By Barbara Rainey
First posted on EverThineHome.com
Have you been tempted to lose the celebration of Christ’s birth in a swirl of fairy tales and merchandising? Have you trivialized the stunning miracle of God becoming human with toys, tinsel, and shopping trips in a frenzy of preparation for Christmas morning?
You might have started strong with weekly Advent readings with your family, but the tradition and dedication faded as the to-do lists got longer and the days shorter. You are not alone.
We’ve all been there … We get so focused on spreading clean sheets on guest beds, or taping glittered paper edges just right to hide the gift, or getting those first pies in the oven, that we lose sight of the real Christmas.
You haven’t failed.
Here’s an easy, 10-minute idea for Christmas morning. You can still make Christmas memorable and about Jesus.
Gather around the tree as usual. But before the kids tear into the carefully-taped paper, start with the most important gift. Designate a gift drop spot for Jesus.
Guide your family in first honoring Jesus for His willingness to come to earth. Remind them that He came to earth knowing His destiny was a cruel, brutal death.
Read the story in Luke 2:1-21 or Matthew 2:1-12. Point out that those who first worshiped Christ came to Him in faith before He had accomplished anything on earth. It was not because of the miracles He was yet to perform, or any gifts He might give. They simply worshiped Him because He had come, as promised. He was the long-awaited Messiah.
God desires that, like the magi and shepherds, we bow before Him and surrender our hearts and our lives to Him. Explain to your family that Jesus wants us for Christmas!
Encourage everyone gathered this Christmas morning to again give their hearts to Jesus. Have strips of paper ready for anyone who’d like to write or draw a gift to Jesus. Allow time for them to drop the paper gift in Jesus’ spot.
Save all these letters, notes, and gifts to Jesus as a valuable record of the growing faith in the hearts of each family member. The toys and trinkets will fade but hearts given to Him grow in value to become as Peter said, “more precious than gold” (1 Peter 1:7).
We hope you and your family have a wonderful and memorable Christmas!
If you enjoyed this post by Barbara, check out some additional posts about the true purpose of Christmas:
My Heart, Ever His: Prayers for Women (NEW from Barbara Rainey)
As we search for meaning in our world of shallow online relationships and glamorized selfies, many are returning to traditional and liturgical churches. The repeated words, benedictions, and historic hymns connect us to saints who have gone before, giving us a sense of belonging, richness, and transcendence. Written prayers, once cast off as archaic, are now welcomed as guides to tune our hearts to the heart of God.
In My Heart, Ever His Barbara Rainey shares 40 prayers for women. Readers can read and meditate on one prayer throughout the week or read a prayer a day for 40 days as a way to express the longing of our hearts to our Father who loves us even as he sees who we truly are. Like the psalms of David, these prayers are honest, sometimes raw. Barbara uses these transparent expressions of common female experiences to encourage us to surrender to Christ and help us see God as he is, not as we assume him to be. My Heart, Ever His provides a stepping-stone to help you become more transparent with God and discover his welcoming embrace.
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