When Christmas Isn't a Letdown

Reading the Christmas story.

Unwrapping presents.

Breakfast and laughter with dear friends. Toddler squeals and little boy hugs.

An afternoon cuddled under quilts, the love poured into each hand stitch warming us through.

A quiet, candlelight dinner and the final Advent reading.

Christmas carols played by hesitant fingers reaching for the right keys and stumbling over a few notes. Voices raised in praise anyway. Joy to the World!

Soft white flakes falling to the ground, bringing an answer to the prayer I've whispered every year since childhood. Finally, a white Christmas.

And for the first time in so many years I've lost count, there was no This is it? or I can't believe it's over stirring in my heart. I wasn't tempted to think about the hours I'd spent working, only to see the fruit of my labors consumed within mere minutes.

A short gift list saved me from hours of shopping.

A short grocery list saved me from hours of baking.

A short activity list saved me from hours away from home and family.

Instead of preparing for the holiday, preparing for His coming. Not anticipating a perfect Christmas, but a perfect Christ. Longing more to light that final candle than to unwrap any gift under the tree.

When the expectation of Christmas is Christ Himself, there are no disappointments and no letdowns. 

There is no guilt for not finding the perfect gift, because we know it's already been given and there's no way to top it.

There is no shame in not filling the kitchen with food that spoils, because we know the Bread of Life sustains us.

There is no remorse in skipping parties and productions, because we know a lowly manger hosted the greatest celebration the world has ever known.

There is only joy because even though Christmas Day is done, we know the Christmas Child still reigns.

The Advent Altar - Part IV

(Read why we have an Advent altar here. This is the final post in a series on how we put our altar together. You can also read Part I, Part II, & Part III.)

The Family completes our Advent Altar. Joseph, man of honor and strength, who agreed to raise a child not of his flesh. Mary, girl of faith and deep thoughts, who subjected her reputation and her life to God's plan. And Jesus, the baby who created the couple who would raise him from infancy. God bound by flesh and time. A miracle our human minds will never fully understand.

The other nativities around our home are complete with shepherds and wisemen, stable animals and angels. This one alone is the family of three, sitting quietly on the altar where our family of three gathers each evening to prepare our hearts for the Coming One.

May you be filled with Hope this Christmas, as you prepare for His coming.

 
Because of Jesus,
Melissa

The Advent Altar - Part III

(Read why we have an Advent altar here. This is the 3rd post in a series on how we put our altar together. You can also read Part I & Part II)

We continue to prepare for His arrival. Each night after we read, we count.  Down, not up. It increases the anticipation.  The numbers wait, nestled alongside tacks that bring to mind the nails used to pierce His skin. The stack gets shorter each night.  We are filled with eagerness to get to the card that proclaims, "He is Born!"

Already I know next year will look different. Behind each number is a picture from Ann's Jesse Tree Devotional.  Next December, we will line all the numbers on the board and turn them over each day as we read the devotions. But this year, as we learn to find Him in our traditions, the numbers are enough.

They point to the promise. Not of the night a man in a red suit comes down the chimney, but of the night God, wrapped in human flesh, came down to earth.

This Christmas message is that there is hope for a ruined humanity - hope of pardon, hope of peace with God, hope of glory - because at the Father's will Jesus Christ became poor and was born in a stable so that thirty years later he might hang on a cross. It is the most wonderful message that the world has ever heard, or will hear.

-J.I. Packer, Knowing God excerpted in

Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus: Experiencing the Peace and Promise of Christmas.

The Advent Altar - Part II

(Read why we have an Advent altar here.  This is the 2nd post in a series on how we put our altar together. Part I can be found here) 

Before lighting the candle in our wreath each night, we read from the Word and from our Advent resource. This year we're learning to look for Jesus in The Adventure of Christmas: Helping Children Find Jesus in Our Holiday Traditions. We are able to see Him everywhere.

In the Christmas tree, standing tall to point to Heaven, arms outstretched like His were on the day He was crucified.

In the lights that mimic starlight falling on trees.  Heavenly winks from our Creator.

