Jesus is the Life of the Party
It’s very different for us this year. What a surprise, after a year and half endeavoring to sell their home, my Frisco children’s home sold right here at Christmas and the buyer needed to close and move in by December 28th. That meant the hustle would be on to first, my children finding their next home, and then get them packed up.
Christmas miracles have come about, left and right, that assure us – God really is with us — Emmanuel, and His ways are so much higher than ours. We see it now as the perfect time — right here at Christmas! Payton, their 19-year-old son seized this opportunity to “strike while the iron was hot” and lay claim to so many home furnishings that were going to be sold or given away. It was the perfect time to find an apartment in downtown Dallas where he works. On Saturday, they moved him to his new digs – almost fully furnished!
I loved my daughter’s “take” on this timing – right here at Christmas. She thought about Mary and Joseph being “on-the-move” to Bethlehem and needing a place to stay. For them – it really was ALL about Jesus, the Son of God, being born. And, so it should be for us. In years past, my Christmas traditions were such a big deal to me – every bedroom decorated with a lit tree, the inside and outside of the house looked like a Christmas store. I made dozens of cookies and candies to share with family and friends. I handwrote and mailed a flood of Christmas cards bearing my family’s picture. I spent hours shopping for the just right gifts. Despite my best intentions to make Christ the center of our Christmas, hyper mode was my center for years.
As we took our Sabbath seriously yesterday and embraced the 4th Sunday of Advent, we came back to the “principle thing”! Personally, I recalibrated my thinking to God’s way of thinking which is the celebration of His Son. If I let myself think it’s about me, I’d be in a tizzy that my Christmas traditions weren’t being kept. Here’s the deal – our lives, this season, our wants, our desires should be wrapped around THE ONE Who we celebrate. I’m determining in the midst of this “moving” marathon, to still keep my focus on Jesus’ birthday. As I packed up a beautiful Holy Family figurine set yesterday, I realized that figurine didn’t mean I was putting away Jesus. It was just a figurine. It’s ALL about the LIFE and Star of the Christmas Story, Mary’s baby boy, Who grew up to be our great I AM. “I AM” is our protector, our healer, our strength, our joy giver, our way-maker, truth-finder and our peace-provider.
If you’ve been like me — whether in an utter frenzy-mode to this point, or in a little whiny mode about the changes in your life and even disappointments about things being different than they once were, since it’s His birthday, then we need to LET IT GO! (Thanks, Frozen!) We get to show up and celebrate Him. No matter how we decorate the house for His party or undecorate the house because we’re moving, it is still ALL ABOUT HIM Who is ALWAYS the LIFE of the party. And He has come to give life to all the people at the party. And, when we lean in even closer, we’ll find that the LIFE of the party holds out Himself as the gift that keeps on giving. And the gift tag? It has our names on it. Oh, what a relief it is!
“I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”
— Jesus (John 10:10)