How to Celebrate...December
How to Celebrate … December!
“But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.’”
What a wonderful delight it is to share these thoughts about Christmas with you!
I love traveling down the road of joy with you every day of the year … but especially during this month of unmatched wonder and possibilities.
If you are reading this blog today, then you, like me, are on an earthly quest for timeless joy. We both realize that while there is little we can do to change the events and circumstances of our world, there is much we can do to change our hearts and to transform our thinking.
Joy is the promise of Christmas!
Because of the Baby in the manger … you and I are able to splash in the joy of heaven while living in the constraint of time.
Because of the womb of Mary … and the “Yes!” of Joseph … and the ebullient response of the shepherds … and the gifts of the Magi … and the reverence of Anna and Simone … we, too, have been given the joy of His presence.
My heart is singing with the angels this month … is yours?
Oh … make no mistake about it … my life is far from perfect. I am walking through deep, deep disappointment and even grief this year … but the coos of the Baby who now lives in my heart is miraculously turning my mourning into full blown joy.
You see, dear friend, Christmas does not exclude those who are walking through the pain of earthbound living … but it is especially for those whose hearts have been ravaged, whose lives have been tormented and whose dreams have been dashed.
The joy of Christmas is not held hostage by the cares of this world but it is the oil of heaven given to those in who are wading through anguish.
The joy of Christmas is just the answer for which you have been frantically searching!
So … let’s talk about Christmas … and joy! Let’s carefully unwrap this gift we have been given by the Son of God.
“The beauty of Christmas is not in the presents but in His presence.”
First of all … a little instruction for the month!
When you begin a new Christmas craft whether it is making a wreath … sewing a stocking … or gluing together homemade Christmas cards … don’t you carefully read the instructions first?
When you are determining what holiday treats you will make to share with others … don’t you first pour through the recipes and then make your grocery list?
Joy is so much more important than crafts … decorations … or even treats … so I am going to encourage you to read this Christmas blog just a little at a time and digest it in part so that you can live it in whole.
This month the Christmas blog is filled to overflowing with quotes … scriptures … thoughts …and encouragement.
You can’t digest it all at once so read a little … and then do it! Read a little more … and then put that into practice!
So … take a deep breath … and read on … a little at a time … and then put it away for tomorrow … and the next day … and the next …
“For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His Name will be called
Wonderful,
Counselor,
Mighty God,
Everlasting Father,
Prince of Peace;
Of the increase of His government and peace
there will be no end.”
~ Isaiah 9:6 & 7a
As you all know, music is one of the most beloved parts of Christmas for me! Ever since I was just a tiny girl in the Cherub Choir at church, I have loved singing the melodies and the lyrics of this holy, joyful season.
One of my gifts to you this year is to share with you the links to some of the most astonishing songs of the season. I hope that you will fix yourself a cup of Christmas tea or hot chocolate, snuggle down with a cozy blanket and allow the melodies and the meaning of these anthems to fill your heart and your home with joy inexpressible! And if a song is familiar to you … why don’t you just sing along?!
One of the most astounding aspects of Christmas is that God came to be with us! He gave His very own Son as our brother, our Savior and our Friend. If life has been hard for you this year, you must bask in the message of this song.
I celebrate Christmas loudly! I celebrate it like I mean it! I have recently discovered this multi-talented group of singers, “The Collingsworth Family”. I love them so much that I am going to share with you three of their songs from their recent Christmas CD. Their harmonies are rich and glories … the lyrics meaningful and eternal … and the arrangements are breath-taking! And let me just say … “You’re welcome!”
The first song from this family group is titled, “I Call Him Lord”. They sang it last year at the White House for President and Mrs. Trump!
The second song from the Collingsworth family has secular lyrics but is just a fun celebration of the season … I just couldn’t deny all of you composition and sweet blend of their voices. Listen and smile … and go home for Christmas in your memories.
And finally, from the Collingsworth family, a brand new classic! This song holds a challenge to all of us! Let’s do Christmas like we mean it!
I am sure that you have heard the next song, “Mary Did You Know!” sung by hundreds of artists ~ it has become a modern-day Christmas classic. But no one sings this song like the man who wrote it, Mr. Mark Lowrey.
This next song is rare! Sung by one of my favorite worship leaders, Martha Munizzi, “My Only Wish This Christmas” truly describes my heart for the season of miracles, joy and heaven’s gift!
And finally, this song should be our prayer not just on Christmas Day but on every day of the year, “Be Born In Me!”
