Cookies or Christ?

I love the Christmas season… It’s my favorite time of the year. I love the lights, trees, decorations, cookies, and the fun atmosphere. To me, Christmas is the most joyful season of all, not because of all the things I listed above (although the cookies are pretty important), but because I celebrate the birth of my Lord and Savior.

I have talked to many people who don’t celebrate Christ’s birth on December 25th, because some religious experts think he was probably born in the summertime. This always irritates me. For one thing, we don’t know when Jesus was born. Besides, does it really matter? As long as we’re celebrating Christ’s birth, does it really matter? I don’t think that when we get to heaven Jesus is going to say, “Well, my birthday was really July 27th.” Seriously, I don’t think He’ll care.

I want you to ask yourself this Christmas what you are focusing on. Are you worried about getting your Christmas cards out on time? Do you not have all your presents bought and wrapped? Are you worried about the number of people that are coming over on Christmas day? If you are, then you are not getting into the real spirit of the season. This whole holiday was created to worship the Baby that was born in a manger. Stop yourself and look around you. If you go to the mall, you can tell who is focused on stuff, and who is focused on the Birth. If you see harried women frantically running from store to store trying to get the best deals on the most things, then they are focused on the presents. If you see kids dragging their father to the toys and saying, “I want THAT one!” then they are focused on getting exactly the right thing. If you see a family walking leisurely making small talk and not hurrying, they aren’t worried about how many presents they are getting (or they have all their shopping done. Ha, ha.). If someone was watching you walk around the mall, what would they think? Are you consumed with the worldly aspect of Christmas, or are you focused on the true meaning of Christmas.

I don’t know if you’ve ever seen the Veggie Tales called “The Toy that Saved Christmas”, but it really captures the world’s perspective of Christmas. The children are so consumed with the toys they will receive, that they forget the real meaning of Christmas. So, a toy named “Buzz-saw-Louie” tells everyone in Bumblyburg that Christmas is not about the toys and material things that the kids will get, but about the birth of Baby Jesus.

Isn’t that what we Christians should do? Shouldn’t we proclaim to all the world that Jesus Christ is born? I challenge you to tell one person who doesn’t know what God has done for them about the birth of Jesus Christ. One person. That is all I’m asking. I think that you will find that it is very fulfilling.

If you are a Christian, focus on the manger scene. Think about the heavenly Baby that was sent to us in human form to save the world. Can you imagine what Christmas would be like if you did not have the joy and hope that the birth of Jesus brings? I think it would be extremely depressing after all the gifts are unwrapped and the cookies eaten. When everything is gone, so is the joy of giving and receiving presents. To the unbelievers, it is all over, and there is nothing more to celebrate. We as Christians can celebrate Jesus’ birth all year long for the rest of our lives.

Merry Christmas!