Friday, Dec 3, 2021
“Chasing the Christmas Spirit (With Baggage)!”
A year ago, I moved to a new home. My new employment provided almost everything I needed, and after 30 years of accumulating stuff that “I had to have”, I needed to decide what was essential and which stuff could go elsewhere. The quantity of nonessential material goods that I owned was mind-boggling. I disposed of nearly everything. Then, upon my arrival at my new home, I felt “naked” because I owned almost nothing. On the contrary, I already owned plenty of things that were far more valuable than all that junk I had spent my whole life accumulating. Indeed, just as promised, God had already provided what was most important (faith, family, health, education, experience, food, shelter, and the list continues…).
As this Christmas season begins, I find myself asking several questions:
1. What ‘Must I Have’ this year to catch the Christmas Spirit?
2. Do I really need (enter a favorite gift / tradition / food / drink here)?
3. Do I need God to (enter a specific task for God here) for me to experience the true Christmas Spirit?
4. Can I be satisfied this Christmas with (enter some blessings here)?
Advent is a season of four weeks of preparation for Christmas. Typically, I don’t think of Advent as a season of sacrifice. I’m normally anticipating the enjoyment of Christmas, with sacrifices delayed a few months until Lent arrives to prepare me for Easter. However, last year I learned that making some sacrifices during Advent can really pay big dividends (Not in the way that I expected!).
As we journey into the first weekend of Christmas and attend the first round of Holiday parties (and feel the hangovers that follow), I’m going to try and remember that chasing the Christmas Spirit is about as productive as chasing the wind. Instead, maybe I should consider shedding a little Christmas Baggage first. Then, when I finally encounter the Spirit of Christmas, I’ll be able to hold on with both arms.
“Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself to have attained this. Instead, I am single-minded: Forgetting the things that are behind and reaching out for the things that are ahead, with this goal in mind, I strive toward the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:13-14, NET).