In the ornaments, the fruit of the tree in the garden.  The one that tempted Eve and ushered sin into the world.  The one that represents our need for Christ.

This is why we celebrate Him.

The enemy has tried to capture these holy items, to desecrate them.  He's tried to hide Jesus. We have let him.  When we participate in Christmas traditions without seeking their true meaning, without searching out Christ, we are no different than those who want to keep Him hidden. When we share in the worldly holiday, we miss Christmas. 

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!"

- Luke 2:13-14 (ESV)

May we proclaim His glory in each of our traditions this Advent season.

The Advent Altar - Part I

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How do you build an altar for a set apart season?

First, the wreath itself.

Nothing fancy, just an evergreen wreath with some plastic berries and silver ribbon.  Our candles aren't the traditional Advent colors.  The composition itself isn't what matters.  It's the soothing ritual, the hushed voices as we gather around the light, waiting for the Light.

In a season that the enemy tries to overcome with busyness and chaos, we take time to be intentional. To quiet our souls.  To remind ourselves what we're about to celebrate.

We must both read and meditate upon the nativity.  If the meditation does not reach the heart, we shall sense no sweetness, nor shall we know what solace for humankind lies in this contemplation.  The heart will not laugh nor be merry.  As spray does not touch the deep, so mere meditation will not quiet the heart.  There is such richness and goodness in this nativity that if we should see and deeply understand, we should be dissolved in perpetual joy. - Martin Luther, excerpted from Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus: Experiencing the Peace and Promise of Christmas (emphasis mine)

Finding What Matters in Christmas

Even with its candle glowing, the Advent altar looked bare. A new Nativity scene, perhaps? After all, what's Christmas without the baby?

I looked in several stores, finding nothing that fit. Then I remembered my girl's childhood set, given by a friend. It would be just right there.

Can we move it to the altar?

But it's mine. I want it in my room.

And how can a mother argue with that?

I remembered a set in the attic, a small one I don't use anymore. I offered that to her. Once again, I was content to offer my leftovers to this sweet child.  She reluctantly agreed.

When I went to find it, I found another I'd forgotten about. It fit perfectly.

I'm ashamed that I had casually tossed the Holy Family in with other Christmas decorations I no longer use...and there are many. I've tried numerous ways to deck our halls over the years, wanting to find the perfect combination befitting a magazine cover. I ran myself ragged, only to find that shiny baubles and figurines left me empty. Their shouts of look at me!, much too loud, drowned out the quiet of the manger.

This season is different.

Yes, there are still a few shiny baubles tucked among a small number of Santa Clauses from my youth.  There are sappy holiday movies. There will be Christmas cookies, parties, and gifts.

But in the hushed glow of the Christmas tree

I gaze at the past - treasured decorations from my own childhood that bring to mind Christmases gone by.

I see the fiery love that has spanned nearly two decades - beautiful ornaments and trinkets given by my love.

I hear the quiet of the Heavenly hosts holding their breath in anticipation of God becoming man.

I feel the lump in my throat, as I swallow hard & resolve to no longer mar Christmas with my own self-indulgence.

I hear the beat of my own heart as I prepare Him room and wait expectantly for His arrival.

A Season Set Apart

Her head is bent, face hidden behind a curtain of curls. She stumbles over words, tough ones like Ephrathah. Yet she continues reading the Word of The One who will come. Then she reads about a Christmas tradition. We are reminded that we can find Christ in our celebration. He is everywhere, hidden beneath the boxes and bows, ornaments and obligations, food and festivities.  And I wonder if He willingly humbled Himself to this as He did to the manger and the cross.

She lights the first candle and my heart is set afire with hope. Hope that this season will be different. That we will look for Him more earnestly. That we will no longer relegate Him to the background, but celebrate Him more fully.

The candle burns brightly in the corner of our kitchen. It illuminates the Word and this year's Advent resource.  An ordinary kitchen table has been set apart for this season, an altar for the three of us to gather round each night in the dark quiet and prepare for the birth of our Immanuel.

How are you preparing for Him this season?  Leave a comment here to share, and visit Ann and Christmas Change (both must reads) to see how others are practicing Christmas.