Silent Night

"Christmas is coming - it's practically HERE!" - The Grinch

Yes indeed, Christmas is almost here once again. It's cold and snowy here in Greenville and it LOOKS like the perfect holiday scene outside. I'm digging a little "White Christmas" - Chicago version - and planning a couple of holiday gatherings at the Cooper abode this year. I love Christmas and all of the stuff that goes along with the best holiday of the year. From the music to the beautiful decorations, from the cookies with red and green sprinkles to watching "It's A Wonderful Life", it's the time of year that you can dress up and act a little strange and no one really seems to mind all that much. That works well for me - usually I get strange looks for much of what I do, but not at Christmas time! There's a little bit of "happy" in the air and I kinda like it!

But, it's also that time of year when we seem to always be on the run - dashing about town, attending concerts, buying presents, baking sweet treats, sending Christmas cards. The busyness grows as we creep ever closer to the 25th, threatening to overshadow the joy of the season. And for many of us, the idea of "peace on earth" is a concept that is quickly swept away amidst a flurry of lists that need to be made and checked twice and tasks that must be completed before time runs out. A breakneck pace causes many of us to wish out-loud for the 26th to get here as quick as possible. Another Christmas holiday overrun by hype and subsequent disappointment, by a reality that never quite seems to measure up to our expectations of what Christmas should really look like. Christmas gets "lost" - overshadowed by the heavy burden that our commercialized society places on us and the schedule of events that makes many people want to run and hide. How exactly does the "most wonderful time of the year" become so insane for so many of us? Where's the simple joy that Christmas would bring that some of us remember as kids? Where did it go... and more importantly, how can we get it back? Is there a "cure" for the Christmas mess that we create for ourselves each year? How do we go from the dread expressed by the Grinch towards another Whoville celebration to the honest peace that Linus shares with Charlie Brown on that little cartoon stage? There must be a way....

The truth is, Christmas is all about PEACE. A little baby born into extremely poor conditions brings us a gift beyond comparison and our world is changed in a instant on a cold "Silent Night" so many centuries ago. God wanted so badly to be with us, to reconcile us to Himself, to bridge the immense chasm between us formed by our own sin, so He provided His own Son to live among us and experience our world as one of us. Immanuel - God With Us. See, the key is to never forget what this time of year is really about. Christmas can't get "lost" if we choose to embrace it, to cherish it, to hold it close like we would hold on to a little baby (just like the one Mary wrapped up snuggly and presented to a some sheep herders in Bethlehem). This is a conscious choice that we make - will we fall victim to the lie that the holiday season has become for so many of us, or... will we listen to the angel choir that still sings to our hearts even to this day, proclaiming "Don’t be afraid! I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!  And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.” (Luke 2:10b-12, NLT)


The question is... are you still looking for the child? Are you ready to leave the busyness of your "flocks" and travel to where he is? Because Immanuel is waiting. And Christmas is ready to be experienced. Give your heart the gift of peace this year. Come and enjoy a "Silent Night" like no other.

Merry Christmas.