Tis the Season

I’ve heard some say that Christmas is their LEAST favorite time of year. They say things like, There’s too much traffic. I’ve spent way too much money. There’s just too many people. It’s too much work. I’m sure you’ve probably read articles and blogs about this very topic before, and what I’m going to say might not be that different from those.
While I was driving home from church last night and then into my neighborhood, I noticed that people had already hung lights on their trees and houses. Assuming that they celebrate Christmas, I smiled and said out loud in my car, “This is all for you, Jesus. They’re celebrating your birthday.” He seemed to answer back in my spirit, “Are they?” I mean, I have no idea if they are or not. But to me, if you hang the lights, put up the tree, decorate it, buy and receive presents, take time off from work, you’re saying you believe in celebrating Jesus’s birthday. But do those people decorating their houses and trees and buying and receiving gifts even know who He is? Why celebrate someone’s birthday whom you don’t even know? Well, I know who he was, some will say. And, My mom and dad used to read the story to us, and, I go to church on Christmas. Some even say they feel nostalgic around Christmas and travel home to be with family. But, what is it really? Christmas? Why celebrate it? Some say, I celebrate because I’m a Christian. What is a Christian? A Christian is a person who follows the teachings of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. I don’t really know many people who actually follow the teachings of Jesus. I mean, Jesus’s teachings aren’t the easiest teachings for someone to adopt into a lifestyle. After all, he said, love your neighbor more than you love yourself. He said, sell all that you have and give it to the poor. He said, forgive people who’ve hurt you. He said, love your enemies, which may be the hardest of all. And these are just a few of his teachings. Before you celebrate the Savior of the world, think about getting to know him a little better. Have you ever read the story of His birth? From the Bible? It’s perfectly fascinating. You’ll find it in the book of Luke chapter 2. Maybe you could take a few minutes and read it. And even before you begin, say a prayer to God that He would give you a supernatural understanding of it. It might just change your life.