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Christmas quiet times

How Not to Miss CHRIST on CHRIST-mas Day

Where is the rejoicing over Christ, the Messiah, Who came into this world? How NOT to miss CHRIST this CHRIST-mas. SmellingCoffee.com

I’ve been pondering and praying about something for a while, and wondering if you might be processing the same thing:

Here’s my question: When it comes to the actual Christmas Day, how can we, as a household, focus on Jesus Messiah and rejoice in Him and His incredible Gift of Salvation?

Of course, throughout the month of December, we have enjoyed community Christmas programs, special gatherings with the message of God’s Gift to us, choir Christmas musicals, special Sunday School lessons, and personal Bible study leading our hearts through Advent.

On Christmas Eve, our family will worship with our church family during a beautiful Christmas Eve service. Then we will come home and eat. And laugh. And play a family game or watch a family movie. Then we will awake to Christmas morning.

Where is the rejoicing over Christ, the Messiah, Who came into this world? How NOT to miss CHRIST this CHRIST-mas. SmellingCoffee.com

As much as I want Christmas Day to be solely centered on Jesus… children (even grown ones) look forward to giving and receiving gifts.  Then, a special Christmas meal will be shared.  The kitchen will need to be cleaned up. The gift wrapping and boxes and Christmas trash will pile high.  Children (and adults, too!) will require naps.  Many families will pack everyone in the car and visit two to three other gatherings, all on that one Christmas Day. 

All of these things are good, initially.  But because we each have our own expectations for Christmas Day, it can often be one of the most hectic and stressful days of the year. 

Or if you aren’t packing up or serving up or cleaning up… it can become one of the most lonely days of the year.

In all of the busy-ness of Christmas Day plans, I keep wondering one thing: Where is the rejoicing over Christ, the Messiah, Who came into this world? 

Then I read this in an Advent devotion:

“For all the greeting card and sermonic rhetoric, I do not think that much rejoicing happens around Christmastime, least of all about the coming of the Lord.  There is, I notice, a lot of holiday frolicking, but that is not the same as rejoicing.” 

William Stringfellow, in Watch for the Light, Dec. 7

Holiday frolicking.  Wow! Isn’t that the truth?  It’s exactly what we Americans do!

So, how do we practice “rejoicing” in God’s Gift of Salvation on Christmas Day, in the midst of the holiday frolicking?

Of course, one could do a reading of Luke 2 before or after gifts. But if I’m being totally honest… at least in my home… it was always endured somewhat impatiently because everyone knew that presents would be unwrapped next. So some years we read the Luke 2 passage after the opening of gifts, but again, it would be met with endurance… because everyone wanted to get on with their own plans (playing with our putting up gifts, meal prep, clean up, pack up, etc.).

How can we move throughout Christmas Day with a grateful heart of rejoicing?

How can our families pause and sincerely rejoice in God’s merciful Gift – given both in the manger and on the cross?

Where is the rejoicing over Christ, the Messiah, Who came into this world? How NOT to miss CHRIST this CHRIST-mas. SmellingCoffee.com

These are the questions that I’m pondering when my menopausal body awakes in the middle of the night, and I wrestle with them every morning during my Quiet Time.  I’ve talked with my husband about this and sought the wisdom of others ahead of us in life.  Though I don’t yet have a definitive answer, here are some thoughts I’m settling upon for now:

  1. I think rejoicing in Jesus on Christmas Day will look differently for every household and heart. 
  2. I also think that it will be impossible to truly rejoice in Jesus and focus on Him throughout the day without spending some time alone with Him in worship and His Word.  Making this a priority for the day is a must. (A few years ago, I wrote about how to have a Stealth Holiday Quiet Time – especially when you are traveling and have no privacy.  You can read it here.)
  3. Whether our homes and schedules for the day are packed or vacant, if we are going to wake up on December 26th knowing that the 25th  contained more than hectic holiday “frolicking” or a cheerless day of unmet expectations, it is essential that we be intentional about our rejoicing in Jesus.

What this looks like this year, for my family, I’m still not sure. 

We may give everyone a Name of Jesus or a Bible passage to go and study and work through and come back to share with each other.  Or not.  We may ask each person to share something their eyes have been opened to about the Lord in this past year.  Or not. We could ask each person to create and share a list of the blessings and gifts they have received from God over the past year.  I just don’t know…yet.  {Later this week when everyone gets home, we may talk about this as a family… and possibly the kids will help us come up with a good idea.}

****Here’s the key: It’s not so much about doing something, as it is about setting our hearts to savor and appreciate the Truth that the same “Word” that spoke everything in existence left God’s glory to become flesh (John 1:1-5 & 14), and “humbled Himself even further by becoming obedient to the Father to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Phil. 2:5-11).

It’s gratefully cherishing the fact that “God’s love has been abundantly poured out… While we were still helpless (powerless to provide for our salvation), at the right time Christ died as a substitute for the ungodly (Rom. 5:5-8) – that’s US! 

And it’s spending the day mentally treasuring both the cradle and the cross, rejoicing in God’s Gift of Salvation, freedom, and healing, that ushered us into the family of God (Gal. 4:4-5 & Isaiah 61:1-3).

How about you?  How would you spend Christmas Day rejoicing in Jesus? 

