Don't Miss Christmas

Don’t Miss Christmas

By Pastor Garrick Pang

You might be thinking, how can I miss Christmas? After all, its the biggest holiday of the year. Once upon a time, retailers started advertising for Christmas after Thanksgiving. Then it was a few weeks before Thanksgiving so we could get a jump on the shopping. Now it seems that we start seeing ads and displays in stores starting in July!

So, you ask, can we miss Christmas? While it may be tough to miss the day itself, it is very possible that we miss out on the meaning and significance of Christmas. After all, what is Christmas? Is it just yet another “holiday” where we get a day off work? Is it a time when we get to give and receive gifts? Is it a time where we O.D. on Christmas carols and songs on the radio, elevators and grocery stores? Is it a time when we go to parties & celebrations so that every week of the month is jam packed with activities? Is it the time where we wait in line for hours to have our children all upset when it comes time to sit on Santa’s lap for a photo? While it may be all these things, Christmas (the true Christmas) can get lost in the midst of all the hustle and bustle of the “activities” of Christmas so that we miss what Christmas is really all about.

So am I suggesting that we do away with all these other activities? I don’t think we need to do that, but perhaps we need to spend some time re-focusing our Christmas this year. When Jesus said, “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matthew 6:33), He was encouraging us not to get caught up chasing after the things that will not last. What you eat, what you drink, what you wear. And yet ironically, this seems to be most of our focus during Christmastime!

But Jesus is NOT a party pooper (remember his first miracle – it was a wedding feast where he turned water into wine!) – on the contrary, Jesus loves a great party – but He doesn’t want the party to be focused on the wrong things. Seek first His kingdom, and the rest of the “stuff” gains perspective. We don’t have to flush away all the rest of the celebrations of the season (although there are some things that we perhaps should consider doing without – I’ll let you decided what those things are), we need simply to get perspective.

Perhaps the best message from our culture on what Christmas is really all about can be found on the children’s cartoon, Charlie Brown Christmas (which will be aired on ABC at 8:00 PM (7 Central) on Tuesday, December 8th and 15th), where Linus quotes from Luke 2:8-14 in response to Charlie Brown’s exclamation, “ISN’T THERE ANYONE WHO KNOWS WHAT CHRISTMAS IS ALL ABOUT!!??”

My hope and prayer for you and your family is that you will not miss Christmas this year and that you will find its true meaning in the person of Jesus Christ.

Peace,

Garrick

Garrick is the Interim Senior Pastor of Delta Community Baptist Church in Everett, Washington