Celebrate?

Tomorrow is Christmas Day. The day when Christians (and even many who don’t follow Jesus) celebrate Christmas, which, though the secular world puts the focus on Santa Claus, presents and trimmings, it is supposed to be to celebrate the birth of the Savior of the world, Jesus Christ. I’ve done my best to do that. In our homeschool, we read daily devotions from an advent-themed devotional series. I was reading through an ebook of advent devotions. We put up our Christmas tree and decorated it. I made wassail and dozens of cookies. I just picked up a load of chickens yesterday from a friend who raises them (a couple of them will be for our family Christmas dinner and the rest for later). But, the last few days, I stopped reading the advent devotions with my kids and it’s like pulling teeth to convince myself to read the Advent devotion of the day. Popular Christmas movies would diagnose me as having lost the Christmas spirit.

Well, let’s see, why would this happen?

While inside our house I’ve been trying to prepare for Christmas and create Christmas cheer for the rest of my family, outside our house, the noises, sights, and smells have nothing to do with Christmas. But the sights, sounds, and smells around us are in celebration of the birth of a certain prophet and honoring his local spokesperson. As a good missionary, that should urge me to pray more fervently and share my faith with a greater sense of urgency, but it just makes me cranky. Oh sure, I made dozens of cookies and took them to local African pastors/ missionaries and their families. My son and I put together treat bags to give away to friends that have snacks, a pen, and an index card with John 3:16 on it and we plan on hand delivering those. And, I made a couple of sheet cakes and kool-aid and went and served them to the nurses and doctors at our regional hospital. Am I doing these things to try and create the Christmas spirit I’m really not feeling, or are these BECAUSE there’s a tiny flame in my heart, all ready to burn passionately with the joy of the coming of Emmanuel, our Lord and Savior?

I think I just need to stay off Facebook, because it just puts me in a melancholy mood. Every picture and video that my friends and family post of Christmas programs, parties, and laughing friends and family gathering hit me with a sense of loneliness, since they’re all SO FAR from me. In the past, we’ve had friends come to spend the holiday with us, but there is no one this year. And, two of my children are having a blast with my parents and sisters’ families…about 4500miles away. I’m so very happy for them, but… oh Bah Humbug, as Scrooge would say. 

So, I was reflecting on the first Christmas. Since Bible stories come up lacking in some of the emotional details and the surroundings of the focal points, people throughout the ages have filled in these details in the retelling of the birth of Jesus. But, as I sit here listening to the cacophony of chanting outside, and ache at the missing of so many people, I identify with Mary and Joseph as they prepared for the birth of the long-awaited Messiah. Mary didn’t have family with her or familiar faces as she prepared for her first childbirth. As Mary panted and cried out through the pains of childbirth, Joseph frantically tried to make things as comfortable and stress-free for his young wife in a stable that was not his own. The sights, sounds and smells were strange to their eyes, ears and noses. And they were 70 miles away from family and friends. For those of us in modern times, that is nothing, since we can jump in our cars and get on the interstate and arrive at someone’s house 70 miles away in less than an hour… or we could call them on the phone… or even Skype and see their faces. Imagine Joseph Skyping with the Nazareth midwife, getting advice on each step, what he should do. None of that was available. And, 70 miles walking or on a donkey across sandy roads, and pregnant, no less… well, that would make 70 miles seem about as far as 4500 miles. It took much longer than it would take me to get on a plane and fly to be with my family- and I would be seated in a padded seat, have meals served and a toilet and sink available to take care of my needs along the way.

In the quietness of this morning, as I consider the details of making Christmas comfortable, sweet and joyful for my husband and two younger children, what is the one thing that should make all these unfamiliar, lonely surroundings fade away, as it must have at some point for Mary and Joseph? It is the wonder of the coming of Jesus, our Messiah, the Promised One… the Savior of the world. He is our Light in the darkness, our Prince of Peace. The difference between Mary and Joseph’s difficult yet wonderful time and ours is that their precious newborn is my Risen Lord and Savior, victor over sin and death, the One who graciously sent His Spirit to dwell in me, my husband and children. That is a monumental difference. Mary and Joseph only had prophecies of what their precious boy would become, but for us, many of those prophecies have already been fulfilled, giving us confidence that He is faithful to fulfill all the rest, and our Risen, Glorified King Jesus will be worshipped by people of every tribe, tongue and nation:

…at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,

 in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
 to the glory of God the Father.

Philippians 2:10-11 NIV

In my melancholy moments, I made Christmas about family and friends’ gatherings, cantatas and candlelight services when it’s about acknowledging Jesus as Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Oh, please forgive me, Lord Jesus, help me to acknowledge you in this place, among this people. You are my Lord, and I pray that many here will one day acknowledge you as Lord, as well. 

And, for all of you who are celebrating among family and friends, with all the trimmings, the food and the music, take some quiet moments, away from the cacophony of good and familiar things, and acknowledge that Jesus is Lord of all, to the glory of God the Father. He is worthy of our praise and honor, our very lives. Celebrate Jesus!