Christmas, Christ For The Masses

This year, my wife and I are later than usual at decorating our home for Christmas. It was just this past week that we managed to retrieve our decorations, including out pre-lit tree, to make our home cozy and welcoming to our family and friends. We have been in the throes of all things, repainting our kitchen. Like every other home, this room is one of the most occupied this time of year, so having it disassembled was quite a decision. Well, through the failures of a heat pump, a clothes dryer, and vehicle issues our world just kept on turning. Yes we’re persevering to make our home Christmas ready. We do not fret over gifts and lists, but the reality of appliance break-downs had to be dealt with. Instead of throwing our hands up in frustration, we simply raised our hands to the Father with thanks that we have a home.

    

Christmas will come and go as the calendar dictates, and we will still be rich because we celebrate God’s blessings on us. This has been a challenging year for health in our home. Yet, He carries us. Things break and wear out, yet He carries us. Tree lights may or may not work, but they don’t make Christmas and I realized that regardless of the lights, the trimmings, or the stress, Christmas will come. Our home will be a place of celebration marking the birth of Jesus, a baby, and our King.

          

So here we are, some two thousand plus years later, and our world still celebrates this birth. Yes, we decorate with bright lights and festive trimmings, and it is our way of shouting that our King was born, Luke 2:11, and we are sharing Him, Emmanuel, God with us. Our home like many others will be decorated, and we will remember the true reason. When we open the door to our friends and family, they will know that Jesus is alive and well within our home. Regardless of the grandeur of the tinsel, or the number of working lights, we will be reminded that a most precious gift was given to all of us. In a couple of weeks, all of this will be again, set away for another year, yet Jesus will remain.

                  

I encourage everyone who may read this to look past the lights, push past the gifts, and focus on the gift of love from God. Share love with your family, friends, and yes, strangers. Remember, Christmas is not a string of lights on a tree or a newly painted kitchen rather it’s a time to thank God for the lifeline to Him that Jesus represents, a gift in the birth of a baby.

Mike Shindruk

www.mastershandministry.blogspot.com