“Each of us is an Innkeeper who decides if there is room for Jesus.”
I have an entire bookshelf in my home that is dedicated only to the books of Christmas! This bookshelf, that was my mother’s when she was a little girl, sits in a place of honor in my bedroom so that every day, as I walk by it, I am reminded of the truth and hope of Christmas!
Each yuletide volume, placed lovingly upon this antique shelf, holds a message of Christmas. Oh, I will admit, that some of them are Christmas historical fiction, but even those books have left a deposit of the true meaning of Christmas in my soul.
Have you made room for Christmas in a place of visible prominence in your life? Have you set aside a space that belongs only to the message and to the meaning of this sacred and joyful celebration? Is there a part of you that honors Christmas not just for one month a year but also for the other 11 months?
One of my gifts to you this bright December Day, is to recommend several books that will enrich your reading, devotions and study this year. I hope that you will invest in at least one of these books and spend some time allowing the truth and hope to leap off of the pages and into your heart.
Two From Galilee by Marjorie Holmes ~ This short volume may be the sweetest story of Christmas that I have ever read. I discovered this book during my senior year in college and have read it every year since! It is a fictionalized account of the love story of Mary and Joseph. This book will wrap its words around your heart and you will fin that you are miraculously transported through time to the very world in which Joseph and Mary lived.
In the Manger By Max Lucado ~ This is a thoughtful and well-written devotional for the 25 days leading up to Christmas. I have always loved Max Lucado’s style of writing and he is at his best as he writes of the gladness of the birth of Christ!
A Timeless Christmas: A Collection of Classic Stories and Poems by Louisa May Alcott ~ This book is a treasure chest of the rich array of prose and poetry that have been written about the Christmas season. You will love reading this book every evening during the month of December!
Christmas In My Heart Compiled and Edited by Joe Wheeler – I distinctly remember the delight of reading a story from this wonderful treasury every December evening around the dinner table to my sweet children. Each story is filled with meaning, achingly beautiful language and the heart of Christmas. Be prepared to cry!
Where Treetops Glisten by Tricia Goyer, Cara Putman and Sarah Sundin – When it comes to December, I am a history buff of all things World War II! If you are looking for clean, historical fiction, written by three of the most well-respected authors of the genre, look no further! Each story is one that will pull your heart toward Christmas and toward home.
“He who has no Christmas in his heart will never find Christmas under a tree.”
How do you keep the joy of Christmas during the busiest season of the year? For me, it has always been about setting priorities and making a list. I have found that I must be assertive about holding onto my joy during the month of December. I have established a few disciplines in my life that help me to embrace the heart of Christmas and then to ignore the frustrations that others might experience.
Here is my list ~ I am delighted to share it with you this year!
1
Listen to Christmas music every single day. While I am in the shower, driving, doing the dishes or working at my computer, I have Christmas music playing! And I often sing along! Music cultivates the joy of Christmas!
2
On December 1, I begin to read the Book of Luke. I read a chapter every day during this month and on Christmas Eve, December 24, I have completed the entire Gospel of Luke. Reading through the story of the life of Jesus during the month of His celebrated birth reminds me of Who He is and why He came. It helps me to focus on the total content of His life rather than on just the miracle of His birth. Reading the Bible reminds me of the joy of Christmas!
3
We always plan at least two events during the month of Christmas at which we serve others. Sometimes we go shopping for a family in need, wrap the presents and deliver them in the days before Christmas; other times we might volunteer at a Soup Kitchen or a Homeless Shelter. It really is more blessed to give than to receive. Serving others delivers inestimable joy!
4
I also try to entertain for friends at least two times during this, the twelfth month of the year. Often, I will invite a couple or a family over who has encouraged my family during the year just to say a heartfelt thank you. Other times, I invite a new friend or a recently met family to get to know them better. We play games, eat yummy food and sing around the piano! Gathering with two or three others is the straightest route into His presence … where there is always fullness of joy!
5
Call or write to family friends with whom you have sweet memories. Is your aunt still alive? Give her a call! Send a note to a favorite pastor … reach out to a childhood friend … send a gift card to one of your children’s former teachers. Don’t let the years go by without reaching out to those who have been a loving part of your history. Celebrating those who have been part of your memories is a source of joy!
6
Smile at a stranger every day this month! Speak words of kindness to frazzled mothers in long lines … encourage clerks at department stores … tell postal workers how much you appreciate their service … pay for someone’s coffee in line. Be assertively and proactively cheerful and kind! The encouragement that you give to others will always, always come right back to you!
