If You Are Missing Christmas Joy

Every December it happens. 

 

This monumental, earth shattering strain that is the Christmas season in America.  The activities multiply, the rushing intensifies, the pressure of gifts to buy and events to attend, decorations to put up and food to cook, family to visit, and houses to clean, and as a woman, as a mother, the person who has to plan and orchrestrate the Christmas chaos for a family (in my case, a family with seven children) it can almost put you over the edge.  But as Christians somehow we know that this is wrong.  We know that Christmas is intended to be something other than this stress-inducing, materialistic, month long period of psychosis.

This season that was meant to bring us the deepest peace, often brings us the most stress.

This time that was meant to shine so much love in our hearts often makes us the most angry.

These days that were meant to fill us with so much joy so often bring us pain.

Ask me how I know.

I have been known to walk around the month of December muttering under my breath how very much I hate Christmas or at least what Christmas in America has become for so many of us.  I have been crushed under the weight of the expectations of our culture and my own family to fulfill someone else’s idea of what Christmas is about.  And the weight of those human expectations has made every December for as long as I can remember, a thing of frustration and struggle for me.

But Jesus tells us there is another way.

Christmas, after all, is the celebration of the birth of Jesus, the Savior of the world.  The One who came to bring light and life, real truest life into our hearts and joy unspeakable. The One who came to earth to pay the price for our sins and bring us back to God.

 Jesus calls us up higher. Above the noise of consumerism.  Above the pull of parties and events, Above the pressure to perform. Above the Pintrest perfect decorations.  Above the expectations of others. Above the endless doing. 

Jesus calls us higher.

He calls us to open our eyes and look up at the star that can light up our darkest nights, the star pointing the way to the babe in the manger.  Jesus came into the world to set us free from our sin and from the entanglements of this world.  He came to bring us good news, the news that God has not left us alone, that He has not rejected us, that He has made a way for us to come home to the only place of real peace and safety, His arms. 

We have a choice this Christmas. 

The choice to follow the expectations of others or the choice to follow the star pointing to the only path that really leads to peace. 

I know how hard this is.  I am no monk in a quiet monastery (I'm not even Catholic), but the words of Brother Lawerence, the seventeenth century monk who practiced the presence of God in the midst of all things, ring true for all believers. “That we ought to give ourselves up to God, with regard to both things temporal and spiritual and seek our satisfaction only in fulfilling His will, whether he lead us by suffering or by consolation, for all would be equal to a soul truly resigned.”

It is in the surrender to His will that we find our peace.

It is in the laying aside of our plans and the plans that others might try to put upon us and instead listening for the voice of the Savior that calls us to come up higher by bowing lower.

Does this mean that we forget the American cultural versions of Christmas altogether?  No.

It simply means that peace and joy are always possible in God’s presence.  And as believers in Christ we have a choice, to seek God, to surrender our plans or other’s plans for us, to always walk in obedience to Christ first. 

This is not a list of “do this” and you will have a peaceful, joy filled Christmas. This is not a “if only you focus on others, feed the homeless, only buy gifts that support the disadvantaged, say no to everything anyone asks you to do, then you will have a happy Christmas if you do this list, kind of plea.

 This is a call to simply come.

Come to the manger and bow low again.

Like the shepherds who heard the angels proclaiming, “Do not be afraid! I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people.  The Savior- yes, the Messiah, the Lord, has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! … Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to those with whom God is pleased.” We also can partake in that joy, that peace. Because He came for us.

Come, this Christmas season, bow your heart before the Lord. 

Bring to Him the only gift that matters: your whole life.

The joy of salvation is always possible and it is meant to be our strength.  It comes to those who, with humble hearts, bow low in repentance and in faith rise up to follow the only source of truest joy, Jesus the Savior. 

Seek Him this season.  Turn to Him in repentance and faith again. Ask Him how He wants you glorify Him in the midst of your busy life.  Pursue His pleasure above all else and like those who first heard the good news of His coming, your Christmas joy will be full.