Prepare the way for the LORD… —Matthew 3:3 (NIV)

            Are you ready for Christmas? That’s a question we hear frequently this time of the year. What’s your answer? Yes, no, almost, not even close? 

            Holiday preparations can be overwhelming. Just looking at my do list tires me out! Shop ‘til I drop? Well, I drop in two hours. Spend the day cleaning, and the place looks great—but for how long? Vacuuming hurts my back. And baking? Well, in addition to the mess I have to clean up, all those carbs and calories send my blood sugar skyrocketing and my energy level plummeting. And the cost of postage makes me think twice about mailing Christmas cards. 

            It was fun when the kids were around, but when they grew up and left, Christmas became not a celebration, but an unwelcome interruption in my busy schedule. How had I gotten so out-of-touch with Christmas? 

            I focused on the wrong thing. I worked on making a good Christmas for my children, but when they left, my Christmas spirit went right out the door with them. 

            To regain the true focus of Christmas, I need to remind myself that the garlands, goodies, greetings, and guests are all part of the celebration of an awesome event: God becoming flesh, fulfilling of the prophecy that “a virgin shall be with child, and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name ‘Immanuel,’ which is translated ‘God with us’” (Matthew 1:23; Isaiah 7:14).

            To get back in touch with Christmas, I must sift through the wrappings to find the real gift—the first Christmas present ever given: The baby Emmanuel: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

            And that’s a gift worth celebrating—and a celebration worth getting ready for!

            Are you ready for Christmas?

            As I light the third candle on my Advent wreath, O God, remind me of why I celebrate. Restore my Christmas spirit. Renew my joy. Amen.

Read and reflect on Isaiah 40:3–5; John 1:1–18; Colossians 1:15–19.

From God, Me, and a Cup of Tea for the Seasons © 2018, Michele Huey. All rights reserved.