7.
Strike up conversations while you are doing errands, with your neighbors on the street and with your waiter or waitress in a restaurant. Here are some suggested questions:
What do you love most about Christmas?
What is your favorite childhood memory?
What is your favorite Christmas Carol?
What is the best gift you have ever given?
What is the best gift you have ever received?
You will be surprised at how a warm conversation can usher in a sweet joy even between strangers!
“Let us have music for Christmas … Sound the trumpet of joy and rebirth! Let each of us try, with a song in our hearts, to bring peace to men on earth.”
I hope that perhaps you will wait until Christmas night … or even the day after Christmas to read this section of my Christmas blog written especially for those of you who subscribe to “The JoyLife!”
Perhaps your Christmas tree is now drooping … there might be dishes piled high in your sink … and the kids have all gone home.
Maybe you spent the bulk of Christmas day alone … and now you are contemplating how to transfer the joy that is found on the pages of Scripture into the hollow hallways of your life.
The reality of your post-Christmas life may be the you have a stack of bills staring you in the face … you have gained 10 pounds … and you know that you have, once again, missed the heart of the most wonderful time of the year.
Wherever you find yourself today, these words are for you. They are especially for you … and they come from my heart to yours. Although they are taken from my Christmas devotional, “Let There Be Joy!”, you can be assured that I have prayed over each word, each phrase and each sentence. Found in the following paragraphs are the key to living a life of unspeakable joy every day of the year!
“You may have heard the Christmas story a thousand times, but do you believe it? Have you embraced it as reality and truth? Or have you filed it away under Christmas fantasy along with magical bags of toys and elves? Is Christmas merely as significant to you as snowmen who dance, reindeer who sing and the false promise that all of your Christmases will be white?
The true Christmas story, the one that I have chosen to weave as truth into the fabric of my life is the story of a girl who was ordinary, young and unqualified. God chose to place Himself inside her womb so that you and I could, one day, carry His presence inside of our lives as well.
God, the Father, the Creator of the Universe, the Instigator of everything glorious and miraculous, chose you and I as the vehicle through which our generation would receive its greatest gift. It is our miracle that we have been called to demonstrate Jesus to the world in which we live.
The world will only experience the joy of His birth to the extent that I set aside my grief and pain and then embrace and exhibit His joy. The world will only taste the peace of His coming to the extent that I reveal the authority of His peace. The world will only know the hope of Christmas when I respond to pain and disappointment as an expectant believer not as a disinterested doubter. The world will only see the Light of the world when I allow my life to become a shining beacon to humanity. The world will only hear the song of Christmas when I sing it to the frozen, dark world of my culture.
Christmas was not all about Mary ... or Joseph ... or Elizabeth and Zacharias ... or the shepherds and the Magi. Christmas, in reality, is all about you! It is about you, making yourself available at this time in history to reveal the presence and love of our Savior. You are the joyful gift that today God is choosing to give to your world. Your generation is desperate to know the glory of a Savior. Without you, they may never know His name or the purpose of His coming.
As you now contemplate New Year’s resolutions and plans that will encompass the 365 days to come, will you recommit yourself to be used by God? Will you decide this Christmas day to allow God to use your life as the manger upon which the Savior of the world may be found?
Will you allow the Father to use your life as the womb into which Jesus is delivered to the world? God has planted a seed of Himself in you. Will you respond like Mary with the submissive yet expectant words, “Behold the bondslave of the Lord, be it unto me according to Your Word,”?
Let there be joy! Jesus has been born in you. God is looking for believers who will be bold enough and joyful enough to embrace the miracle of Christmas not just one day a year but every day of every season!”
“Christmas is not a time or a season but a state of mind. To cherish peace and good will, to be plenteous in mercy, is to have the real spirit of Christmas. If we think on these things, there will be born in us a Savior and over us will shine a star sending its gleam of hope to the world.”
A Christmas Prayer
Will you join me in praying this Christmas prayer?
“Lord Jesus, I am truly honored that You chose me to be the carrier of Your joy during my tenure on planet earth. Father, I offer my heart to You today to be used as a vessel of hope, truth and peace to the world in which I live. Just as Mary was chosen as her moment in history, I ask that You will use my life to be the birthplace of Christ. Lord, give me an uncommon joy that lights up the world around me! Let my heart be Your Bethlehem. In the Name of Jesus I Pray, Amen.”