Once Thanksgiving is over, my mind automatically switches toward the Christmas season. Christmas, in its proper respects, can be the most fulfilling and longest holiday season. The question is usually if we celebrate it, how do we celebrate it? To make sure that we give Christmas and Christ their due, we should prepare for the season. Here are three things to consider as you prepare your heart for the holiday season.
#1 USE AN ADVENT DEVOTIONAL
There are many great advent devotionals at our fingertips today. You can pick up one cheap online, and just spend 5-7 minutes a day reading about different aspects of Christ and the Christmas season. I have given a list of “Short Advent Devotionals” that you can find easily, and will help you prepare your heart for the true meaning of Christmas.
#2 SET ASIDE TIME TO PREPARE FOR THE HOLIDAY
Part of what distracts us from celebrating the true meaning of Christmas, Christ’s birth, is that we become too busy with the festivities of Christmas. Many of those festivities are proper and good and help enhance our Christmas season. But if we push everything off to the last minute, we will be rushing to and through those events and not enjoying them to their fullest.
Set aside time to get your holiday calendar ready. Plan time to shop, bake, cook, worship, and gather with family and friends. This will give you more time to focus your heart on Christ’s birth when you are at church, listening to Advent and Christmas sermons, celebrating Christ’s birth with your family and friends, and even listening to Christmas music in your home.
#3 CELEBRATE AND FEAST
Christians understand that one Christian ethic is contentment. We understand humility. We understand conserving and saving. These are good in their right contexts, but we need to understand the virtue of feasting. Our fear of excess, (which is a warning) can divert our understanding of godly feasting to the glory of God.
Let us understand that feasts are both commended and commanded in Scripture. From the time of Genesis, through Israel’s history, up until the time of Christ, there were appropriate times to feast. The question isn’t “if” we should feast but “why” we should feast?
The Old Testament had feasts of the Passover (Leviticus 23:4-8), First Fruits (Leviticus 23:10), and the Feast of Trumpets (Leviticus 23:24) just to name a few. Feasting, done properly and intentionally, can be a way of focusing and celebrating God’s goodness in our lives. We should feast and recognize Christ as the purpose of that feasting. If the reason we eat, drink, dance, play music, is because we are celebrating the birth of Christ, we make much of Him, celebrate Him, and feast because of Him. In doing so, we can show others and remind ourselves how great He is, and how much joy He brings to our lives.
How are you preparing for this Christmas season? Is Christ at the center of your planning and celebrating? Are you taking time to focus on Him and what He has done?
Thanks for taking time to read this Maddening Theology post. If you enjoyed this content you can find Pastor Tim’s sermons at www.cornerstoneforestcity.org. You can also join us at 520 Marion St. Browndale, PA 18421 on Sundays at 10 AM. To make following the blog easier you can also register. You can also join us on Facebook at Cornerstone Forest City. Also, don’t forget to download our APP on iTunes or Googleplay.