I’d love to hear your ideas! 🙂

Keeping Christ AS Christmas 2012 – 1st things first

To many Americans, the word Christmas can be defined by:  days off work, time with family and friends, presents, shopping, spending too much money, decorating, cooking, eating too many rich foods, caroling, Hallmark movies, greeting cards, red and green, Santa, staying up too late, lazy days spent in pjs…

None of these things are bad. In fact, our family enjoys and looks forward to most of them. But these things do not define Christmas. To those who have accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, Christmas should mean something more – something entirely different from anything that can be purchased, wrapped, watched, worn, experienced, or eaten.

I believe that if we learn to place Jesus Christ as the center of our Christmas focus, the other enjoyments and responsibilities of the season will fall into their proper places. The key, however, lies solely in placing our focus on Jesus Christ, and keeping Him AS the Center of the season.

Picture a beautiful flower with a large center and lots of petals:

The petals certainly add to the beauty of the flower. But it is the center that holds the petals in their places. When Jesus is the center of the season, the other traditions and enjoyments of the Christmas holiday are held together in Him. The Main Thing remains the main thing, and everything else will either get done in His Strength and Joy, or no longer be so important.

Matthew 6:33 says, “But seek (aim at and strive after) first of all His kingdom and His righteousness (His way of doing and being right), and then all these things taken together will be given you besides.” (Amp)

Do this little activity as soon as you can.  If you are anything like me, it will make a difference in how you view your Christmas season.

Look at the flower below.  (Print it for yourself, if you’d like.)


What would be in the center of your flower?

To be honest, many years the word “GIFTS” would take center stage.  It’s what I start thinking about in the summer and it’s what I have most prepared by this time of year.  I make those lists and shop bargains all year long.  So up to this point in the fall, “gift giving” usually occupies center stage.

However, as the days get crazier and busier and my plate feels fuller, everything else tends to crowd “gifts” for the central focus.  If I am not intentional about what/who I place in the center, I tend to become quickly overwhelmed and grouchy. 

In fact, I was feeling this way just last week.  My calendar was preparing for Christmas, but my heart wasn’t.  So I got back out Keeping Christ AS Christmas and started reading in chapter one.  (I know… I wrote it and I’m truly not trying to “sell” it here – but really, it was Jesus’ instructions to me that I continually need to re-learn, so I asked Him to use the book to once again make a difference in this coming Christmas season.)

This flower exercise was in chapter one.  I honestly filled out my flower, once again placing the word “gifts” in the center.  Then I wrote every other responsibility added through this season on the petals.

What would be on the petals of your holiday flower?

I was saddened to see that I had placed Jesus on the same level as other “responsibilities” such as decorating and baking and family time.

I determined then and there that Jesus was changing places with “gifts” and all the other “things” that go along with Christmas.  I got down on my knees, dedicated these next days and weeks to Him, and gave Him His rightful place right back in the center of my flower.  Now my flower looks something like this:

And I feel so much better!

One major way to keep Jesus as the Center of the Season is to spend time with Him 1st thing in the morning – before the business and the busy-ness of the day begins.  Trust me… I’ve learned the hard way that a day started without submission to and worship of Jesus, a meal from His Word, and fellowship with Him through prayer often ends up being one of those “not so good” days.  I’ve heard that missing your time alone with Jesus is kind of like missing tennis practice.  One day missed – you notice it.  Two days missed – your partner notices it.  Three days missed – your opponent notices it.  And four or more days missed – everyone notices it.  That’s certainly true for me and my time with Jesus.

My friends, the upcoming days are going to be so full of fun, festivities, {and exhaustion}, I don’t know about you, but I simply can’t afford to miss being filled, fed,  and strengthened through my time alone with Jesus first thing each morning.   It’s hard, though.  Late nights lead to later mornings and more alarm snoozes.  I battle that snooze alarm every day! 😉  Therefore, we must make Jesus staying our number one priority our number one priority.  When He is in His rightful place, everything will be in their rightful places.

My Keeping Christ AS Christmas challenge to you this weekend is this:

1.  Print or draw yourself a flower and honestly fill in the center and the petals.  If you aren’t honest, it won’t be too helpful to you.  To fill in the center, how would your actions, calendar, and checkbook answer this question: What is the center of my focus during Christmas? 

2.  Print or draw another flower, filling the center with Jesus and the petals with everything else. 

3.  Write Matthew 6:33 somewhere on this flower.  “But seek (aim at and strive after) first of all His kingdom and His righteousness (His way of doing and being right), and then all these things taken together will be given you besides.”  Mt. 6:33 (Amp)

4.  Determine to get out of bed each morning in enough time to spend the first 10 minutes with Jesus.  Need a plan?  Here’s a quick 10 minute quiet time plan to help you begin.

5.  Post this picture somewhere where you and your household can see it, then order your days by it.  🙂

 “If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don’t you think he’ll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I’m trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving. People who don’t know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.  Matthew 6:30-33, MSG

*This post was adapted from chapter one of the E-book Keeping Christ AS Christmas: Preparing hearts, households, and homes for PEACE this Christmas season.  Click here for more details, and “like”the Keeping Christ AS Christmas facebook page to share YOUR ideas on keeping Jesus as the Center of the Christmas season.

To read a sample of this book, including chapters 1-2, click here and see the box to the right of the page “Try it for Free.”

Happy weekend, my friends~