Too Busy

What ‘shoulds and expectations’ do we add to Christmas?

• The neighbours expect us to throw a Christmas Eve party.
• The tree must be real, taller than last year’s and come from a field, not a parking lot.
• The kids want the usual homemade treats, plus.
• I do all the prep for dinner.
• I do all the decorating so it looks just right.
• I only use wrapping paper; gift bags are cheating.
• The photo for the cards must be perfect.
• I address all the cards and send them myself.

Let’s not even, for the moment, address the issue of “I” in all of the above. Let’s discuss where Jesus is in the midst of this list. We are all busy. Even the shepherds were busy, but they took the time to look for, find, and worship Jesus. We can too. If we don’t we will miss Christmas again this year.

When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” (Luke 2:15, NLT)

Prayer – Father God, this year, we promise to relax our standards a bit, and take in the beauty of Christ coming to earth as a babe, just for us. Amen.