The debate about Christmas and how it should properly be celebrated has been going on for centuries, and probably will continue until He comes the second time. In my house, well, we love it all. Lisa Whelchel’s book, The ADVENTure of Christmas, is a favorite here in December, listing just about every Christmas trapping you can imagine and giving the history of each to demonstrate how they can be reminders of the real reason we celebrate.
The truth is that God came into the world in bodily form–the most amazing occurrence in history–and it calls for serious celebration, even from those who don’t recognize His lordship, authority or anything else about Him. The frenzy that surrounds the 25th of December is truly a testimony to the world’s longing for the arrival of Jesus, whether they know it or not! I think it’s a testimony, too, of the Christian’s desire for Jesus; an expression of our joy that He did come, that He will come, and that He continues to come in our lives on a daily basis.
I don’t know about you, but for me, this Christmas season had some very exhausting moments.
We started strong . . . put up the tree joyfully, baked cookies with glee, shopped for presents with a list and a smile. Sometime about mid-December, though, I started to notice a tiredness creeping over me . . . a becoming-all-too-familiar weariness that seemed to center on a nagging feeling that it all depended on me, and that were I to stop for even a moment, all of Christmas–for my family, anyway, would grind to a halt. “It came without ribbons . . . it came without tags . . . it came without packages, boxes or bags” sounds great on a cartoon, but is quite another sentiment in real life.
Perhaps I’m wrong, but somehow I can’t help but fear that if my family were to wake on Christmas morning to a house devoid of presents, and tree, with no cinnamon rolls or scrambled egg casserole, and nothing but bits of wire on the walls, the last thing I’d find them doing is heading down to the town square to hold hands with the neighbors and sing “da hoo dorays.”
Being stressed about Christmas isn’t a very nice addition to the pile of laundry, dirty cookie sheets and unwrapped presents. We’re not supposed to be stressed, but someone forgot to notify our nerves. Anyway, one day when I was lamenting over this lovely addition, I heard a curious thing . . . a voice I’d been missing for a little while. It was the Voice I love above all others, the Voice in danger of being drowned out by all the oven timers, TV specials and cash registers (the passing out of angel wings notwithstanding.) And He was whispering to me a verse I had never really thought much about . . .
“I go to prepare a place for you.”~John 14:3
Wonder of wonders! Seriously? Someone else preparing something . . . for me? Oh, sweet thought! In the midst of my 6-week long preparation, the thing my heart was really longing for was a place to go where someone else had done something–anything, really–in anticipation of my arrival. And here I found Jesus Himself, sometime in the few years of His brief ministry, looking ahead to His death and resurrection and claiming He was about to do just that. Amazing!
I’ve found similar promises in the Word since. Here’s a particularly good one:
“The Lord of hosts will prepare a lavish banquet for all peoples on this mountain; a banquet of aged wine, choice pieces with marrow, and refined, aged wine.”~Isa. 25:6
Now, two things about this description of what God is preparing made me giggle. First of all, there are two references to wine. I’m not currently a big fan, but in the Kingdom–? Now, that’s going to be some good stuff! And for those of us living on rice cakes and carrot sticks in this New Year’s season, the “choice pieces with marrow” might be appealing. Apparently, He reads Julia Child (wait, I’ll bet maybe it was the other way around) because I was just reading her recipe for pot roast the other day. It calls for the beef to be larded. Confused as I was? Well, here’s the description:
“…strips of fresh pork fat are pushed into it, going in the direction of the grain. They baste the interior of the meat as it cooks, and make an attractive design when the meat is sliced . . . ” -Julia Child, Mastering the Art of French Cooking
Sounds pretty “choice” to me! Fat, not carved off, but pushed in! Now, there’s an otherworldly concept!
But the best part of it all, of course, was the idea that God, even now, is preparing a place for me. The things I do to prepare for Christmas pale in comparison, of course. It’s a thought I need to keep before me all year long.
Thank You, Lord! Thank You so much for coming the first time and living a grace-filled, sin-free life. Thank You for coming to me on a daily basis to speak through Your Word, to strengthen me for the tasks You’ve placed me here in this place to accomplish. Thank You for Your promise to come again and bring me to your home, where all has been prepared for me. What a wonderful promise! Come, Lord Jesus! Amen.
Misty Krasawski is the overly-blessed mom of eight children whom she homeschools in sunshine-y Florida. She has been clinging ferociously to the hand of her Lord since she was knee-high to a grasshopper, homeschooling for the past thirteen years, and has eighteen more years ahead of her with the children who are glad she will have done most of her experimenting on those who went before. Her wonderful husband Rob has much treasure laid up for him in heaven for having been called to such a daunting task. After the house goes to sleep she can sometimes be found gathering her thoughts at http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/MistyKrasawski.
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