Keeping the Main Thing the Main Thing

It always seems to come to my attention this time of year how many things there are that threaten to deprive us entirely of worshiping the Saviour.  In spite of the fact that the birth of Jesus was a joyous event rather than a stressful event (at least, for everybody other than Mary and Joseph), Christmas now shows up as an item on stress tests.

Shopping for gifts; extra baking; decking the halls; office Christmas parties; family dinners; concerts and plays; sending cards; dealing with relatives; dealing with loss:  It just all gets piled on until pretty soon we find ourselves drowning in a sea of expectations and extra pressure.  Quite seriously, it doesn’t need to be this way!

When we think about those simple shepherds who first came to worship the Saviour, there was no preparation at all.  They received the angels’ message, believed it, and went straight to Bethlehem to find the Messiah (Lk. 2:8-15).  They didn’t change into their Sunday best or go to buy a present.  They simply came as they were, possibly dragging along a few sheep.  They came to see Jesus, glorified and praised God, and told anybody who would listen about the angels’ message.

On the other hand, we also hear about the wise men, or magi, whose journey involved a little more preparation.  They had been studying the stars for a long time, and saw the signs as soon as the Saviour was to be born.  They would have taken along all that they needed for their journey, as well as their gifts for the newborn king (Mt. 2:1-12).  Once again, their only goal was to see the child and to worship him.  They came, and worshiped, and gave their gifts, and then returned to their homes.

Ultimately, anything that we do to celebrate Christmas other than worshiping the Saviour and giving to Jesus is strictly window dressing.  This is not to say that we need to abandon everything else.  However, it is to say that we need not allow things that have nothing to do with the birth of Jesus to weigh us down and even prevent us from worshiping.

If things are getting too much for you, weigh carefully what is really most important.  Is keeping your family members happy really what Christmas is all about?  Is going into debt over gift buying really what Christmas is all about?  Is beating yourself up because you didn’t get everything done really what Christmas is all about?

Another thing to consider is that the Advent season that leads up to Christmas really helps us to enter into the waiting and longing for a Saviour that marked the years before Jesus’ birth.  It also reminds us of those times when we long for God’s salvation and when we long to see God’s power at work.  We are reminded that even though God’s people waited for many years for the Messiah to come, God kept his promises.  We are reminded that even though we sometimes wait to see God act, God keeps his promises to us as well.

And so, take the time to worship and to pray. Use some daily devotions for Advent, whether online (Lutherans Connect or LAMP), printed booklets, or the weekly bulletin inserts.  Enter into worship this Advent and Christmas, and keep the main thing the main thing!

                        In Christ,

                        Pastor Lynne Hutchison