“Jesus is the Reason for the Season.” “Keep Christ in Christmas.”
Who of us has not heard, or as believers, even spoken, these pithy sayings meant to be statements of our belief in what Christmas is all about? Hey, in the face of the world’s co-opting of our most celebrated holy-day, we need to speak up and say what is right! Right?
The rub comes not in our willingness to speak up but in our actual living out those words at Christmas. Here is where our actions truly do speak louder than our words.
Our beliefs do shape our actions. However, even when we say we believe something, it can take a long time to filter down from our heads into our hands and feet, you know, to what we do and where we go.
So when we say “Jesus is the Reason for the Season” and “Keep Christ in Christmas,” how are we doing that in actual practice?
Since gift giving is an integral part of Christmas, and Christmas is Jesus’ birthday, do we consider giving a gift to him?
When our boys were small, my husband began a tradition for our family that he called “Christmas for Christ.” Though we bought a few gifts for our kids (and now grandkids) and a few other loved ones, we made it a point to “buy” something for Jesus comparable in price to the gifts we buy for others.
How do you buy Jesus a birthday present? Well, what does Jesus love? Where is his heart?
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him” (John 3:16-17, ESV)[1].
Jesus came into the world (at Christmas!) to do the Father’s will: become the Savior the world needs, that you and I need.
Now Jesus sends us, his people, into the world to love others and tell them about the Savior. Based on things Jesus said, we believe our lives and the resources he’s placed in our hands should be focused on what he wants to do in his world, all year round as well as at Christmas time.
So, in our family we pray about which mission or ministry to send a special monetary gift to at Christmas time. That becomes our birthday gift to Jesus. Then we try to be sure our lifestyle and use of his resources line up with his purposes the rest of the year too. So the struggle to focus on Jesus is not just at Christmas time but all the time.
Sending monetary gifts is only one way to give Jesus a birthday present and keep Christ in Christmas. We can also do it by giving our time and efforts in ministry to others. There are opportunities all around us. We can check out our community’s local ministries to the needy or homeless, to the sick or shut-in, orphans and widows; or look into missions through our church.
What are your traditions for keeping Christmas about Christ? I’d love to hear how you give to Jesus for his birthday.
Share your traditions with me in the comment box. We can learn from each other about how to Keep Christ in Christmas, because truly, Jesus is the Reason for the Season.
Image by Coffee from https://pixabay.com
[1] The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. https://www.biblegateway.com
What a unique gift tradition for Christmas! Wonderful stories. We’ve read them all and so have our sons. Now our sons are reading them to their kids. Let me know what your next project is! Happy new year!
Great question, Jacqueline!! I’ve been recording The Chronicles of Narnia, one book each year, for my kids and grandkids as a way to keep elements of The Story alive in them, long after I’m gone. Two more to go. Wonder what the next project will be?
Hey Jacqueline – what is your Twitter address? I was going to make sure I am following you. Mine is @BrendaMMcGraw
Well, I don’t have one. I’m on fb but not sure I want to stretch my wings to Twitter! I’m feeling a trifle overwhelmed as it is trying to learn how to market my book, while juggling other responsibilities! Maybe I can email you about how to do some of the things I need to do to accomplish this goal of marketing? Would you be open to that?
Hey Jacqueline for sharing your Christmas post over on Ask God Today’s Link-up. It’s great connecting with you. We also love missions and my husband and I are part of a local ministry where we did Gift shoeboxes for the Inner-city kids this year. It was such a blessing. Thanks again for sharing. Hope to see you again in 2 weeks when we do it again, Happy New Year. With joy, Brenda
This was my first time to do this! Thank you for the opportunity. Thanks for sharing your Christmas tradition of keeping Christ in Christmas. I may be sharing these comments from those who responded to my post, in a future post on the topic. We can encourage one another “to love and good works.” Bless you in this new year!
Thank you for linking up with Ask God today.
Thanks for posting great material from bloggers and the opportunity to learn from them and share with others, such as this linking up! Bless you!
I loved this blog-how very true this is about us as believers-our Christmas celebrations can easily look like the world’s Christmas celebrations if we are not intentional! This year we participated in the Angel tree program. This is a program that buys and distributes gifts to the children of those who are incarcerated. What a joy this was to be part of this year! We have always bought gifts for this program but this year we also helped to deliver them. It was a blessing!
Thanks for sharing how you made Christmas about Christ by giving to children who are in need. And delivering the gifts puts a face on the act of giving, both for the giver and the receiver. The Lord continue to bless you!
Thank you for this wonderful post Jacque! Love hearing about your traditions! When the boys were small they used to save their coins all year and we would put them them a box and wrap them up with Christmas wrapping and they would take them to church for their offering. So sweet and special. Have a very wonderful Christmas with your family! xox
Thanks for that unique Christmas present for Jesus idea! Bless you!
Thank you, Naomi, for sharing your Christmases past and present. The advent of Christ certainly calls for a lifestyle change in us to carry out his desires! Your words remind us of the importance of carrying on Christ-filled traditions to “cement” the truth of God in the hearts of the next generations.
This is a thought provoking question. As a child Christmas was about being in Church Christmas Eve being a part of the Christmas Pageant every year that cemented the Christmas Story forever in my heart, it was about singing Christmas Carols and receiving a brown paper bag with ribbon candy, nuts, a orange and apple. After marriage it was all about the gifts and the decorating until I was awakened once more to the Christmas Story of Grace and Forgiveness.
Today Christmas is about sharing His Word in Love, and praying for the mission field the Lord has set before me and thanking Him for the Christmas Story forever cemented in our Hearts Souls and Minds.