The Ponderings this week comes via Mrs Jesus Follower:
The Story
“Halloween is much more fun than Christmas”, I overheard a lad saying to his mate as he pushed his mother’s cart along the aisle of sweets. We get to dress up, go to parties and eat lots of lollies.
Halloween or Christmas? Is this going to be the question in a new generation?
It set me thinking. True, between our current emphasis on political correctness, and a hunger for fun and festivity, the true purpose of Christmas is rapidly fading.
If Christmas is losing its meaning and purpose who’s to blame? A godless society? Uh-uh, no, it’s the you and me’s. The only way the truth of Christmas will be evidenced is by us living the Jesus Christ-Messiah story in our own lives. If God’s story isn’t a living truth within me right now, I too will drift into the pleasure and busyness of family gatherings and festivities. It’s a trap I easily fall into.
My thoughts went back to the cheery, chatting lads in the supermarket.
Could it be that Christmas will become insignificant and lost in godless celebrations? I had this panicked, moment of having to do something. If there’s conversation going on as to the relevance of Christmas, my Christmas tree goes up right now! I’m going to let my friends and family see that Christmas is something I intend to celebrate!
Stepping back to admire my Christmas tree, I suddenly see the total meaninglessness…it is a word, I checked it out…the total futility, of this frenetic morning’s activity. Unless my life is a story giving meaning and purpose to this Christmas tree, it remains just that…a tree! A meaningless tree with no purpose other than to make a corner of my home look brighter.
As we come to the Christmas season, I’m asking myself, what is my everyday chat; my everyday living, showing my friends, my neighbours, my family? Forget menus, shopping lists and party plans; forget Christmas trees; forget family for a moment.
For if Christmas is not about God’s story, I have no meaningful story to tell. So, what is this story, I ponder.
It’s not the story about a tree; it’s not even the story about a cradle; it’s the story about a cross.
May we be faithful to God’s story as we celebrate Christmas for 2019.