Christmas is just 27 days away when we celebrate the birth of our Lord, Jesus Christ. But these days, the Christmas season seems to run from October to Christmas Day as each shop vies for position with the seasonal publicity. The sight of baubels as you come back from a late summer break is depressing, not because it reminds us of our Saviour, but because retailers see it as an early opportunity to make money.
I struggle in my own household to postpone the Christmas decorations until mid-December, and each year there is pressure to get the tree up and the tinsel out as soon as the Advent calendars are put up.
The season of Advent is a time of preparation for the coming of Jesus Christ, and rather than focusing on this, we all seem to be busy with preparing for the big family meal of the year, worrying over what socks to buy Uncle George, or whether buying Boots vouchers for your favourite niece smacks of a lack of thought; did I order the right size turkey? And of course, don't answer the door to the Carol Singers as I don't have any change. All these things distracts us from the object of our celebration - the coming of our Saviour!
The fact that "... God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16 NIV), should make us all stop and think that the greatest gift this Christmas is what God gives us - eternal life through His Son, Jesus Christ.
Well, I am off to update last year's Christmas card list and make sure my overseas cards get off in time. I'll do the present shopping on Christmas Eve!!!
Pastor Pete
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