christmas season. Those of us who are truly in love with Christmas see it everywhere. A few months back I saw it in a pepperoni pizza. Sure, in a slice of pizza with the pepperoni all carefully placed it looks like a Christmas tree. Surely, you’ve seen it? A whole pizza is like reliving every Christmas I’ve ever experienced.
I start looking for the red berries on the dogwood tree in September; they tell me Christmas is getting closer. Next I see the holly berries and breathe in the frosty air. Wow, I can hardly wait! Excitement is in the air, and things are beginning to feel just right!
Of course, having a just right Christmas may not come easy for some of us. I know many have gone through personal hardships over this past year. Some will have an empty seat at the table while others may spend their Christmas at a nursing home or in the hospital. Having a Merry Christmas is not always easy. However, I think the Lord gives most of us some free shots at having a just right Christmas during our life. These are secret portals in the calendar of time that only the experienced can truly understand. The first comes when you are a child. Now, I know all children do not have pleasant memories of the holidays, but for most kids it is the highlight of the entire year. Yeah, when you are a kid, a Christmas with all the gifts and goodies just feels right. Even if you’ve been bad you deserve a little something, right?
Perhaps the next occasion is when you have kids of your own, especially when they are small. As they grow older, some of the magic is usually lost since they often spend a lot of time rolling their eyes at things you feel are important, but during their young years, it is another window when Christmas just feels right. The next freebee comes when you have grandkids. It is like the Lord allows you to go back and recapture some of the magic you thought was lost forever.
Now, usually these special “feel right” Christmases are small windows of time and will come years apart. So for most of the Christmases in between these free shots, we strive to recapture those times when Christmas felt right. Of course, we all know of others who just get bitter for not getting to experience the magic again. Not everyone will get all of these free shots, but for most of us these are the times when the magic of the season is especially intense.
I would also like to mention one additional opportunity, although the timing will vary from person to person, this occasion would be the first Christmas after you accept the Lord as Savior. For this event it doesn’t matter your age, Christmas will take on a whole new meaning, and there is no doubt it will just feel right!
Christmas for the Christian is somewhat of a microcosm of life itself. During the typical day you have many responsibilities and duties to perform, yet you always go back to your default position of dwelling on Christ. Christmas is the same way. Amid all the shopping, decorating, and gift giving, there is also the story of a Savior who arrived on the earth, the miraculous son of a virgin, born in a stable, visited by shepherds, and worshiped by kings. We celebrate the opportunity for all mankind to experience God’s love and forgiveness; and of our joyous privilege to worship Jesus.
Christmas can be like hitting the reset button as we recalibrate our lives and reorient our focus toward that which is eternally significant. It is a resetting of the compass away from the temporal and temporary. For those who use computers most likely you have noticed that when you open up too many programs your computer slows down. If you have applications running in the background or if you have downloaded some questionable files, you may need to do a restart. This usually closes down all of the unnecessary applications so your computer can focus on what is really important. Life can be the same way. We get too many programs running at the same time, and we need a reset. Christmas provides a perfect season to bring our proper priorities back to the forefront.
Now, when you are dwelling within one of those earlier windows it is a little more difficult to devote most of your attention on God. When you are a child, you naturally focus on the toys under the tree. As you have children and grandchildren, you tend to focus your attention on them. Look at your photo album and you will see the annual objects of your focus. Yet, for all those windows in between those free shots, it is easier to focus on Emmanuel, God with us. Celebrating Christ is a window of time that will never pass away or disappoint.
Many years ago Isaiah wrote these prophetic words:
“For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulder: and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6
The angel introduced Him to Joseph as Jesus, and Emmanuel, which means “God with us.” Indeed, if you are a Christian, He is with you every day of the year and in every Christmas you experience. This Holiday let’s make Christ the focus of our celebration. It is the only lasting way to make Christmas feel. . . just right.
Dr. Worthington has been in the ministry over forty years and serves as President of Pathway Ministries.