Christmastime

Audio By Carbonatix

For me, Christmas is a deeply meaningful day for a couple of reasons. First, it’s the day that we celebrate the birth of Jesus, who is the center of my faith and the template for how I try to live my life. I really can’t overstate the importance of Jesus’ birth in my life, or for the world in general. For those who share my faith, we believe that Jesus was the Son of God who came to take away the sins of the world. We believe that He lived a perfect life, died a sacrificial death, was raised from the dead by God, and invites us to follow Him in the way that He lived His life and to value the things He valued.

If you grew up around the Christian faith (whether you believed it or not), that previous paragraph might not be full of things you agree with, but they’re still probably things you’re familiar with. But if you didn’t grow up around the Christian faith, that previous paragraph might seem confusing, and maybe intriguing. If that’s how you felt reading it, I’d invite you to find a local church to visit during this Christmas season. Many churches will have Christmas Eve and Christmas Day services even though they will be during the week rather than on Sunday morning like usual. Or you could find a copy of the Bible either in person or online and read one of the four books (the single book of the Bible is made up of many different “books” which are not nearly as long as we think when we see that word) that tell the story of Jesus and His life–Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John. I encourage everybody to take some time this season to read about Jesus’ life and work, whether it’s the first time you’re reading it or the hundredth.

The second reason that Christmas is so meaningful for me is because it’s a day that focuses on family. It’s a day where Jane and I get to host all four of our kids, their spouses and significant others, and our 8 grandkids. The house is chaotic as wrapping paper is flying all over, boxes are getting opened, batteries are being installed, and a general sense of excitement is in the air. I also like to spend some time that day reminiscing on my own family of origin. I think about my parents and the sacrifices they made to set me up in life and the legacy of faith that was passed down to them and that they passed on to me. Despite the tough relationship I had with my dad, I appreciate how we were able to heal before he passed, and I think about how my mom was a wonderful, generous, upbeat example for me to follow.

I hope that everybody takes some time during this season or on Christmas Day itself to celebrate faith, family, and legacy. If some of those stories have hard parts that keep you from being able to do that, I hope you’ll take some time to heal this coming year so that you can move forward feeling much more free and joyful!