Adore Him!

The Christmas trees are being taken down, the decorations are being carefully packed away, and the gifts are being put to good use.  All of the Christmas cookies have been eaten.  And many people have likely placed their Christmas music in storage until next December.  That is, of course, unless you are like me.  You may still have one of your favorite Christmas CDs in your car, holding on to the Christmas season as long as you possibly can.  In my SUV, that CD is “A Brooklyn Tabernacle Christmas.”

This particular CD reminds me of the wonderful memories I have of sitting in the Brooklyn Tabernacle hearing the angelic voices join together in song to celebrate the Savior’s birth.  Then, I start to recall the overwhelming peace and joy I felt as the congregation sang the words from the beloved carol, “O come let us adore Him, O come let us adore Him, O come let us adore Him, Christ the Lord.”  It was in this moment that I realized once and for all that Christmas is not a season or a holiday.  Christmas is a time to adore Jesus Christ.  Christ is all about adoring Him.

You see, Christmas is not just a day at all.  Christmas is a state of mind.  It’s the way we smile a little bigger, embrace our loved ones harder, and laugh a lot more.  It’s the way we give more, complain less, and maintain a cheerier disposition.  It’s how we sing a little louder and love our family and friends even more.  Ultimately, Christmas is about the moment we realize that Jesus Christ truly is our Lord and Savior, the King of Kings who was born in a manger of hay in a stable.  And Christmas reminds us that He was not only born one Christmas night, but He grew up to be a man.

For the little boy whose birth we celebrate on December 25^th each year is the same One who gave His life on a cross for the sole purpose of washing away our sins.  He suffered and died just so that you and I could have eternal life.  John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”  You may be wondering why God sent His only Son to die on a cross.  The answer is simple.  He wanted to give us the greatest gift that has ever been given.  That’s how much He loves you and me, not just on Christmas, but every day of the year.

While I realize there may not be room in our homes for a Christmas tree all year through, I pray that there is always room in our hearts to remember the most miraculous birth ever recorded in the history of mankind.  I challenge you this year to keep the spirit of Christmas alive in your heart every single day.  Do something nice for someone when they least expect it.  Call someone to let them know you were thinking of them.  Write a note to someone to let them know you are praying for them.  Visit a nursing home, volunteer in a school, or donate to a local charity.  Hug your family and tell them you love them even more.  Do something in the spirit of Christmas every day of the year.  Why?  Just because.

Oh, and about that Christmas CD in your car…keep that there, too.  People always say they adore their kids, their husband, or their wife.  They even adore their house, puppy, kitten, car, motorcycle, smartphone, laptop, sweater, jeans, purse, you name it!  While all of this is well and good, I am sure with all of this adoration being spread around that no one will look at you funny if you listen to a song adoring Him, even in the month of January.  So, please join me in raising our voices in unison as we maintain a Christmas state of mind all year through!  “O, come let us adore Him!”

In Christ’s Love,

Jennifer

The Perfect Christmas

Are you searching for the perfect Christmas?  Do you worry over whether or not you will finish your shopping on time?  Perhaps you want every cookie to look like they came off of the cover of a magazine.  Or maybe you are concerned over how your relatives will get along at the annual Christmas gathering this year.  While we would all like to piece together the perfect Christmas, we need to realize that Christmas doesn’t have to be perfect.  In fact, the one and only perfect Christmas many years ago was still far from perfect.
 

On December 9, I had the privilege of attending church at the Brooklyn Tabernacle in Brooklyn, New York.  The Christmas program, “Christmas Once Again,” was the best Christmas program I have ever seen in my life.  The music reached down into the depths of my soul.  The lyrics spoke to the innermost part of my heart.  The anointing of the Holy Spirit overwhelmed me completely, causing tears of joy to stream down my face.  Every word spoken, every note sung, and every move made ministered to my heart and soul in such a special way.  It was one of those days I will remember for the rest of my life.

While the vocalists, musicians, dramatic team, and others involved gave a superb performance, it wasn’t about the technical execution of the program.  For me, it was about the message being conveyed through the excellent presentation.  Songs such as “His Love Is All I See” and “Would It Still Be Christmas?” captured my full attention, tugging at my heartstrings, reminding me once again what the Christmas season is all about.  I’ve loved Jesus Christ with all of my heart ever since I was a little girl, but after this experience, I’d have to say I left there loving Christmas more, loving life more, and loving Jesus more.

The dramatic segment began with a father who was dreaming of the perfect Christmas.  He expected his family to epitomize perfection.  He wanted Christmas to be a certain way and fantasized about a family straight from the television classics in which the mother wears pearls in the kitchen and the children take etiquette to the extreme.  All too soon, he wakes up, realizing that his family is far from picture-perfect.  His wife is frazzled over dinner preparations, his children have their own ideas of the way things should be, and their relatives are eccentric to say the least.  Everything seems to go wrong and one by one, their guests leave.  His children storm out of the room.  His wife explains to him that Christmas doesn’t have to be perfect because the first Christmas wasn’t perfect either.

You see, the very first Christmas was far from perfect.  Jesus Christ, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, was born in a stable.  There wasn’t even any room in the inn.  Jesus wasn’t laid in a crib in a hospital.  He was laid in a manger of hay.  There were not thousands of people there to witness this grandiose event.  No paparazzi or news reporters were there to cover this significant moment in history.  Instead, a few Wise Men and some shepherds were the only ones who came to congratulate the new parents.  But with all of its imperfections, this first Christmas was absolutely perfect.  Why?  Because this single night literally changed the world.

This Christmas, don’t dwell on trying to create the perfect Christmas.  Instead, ask God to give you a blessed Christmas.  It doesn’t matter if you wrap gifts the night before Christmas, or if the cookies get a little too brown on the bottom.  And no one will know if you made the whole meal from scratch or took a few shortcuts here and there.  What really matters is whether or not you and your family spend time together and whether or not you take time to celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  With Jesus Christ at the center of your Christmas, your Christmas will be truly perfect.

In Christ’s Love,

Jennifer