Are You Ready for Christmas?

This morning, just before the service, I spent a few minutes chatting with my pastor.  The topic came up:  ”Are you ready for Christmas?”  I responded that I’m almost ready for Christmas, as I only have one gift left to purchase…and that my wife and I have actually been getting gifts all through the year instead of doing the last minute panic thing.

A little while later, after sitting down in the service and singing some worship songs, our pastor started to give his message.  As he spoke, I started to reflect on our previous conversation

The Scripture passage for his message came from Luke 2:18-20.  From this passage, he gave us four main points:

1. Jesus is Good News:  ”…And the angel said to them, ‘Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news’…” (verse 10)
2. Jesus is Great Joy: “…’of great joy that will be for all the people.’…” (verse 10)
3. Jesus is the Savior: “…’For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior,’…” (verse 11)
4. Jesus is Lord: “…’who is Christ the Lord.’…” (verse 12)

(podcast of his message available here)

As I listened to his message and reflected on our earlier conversation, I couldn’t help but wonder:  ”Did I miss the point?” Somewhere around 2000 years ago, God became man and dwelt among us.  Without this intervention in human history, we would be cut off from fellowship with God.  We would stand condemned in our sins.  We would be without hope of salvation.  When Jesus came, that all changed.  If we allow him to be our Lord and Savior, then his birth is good news indeed!  What could cause us greater joy than to know that we are not separated from God?  That we have hope?

Here I had been saying that I was ready for Christmas because I was almost done buying gifts??  This morning I was reminded that we might have bought every gift imaginable, and we could still be utterly unprepared for Christmas.  Christmas is about a gift…but not the gifts that we give or get.  It is about the gift of Jesus.  It is about being his followers and doing his will.

Revisiting that conversation, I have to ask myself again:  ”Am I truly ready for Christmas?”

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