Are You Ready For Christmas?

Are you ready? We hear that question a lot at this time of year. Are you ready for Christmas? And that usually means "have you finished your Christmas shopping?" Or "are all your decorations up?" Or "have you finished the cookie baking?" Or.......you can fill in the blank.

The question reminds me of a sermon I heard a few years ago on this topic. In fact, I think the pastor may have titled his sermon "Are You Ready for Christmas?" But what he was talking about had nothing to do with decorations or shopping or cookie baking!

His point, and one I think we would all do well to remember, is that being "ready" for Christmas has very little to do with shopping or cookies or trees. It has everything to do with Jesus. And with a right relationship with Him. Being ready for Christmas is about focus......about remembering why we are doing this in the first place.....about celebrating Jesus!

Stop for a moment and think about how you celebrate Christmas. What are your Christmas traditions? What events or activities or foods or traditions are part of your celebration? What are the “always” parts of your Christmas? In other words, if you were asked about your Christmas traditions, what would you say is always part of your celebration?

What would you say is the most important thing about Christmas for you?

We spend a lot of time and energy and money each year on decorating and gift giving and baking. We spend a lot of time thinking about those are special to us, and about what gift we can give to show just how much we love them.

Should we not also do the same thing for Jesus? It’s His Birthday we are celebrating! We hear so often that Jesus is the reason for the season. If that’s true, and it is, then what are we doing intentionally to focus our attention on the Christmas season.

When we redirect our energies away from the hustle and bustle, and focus on Jesus, on who He is and why He came, then we will be ready for Christmas!

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory.” (John 1:14 KJV)

*adapted from Are You Ready for Christmas: a December Devotional” by Susan Feaster, pub. 2016, available on Amazon