This is definitely the season of the wow factor. Neighbors are outdoing each other with their elaborate Christmas lights that blink in tune to Jingle Bells. Stores went from opening at 9 am to 6 am to 3 am to opening at midnight. The famous "Elf on the Shelf" is becoming increasingly more creative with his middle-of-the-night stunts. And we all seem to get caught up in this endless Christmas whirlwind no matter how hard we try to fight it.
I just often wonder what God is thinking when He sees us doing all this. Probably something along the lines of "here they go again." We have an inflatable nativity scene outside our house with an entire caucasian crew of Mary, Joseph, three wise men, and baby Jesus, all smiling, all with either bleach white scarves on their heads or brightly colored garments, some with blonde hair . . . kind of ridiculous as I think about it. I guess a mud-thatched stable with manure, stagnant water, and flies filed with a middle-Eastern family wearing dusty garments and Jesus with a poopy loin cloth wouldn't be as appealing.
Then of course there are the Santa's, the Christmas trees, the lights, the ornaments, the sales, the cookie exchanges, the egg nog . . . and we are celebrating Jesus? This is where I often become so conflicted. I love all the festivities of the season and I certainly don't want to be a "Grinch" but all this really pales in comparison to the magnitude of what happened that simple night in Bethlehem. A young virgin girl got pregnant with the Savior of all mankind. An angel came to her telling her about this and she responded "I am the Lord's servant." Seriously? No wonder God chose her. Most people would have gone screaming and crying back home to momma (I know I would have). But she accepted the challenge humbly and willingly. The Lord has given me responsibilities that are a fraction of a percent compared to Mary and I fight Him tooth and nail.
So how do we hold true to the real meaning of Christmas? I honestly don't know. Every year I try to redefine the balance of the spending, giving, wrapping, baking, decorating with the simple life-changing message of Jesus Christ coming into this world as a baby . . . a squirmy, fussy, poopy, hungry baby . . . who changed the course of history and brought grace to the world. And every year I hear so many other families trying to find that same balance but really if you live in America there probably their isn't one. Our lights are too bright, our Christmas songs too loud, our greed too overwhelming for Jesus to compete with that. He didn't 2000 years ago and He's not going to now. He came in a simple, quiet manner and that is still His style. Jesus patiently takes a quiet place in the corner and waits for us to meet Him when we are ready . . . I pray our home and our hearts are more ready this year than any other . . . and I pray the same for you.
