Christmas Devotions: Beast of a Feast

Hebrews 7:25 Therefore He is able to save completely those who come to God through Him, because He always lives to intercede for them.

Sometimes, in the midst of all the pressure that we put ourselves under, we set aside the reason for the season and get caught up with the beast of the Feast. It’s nice to buy things for the people that we love (and it helps the economy), but if we become obsessed about how we are dressed, or over-wrought with what we’ve bought, we’ve missed the heart from the very start, and made a mess of Christmas.

You see Christmas is not about what we’ve given, but of what we are forgiven. We look for happiness and joy in all the wrong places; we seek contentment and satisfaction in things that we will eventually throw away. We go on a Yuletide mission to stay happy and be glad, even when our hearts are breaking, and the demands that we place upon ourselves, and those around us, have the potential to demonize our spirits.

Christmas is meant to be kept simply in our hearts. I guess if God wanted it to be a time of partying, there would have been room at the inn. Reveling is different from rejoicing. Feasting is not the same as worshiping. The tinsel and the glitter, the toys and the garlands are all decorations of our own making. We will take them down and put them past in a few days; this Christmas will be over, but will we have missed the Christ?

Jesus will still be working and interceding for us in heaven. We depend upon Him each day to restore us to God. We could celebrate a million Christmases, shop in a billion stores, and give away a zillion gifts, but none of it would matter in eternal terms. If we do not come to God through Jesus, we cannot be completely saved. If we fail to give our hearts and lives to Him, Christ cannot intercede on our behalf.

So let’s all make and take time to set Christmas aside and bring Christ to the front. Remember, it’s not about what we’re giving or getting, it’s about not forgetting what Christ is constantly forgiving.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, we seek to meet You tomorrow as a Star Child, who is rocked gently to sleep in a young mother’s arms, in the midst of a stable. We paint a Christmas card picture of the First Christmas in our hearts and minds, falsely believing that this is all You require of us. Turn us away from the quaint customs of Christmas and lead us toward You as our Christ. In Your Holy Name, we humbly pray. Amen.