Every Day Christmas?

Here is the chance to make your Christmas wish come true. Do you know the wish I am talking about? Sure you do. It’s the wish that every day was Christmas day, right? Wouldn’t that be great? You could go to bed every night with anticipation of what tomorrow would hold. You could wake up every morning with excitement knowing that this day was special.

Well now you can do that. You can live every day as if that day is Christmas day. So let’s get to the question: How can I do that?

The key to an “Every Day is Christmas” life is simple. It is the difference between being a giver and a getter. Answer this question: What is Christmas about? If you are thinking that Christmas is about getting presents and opening toys and getting new clothes, then you will not have Christmas every day. People are not going to give you gifts every day. However if you are thinking of Christmas as a time to give, then Voila! You have discovered the secret to living an “Every Day is Christmas” life. If your excitement for Christmas comes from the thrill of sharing and giving, then you can wake up every morning with the excitement of knowing that today, this day, is your opportunity to give to others.

Mavis Lark Moore, a recent speaker at the Professional Women’s Forum, said this, “My wish is that you don’t get all caught up in the pretty bows and gifts and that you remember the baby (in the manger). And that you are a gift yourself. Christmas is only one day and what if we lived with the attitude of Christmas year-round? For we make an impact every day. And may we be the gift.”

Mavis is right. Every day is Christmas for givers because they see each day as an opportunity to give to others. They take advantage of the opportunity to share generously with people around them. It may be a smile, a word of encouragement or a hug. It may be that they buy lunch for a friend or take food to a homeless kitchen. Regardless of whether the gift costs money or not, these people are constantly looking for ways to give themselves away to others. And for them, every day is Christmas day.

It really was a silent night when Jesus was born.

Question: Does GOD want us always being loud & bold about Jesus? Does He always want us to post scripture on Facebook or wear Jesus t-shirts or display Christian bumper stickers? The obvious answer is Yes. And yet I wonder . . . especially as I read the original Christmas story (about Jesus, not Santa Claus)

I wonder because as I consider the wisdom GOD used in the unfolding of this drama, it seems counterintuitive. He wanted people to know about His Son so I would think the coming of Jesus would have been publicized better. Let’s be honest. Angels visiting a few shepherds in the pasture is not exactly a great way to let people know about things like the arrival of the Messiah. So why keep His birth a secret? Why not a news conference or at least a press release to the Jerusalem Journal? Or fireworks? Why not be loud & proud?

The only announcements were an angelic visitation to some shepherds and a star for astrologers from the East. And the wise men did not arrive until two years later! Talk about missing the moment! Fortunately they picked up on the subtle hint to go to Bethlehem and what they discovered was simply amazing. It was just as they had been told – Mary and Joseph and the baby. No fireworks or royalty or dazzling display, just a simple couple and an infant son.

And Bethlehem? Seriously, isn’t there somewhere with just a little more pizzazz than the “House of Bread”? Why not somewhere scenic like a lake house on Galilee?

This event was big news! And yet Jesus’ coming was such an understatement. Instead of the Messiah arriving on a white stallion with a band of angels behind Him, He showed up in the womb of a young unassuming girl who was pregnant out of wedlock.

When I read the story about one of the greatest events in human history and see the quietness and subtleness of it, I wonder if GOD is more interested in our quiet and unannounced expressions of His love rather than the loud and outrageous. Maybe, just maybe, there are times when we say nothing. Instead we go about out daily routines, allowing Him to live His life through us in subtle ways. And the power of it all is found in just that – subtlety. When something is powerful, you don’t have to announce it. When something is weak, you have to prop it up w/ publicity. You have to be loud in order to convince others of it. Sometimes our silence is louder than our words.

A Fantastic Story

It really is a fantastic and fascinating story - this story of the Christ child. It has drama, excitement, adventure and danger all wrapped up inside a terrific tale of redemption.
It is a story of life on the edge. There’s the expecting couple on a long journey to Bethlehem. They have no place to stay and certainly no place to birth a child. So they end up in some kind of barn or cave with animals looking on while Mary gives birth. His first bed is a feeding trough (Lesson: God always provides). And then out of nowhere, shepherds show up to see the baby and they tell this tale to everyone about angels visiting them in a blaze of glory. Fantastic indeed!

If you are familiar with the Bible, then you may know that the birth of Jesus is a part of the storyline of God’s redemption of humanity. You may also know that numerous prophets predicted Jesus’ coming more than 800 years earlier. And so this moment is the culmination of waiting for the people of Israel. Though they have lived in the oppressive control of many other nations during those eight centuries, one constant has been their hope. They have lived in hope of the moment when God would say, “OK, it’s time for your salvation” and those words would signal the coming of their Savior. Their dreams would become reality and they would be free. And it happened – in an out-of-the-way place to common people. Who would have ever thought?

It is a story much bigger than you or me. While it is about our own personal experience of knowing God, it is also about a worldwide revolution that crosses all borders and oceans and spans more than 800 years. In fact, it spans eternity. It is about God stepping into the realm of the finite and human and bringing light to people in darkness. It is a story of hope and possibilities and dreams and answered prayers. It is a story about GOD knowing when to say when and following through on His promise.

And it reminds us that during the waiting moments of life, we can rest in the faithfulness of God. He will do what He says. He will fulfill His plans – for my life, your life, the world. It really is a fantastic and fascinating story.