Craving Christ at Christmas

Heads were nodding in agreement! At the end of October, I visited a Bible study class at our church to extend an invitation to a special Christmas experience for women. The theme for the evening was “Prepare Him Room” and would be held the week before Thanksgiving.  The hope for the early Christmas event was for women to connect with Jesus before the hectic season officially started. I shared how the extra activities and preparations of the advent season strain our already maxed out schedules. While the desire is to celebrate Christmas with a heart overflowing with the love of Jesus, the reality is, many women, myself included, find themselves just wanting the season to be over. It is not for a lack of love for the Lord, but pure exhaustion. 

Regardless of our stage of life, most women have full calendars with daily activities of maintaining family responsibilities, keeping up with the house, and working outside the home. Our husbands and children have their own work and school requirements along with other social obligations which necessitate juggling several packed schedules into one. We are already living without much margin in our lives so the addition of all the Christmas activities disrupts the semblance of peace we strive to maintain. 

This really became a struggle for me when my children were old enough to participate in church and school activities. I wanted time to really reflect on the significance of Jesus stepping out of heaven and into Mary’s womb as a human baby, but the demands of the day required my attention. Rather than focusing on my time with the Lord, my priority was creating an environment for my children to see the wonder of who Christ was and to celebrate His birth. So, the mad dash of Christmas became a race, attending special programs to commemorate the season and keeping up with the family traditions that have been passed down through the years. The expectations on our lives are real! Additionally, we need to make time for decorating the house with festive touches, baking special treats, and preparing gifts for everyone we know. All good things, but truth be told, things that wear us out.

Perhaps you are like me. You love being with family and friends to celebrate the birth of Jesus, but there is not much rest until the arrival of December 26^th. Right away, I packed up the nativity set, the ornaments, and the lights, all neatly sorted and labeled, and then stored for another season. After resetting my house, I felt like I could finally spend time with the Lord. Each year, I vowed it would be different next year, that I would experience Christ’s presence each day of Advent. I would try different “strategies” to make the most of my time and maximize my energy. In the end, the management of Christmas still left me weary. The problem wasn’t the traditions or the trimmings, but my heart. 

I looked to my own devices to clear the way to have a relaxed and unhurried Christmas in order to have a more “spiritual” experience with Jesus. Instead of mustering through, I should confess my need for Jesus and my desire to spend time with Him, but my inability to make it happen with all of the holiday obligations. It is acknowledging our desperate need for the Lord, despite the religious activities that connect us with the people who lived at the time Jesus was born so many years ago.  

“But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law” (Galatians 4:4).

First-century Jews were weary and heavy-laden. They had been given the Law to see their own inability to live according to God’s standards for peace with Him. Because they were not able to follow the commands, sacrifices were offered as an attempt to bridge the divide between man and God. The religious leaders of the day added many of their own traditions to the Law, making it even more difficult to experience the Lord in a meaningful way. The demands of living under the authority of the Roman government, as a people set apart for God’s purposes, added to their burden. The people, who earnestly wanted to connect with the Lord, were weary keeping up with the Law and burdened with living in a culture that was against them. They wanted life to look differently than it did, and they wanted the Lord to fight their battles to finally bring them peace. Jesus’ birth didn’t end the difficult living circumstances, but it was the first sign of the future life to come. 

Christmas is a time to celebrate, not only the birth of Christ, but the hope of an eternal life spent with Him – a life without pain, without burdens, and without sorrows. The weariness and burdens we experience now will be replaced with a pure and worshipful life in Jesus. Until then, our hearts will continue to desire to be with Christ even more, as life continues to pull us in different directions. We can let our longing hearts be comforted with the hope that one day, we won’t be weary and heavy-laden, but rejoicing in the presence of Jesus. Until then, we must navigate the tension of living life and spending time with the Lord. 

“And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7).  

Peace is not the absence of activity so we can have uninterrupted time in God’s Word and prayer, though that would be really welcomed most days. The peace of God which surpasses all understanding is an assurance that our relationship with Him is secure despite the circumstances around us. We can trust that God is not disappointed in us for taking care of the needs of others – including at Christmas. Our weariness in the busiest season of the year drives our desire to have more of Jesus in our lives. Longing to be with Christ, when our responsibilities demand our attention, is the protection our hearts and minds need. Rather than being indifferent to the jam-packed schedules, it creates a yearning for Christ and what He offers us – hope for a day when there will be no more demands competing for our focus on Him.

Regardless of what is happening in our lives, Christ can and should be at the center of it all. As Christians, we can experience His presence in the midst of every activity – including and especially the Christmas festivities. When our hearts are aching for more quiet moments with Jesus, He offers us His peace. Knowing and trusting that the Lord is with us, regardless of how hectic life gets, is assurance in the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6). Resting in this truth is how each of us can “Prepare Him Room” this Christmas. Don’t misunderstand, of course we should still carve out time for worship and prayer, but we don’t need to feel as though our efforts are not enough. We can make peace with the season because we don’t leave Him behind as we move from one activity to another. The Lord is with us in everything we do, giving us His strength to carry on and the desire for even more of Him. 

Do you crave more of Christ in your busy and stressed life? Then you are ready for Christmas.