Craziness and what is Christmas!

Does anyone feel “stressed” because of the pace of Christmas? It seems like I get stuck on “fast forward” every Christmas and the closer I get to “the day” the more hectic things get for me and the more frazzled I get. Also, is it just me or do you find people do the craziest things at this time of year? I was reading about a department store Santa getting fired in Thousand Oaks, California because when an “elf” called him a name (obviously something other than St. Nick) he pulled a handgun and drew down on said elf. Or how’s this one for crazy: there was a Seattle charity event for meat-cutters where a volleyball game was played. They used frozen meats as “volleyballs” (yes, you read that correctly). It seemed as the game was stopped when one of the “players” was hit in the head with an 11 pound frozen turkey. Even churches are not immune to the craziness. In Miami, a woman was arrested for assaulting her husband with an umbrella shaft after church. His crime? It seems he fell asleep during the service.

In trying to get past some of the craziness this Christmas I pondered what Christmas means. Now I realize it means a lot of things to a lot of different people. To some it is a time of shopping and spending. To others it is a time for drinking and parties. For others Christmas involves traveling and entertaining. I’m sure for many it means a combination of these and other things. Today is Sunday and I’m sitting in my office pondering the real meaning of Christmas?

I came up with a short list of what Christmas means to me:
1. Christmas is about love – For God so “loved the world” that He sent us His Son. We should never forget that symbolism of Christmas in seeing how much God loves us. So as I reflect on the meaning of Christmas I realize that it’s about us sharing His love with so many who never open a bible or attend a church service. That leads to the second thing I believe about Christmas …
2. Christmas is about remembering – taking the time to remember those whom we have loved and been loved by through the years. This time of year is often difficult as we are forced to face the holidays without someone we have spent much of our life with. I hope that when I go through a period of great loss God will help me remember not to focus on what I feel I’ve lost but rather what I had in that person in the first place and to celebrate that.
3. Obviously Christmas is a time of giving – “For God so loved the world He gave”. As a child Christmas was always about what am I “getting” this year but the older I have gotten I have found it much more pleasurable to give. I often say it in sermons but I’m convinced of the truth that we are never more like Jesus than when we give.
4. Christmas is a time of forgiving (or at least it should be) – God was willing to forgive us without stipulations. Oh that I were more like Jesus in this regard. Too often I’m quick to be judgmental and look down on others less fortunate or maybe more fortunate and not realizing just how blessed they are. I have been forgiven so much in my life. I also have been had some very difficult experiences in my life. But I’m reminded that no one has ever done anything worse to me than that which I’ve done to Christ. After all, it was my sin that held Him to that cross.
5. Christmas is a time of change – we often set resolutions right after Christmas as we “resolve” to change some things for the better. So I’m pondering what the Lord would have me to change for the better this year.
6. Finally Christmas is a time of rejoicing – We can rejoice in God’s unmerited grace. We can rejoice in the fact we’ve been forgiven. We can rejoice that God has a purpose for our life. We can rejoice that no matter how far we stray, we never get so far that the arm of God cannot bring us back. Know you are loved this Christmas.