The months of November and December provide an array of opportunities for special worship and fellowship experiences. It can be a very busy and exhausting time for many people as they contend with numerous gatherings and as they sometimes spend excessive amounts of money on purchasing gifts for family and friends. Some people can handle all the business and rush of the season while others can become physically, mentally, and spiritually exhausted. Let me take this opportunity to offer a few suggestions for your consideration as the very busy holiday season comes upon us during November and December.
First, let me suggest that our priority in approaching the “holidays” should be to give honor and praise to God for all that He has done for us in 2022 and in the past. It should be a time to inventory our blessings and to prayerfully consider the many ways we are truly blessed. The expression of thanksgiving should be manifested in our “thanksliving” in all areas of our lives. We should reflect our gratitude to God not just in words and phrases, but also in how we live our lives. Are we living lives of gratitude by serving others and giving of ourselves in Christian servant leadership?
Second, we should make certain that we take adequate time to spend with our families and perhaps a very few close friends. Many of have evaluated our holidays – especially going into December as Christmas approaches – by how many parties, meals, and gatherings we are part of during the two or three weeks leading up to Christmas. Of course, we should participate in a couple of these type gatherings, but perhaps we need to be more selective and make every effort to maximize our time with our families including our church families. When you become exhausted and frustrated and “too busy,” you really don’t have enough energy left to truly enjoy and be renewed by the “holiday spirit.”
Third, I strongly recommend careful planning and budgeting when it comes to the purchase of gifts for our families and our closest friends. It is certainly fun to see our children, especially when they are young, “open” their gifts or to see their reactions of joy and excitement on their faces when they first discover what is “under the Christmas tree” on Christmas morning. It really will not hurt your child, or grandchild, if he or she doesn’t receive everything on their Christmas list. There are many people for whom it is very difficult to find something they really need. And the greatest gift you can give them, again, is your time, attention, and love. I strongly urge people to not run up large charges on their credit cards in amounts that will require you to spend the next several months to a year to pay them off – or to have to go to the bank and take out a loan in order to cover Christmas expenses – or to buy a number of items that will require you to make multiple monthly payments over the coming year with exorbitant interest rates attached.
Four, a practice that Cathy and I have adopted, several years ago, is to donate to a Christian cause in honor of each member of our family, including our children and their spouses, and our grandchildren (and spouses of those married). We generally choose a Christian ministry organization where examples of the use of each donation can be provided to the recipient so that the family member understands where the donation has gone and what it is being used for. Each family member receives an envelope and card that shares with them what the donation in their honor has gone to support – and individually gets a picture that illustrates the use of the donation. Before any material gifts can be opened, we go around the room, beginning with the youngest to the oldest, and everyone opens the envelope and then shares what their donation will support. We have a brief discussion of the importance of giving – giving gifts to others and serving others in the name of the Christ of Christmas. Our goal is to help them understand the importance of the spirit of Christian giving and to illustrate that wee must be attentive to the needs of “the least of these.”
Five, all of us should take the opportunity during the holidays to reflect upon the meaning and application of the great gift of all time – the gift of God’s “only begotten Son” Jesus Christ, how he became the “God Man” in Bethlehem more than 2,000 years ago, how he ministered and taught for a little over three years before he gave his life on Calvary for the redemption of our sin, how he was resurrected on the third day and appeared to many people over a period of weeks, how he ascended into heaven and sits at “the right hand of God the Father” and intercedes for us, and how he will return some day for his church! Are you prepared for his second Advent? If not, we encourage you to receive him as Savior and Lord of your life. That would be the greatest and most important thing you could ever do “during the holidays.”