Podcast Episode 127 - How to enjoy this Christmas season–again
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Do you ever get tired of the holiday season?
Have you ever felt like God was distant? Even during this Christmas time when you think you should be closest to God, right?!
Do you feel like all the to-do's of Christmas are weighing you down? Shopping, cooking, errands, parties, plays, etc.
Today is for you if:
If you're ready to get the joy of the season back.
If you desire to grow closer to God.
If you need a new perspective on this Christmas time.
I was watching Garfield Christmas with my kids the other day…one of my absolute favorite Christmas classics from the 80s. The first scene is about John giving Garfield a machine that gives you whatever you can think of, and Garfield can think of a lot! The gift that "keeps on giving."
He shouts, "Christmas means presents, lots and lots of presents."
My kids chime in and say that's not what Christmas is all about. It's about Jesus. It's His birthday.
We can get so caught up in all that we need to do for Christmas to make it special we miss out on the true meaning of it all.
Now there's a word we hear in Christian circles at Christmas time: Advent. Advent means in Latin "to come to."
Advent is God coming to us.
He came to us when He walked with Adam and Evan in the garden in the cool of the day.
He came to us many times in the Old Testament with people like Enoch, Moses, Joshua, Daniel and the prophets.
But Christmas is God coming to us permanently.
Matthew 1:23 NKJV
"Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel," which is translated, "God with us."
How do we get our Christmas joy back?
1. Where are you focusing?
Are you focusing on all the to-do's, the tasks, the food or the presents?
Or are you focusing on God with us?
There was one year I only had $5 to spend on presents. But, even in that, we still enjoyed our Christmas together because it was about God with us and not our circumstances.
Christmas is about remembering God with us. That's how we get our joy back.
2. Spend time with God
It's easy for me to get caught up in all I need to do and skip my time with God in the morning.
I just did that over Thanksgiving when my little brother came into town. I not only get tired and more irritable without my time with God, but I'm also missing out on His presence which fills me and brings me joy.
Spend time with the one who came to be with us. Focus on Who matters most. It's about God with us.
And it's not just about God with us during Christmas time… it's God with us all year long. That's where our joy comes from.
Nehemiah 8:10b NIV
For the joy of the Lord is your strength!
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