Impatience with Christmas

Many people are stranded today at various airports as they wait, hoping for better weather in the Northeastern United States, so they can finally get a flight to their Christmas destinations. Some are waiting patiently with understanding regarding the unusual snowfalls this year. Others are demonstrating a great deal of impatience believing that somehow the airlines are at fault for the weather conditions.

Shoppers are finding crowds and long lines at many stores as they try to complete last meeting gift buying. Some are handling it with a relaxed Christmas spirit almost breaking into song from time to time. Others, however, are still complaining about why the store doesn't have more clerks working even though every cash register is in use. Some are also wondering why so many people waited so late to shop (of course they have a very good reason for themselves)!

I know a young couple who are expecting their first child sometime today. The word impatient would not apply but they are definitely ready as are the grandparents. As I was thinking about this family this morning, a song from church yesterday came to mind - "A Baby Changes Everything." Wow, that is such a true statement. This young couple will be great parents with extended family surrounding them with love and encouragement. But the birth of their baby will definitely change their schedule and routine, their leisure time, and their personal sleep.

Never has the birth of a baby changed everything as it did that first Christmas in Bethlehem when Mary gave birth to Jesus. The world was in a state of impatience. It has been since Adam and Eve had sinned in the Garden of Eden and broke that perfect relationship with God that had existed in creation. Generations had come and gone waiting for God to fulfill His promise of His intervention into human history. The birth of Jesus was the beginning of the fulfillment of that promise. God had taken on flesh and come to dwell among men. Jesus would grow into a man; live a sinless life; die on a cross for the sin of everyone else; and be raised from the dead by God the Father completing the fulfillment of His promise of a Savior for all who believe.

Jesus' birth changed everything then and continues to change the lives of people today. When the pressure of the calendar and the clock instill impatience in our lives, we should stop and remember that the greatest need we have (greater than a gift to buy or a plane to catch) already has an available solution, patiently waiting upon our response of faith - Jesus the Christ born as a baby in Bethlehem is ready to change our lives today.

May all of our Christmas celebrations be filled with patience and with the reality of Jesus Christ.

It Is Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

The song "It Is Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas" was written in 1857, but it has been the song that has continued to go through my mind all day today. Actually, in some communities and in many retail stores and shopping malls, it was beginning to look like Christmas well before Thanksgiving. The decorations, both for sale and for viewing, were already in place. In the neighborhood where I live, several people have lights hung and strung, inflatable yard ornaments, and Christmas trees visible through the front window. Some radio stations are playing Christmas music throughout the day. A number of people are already reporting that their Christmas shopping is already completed.

While I am still digesting turkey, dressing, and pecan pie, I don't have any real problem with the early Christmas sightings. While I would prefer to complete one holiday before going to the next, I know that Christmas is a "biggie." I just wonder if our rush to Christmas causes us to not have enough time to consider why Christmas is a "biggie."

My desire for all of us is that during our mad dash to December 25th we keep in mind that it is the birth of Jesus, the Son of God, that we celebrate. While it is fun to shop for gifts for the grandchildren, there is no greater gift to have than the gift that God gave us on that first Christmas when His Son was born to a humble family traveling to a distant city to be counted in a census so they could be taxed. They spent the night in the last available space, the shelter that was reserved for the livestock of those staying in a nearby Inn. Approximately 33 years later, Jesus, who lived a life of sinless perfection, was put to death on a cross in fulfillment of God's plan to offer His own Son as a sacrifice for the sin of all of us.

Even while writing that last paragraph, I felt myself slow down and become more thoughtful regarding this Christmas season. Taking seriously the real meaning of Christmas certainly will take more than just a day or two, maybe more than a month or two. It should take my entire life to just celebrate Him and what He has done for me and for you.

Now, if the stores will just hold off on Valentine's merchandise untile after New Year's.