'I love what you did with the house for Christmas!'
Ah, there it is. The approval! The proof that We Did Christmas RIGHT!
We answer with a modest thank you, of course (while doing emotional cartwheels), and such is the constant chase to please, to be the best host, to stand out in hospitality.
To be loved by our relatives and friends and peers. To be accepted for what we do.
And we feel good, sometimes ,because we did it better than someone else.
No wonder the season from Thanksgiving to Christmas is exhausting.
Mary was exhausted from giving birth. And then the shepherds showed up.
Do you think they expected music and coloured lights and a groaning table?
Or do you think that they just came to be there?
A lot of Christians call Easter the highlight of the year, but I don't agree.
Christmas was God's decision, in John 3:16.
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Easter was the fulfillment, and could not have happened without that humble manger, without those unlettered peasants.
So why do we turn it into social striving , and even one-upsmanship?
Who are we trying to impress, and why?
Would our efforts impress Mary and Joseph if they dropped by, or would they make kind apologies and return to the manger and the Meaning?
God, that busybody know-it-all, has something (as usual !) to say, like in Galatians 2:20:
For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.
Or would you like something from the Old Testament, say Proverbs 29:25?
The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe.
Perhaps Isaiah, maybe 2:22...
Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils: for wherein is he to be accounted of?
There's nothing wrong with gatherings, nothing bad about hospitality.
We just need to focus them on the meaning.
Music from Jars Of Clay, with the charming song and video, Love Came Down
Sylvia says that where there's ice cream, there's meaning. Woof.
Andrew, thanks for the nudge to be focused on the heart of Christmas. Everything else will quickly fade or rust or lose its sparkle.
ReplyDeleteLinda, you're still right! Everything passes and fades... except for God.
DeleteI meant, 'so right'...got 4am typing fingers.
DeleteIt's a heart choice we make - whether to compare or just live and be, Andrew. Just because everyone else is comparing doesn't mean we have to enter into the game. If Christ set us free, we can be free indeed - even in the area of hospitality and holidays. And in some areas we are on the journey to freedom, so there is grace in falling forward. :)
ReplyDeleteLisa, yes! And the Christmas comparisons are indeed a game, one that rather turns away from Christ's person.
DeleteFalling forward... there's grace there.
Thank you for this timely reminder, Andrew! "There's nothing wrong with gatherings, nothing bad about hospitality.We just need to focus them on the meaning." Amen! Blessings to you!
ReplyDeleteBlessings back, Gayl, and thank you!
DeleteGood reminder. The first Christmas was relatively simple, as we make it so complicated. Someone once said our choices often aren't between good and bad, but better and best. There are a lot of fine things we can do, but what's best?
ReplyDeleteIt really is a sacred holiday—and not one more thing to beat ourselves up over!
ReplyDeleteWonderful reminder to remain focused on the reason. It's so easy to get caught up in the activity and lose sight of the meaning.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate your expression of slow down and smell the gingerbread this Christmas. Thank you for hosting. Glad tidings of great joy, my friend… our Savior is born!
ReplyDelete