When they (the Magi) saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. Matthew 2:10-11 NIV
Comment
Do you ever feel Christmas is upside-down? A season which should be full of joy and peace and thoughts of the coming Messiah, turns into a mad scrum of stress and clutter and thoughts of getting more stuff. Here are a few suggestions for a right-side-up Christmas:
- Take all proposed activities and divide by three. Keep one third and give gracious apologies for the rest.
- Persuade the adults on your list that this is ‘home-made year’ – jams or a crafty wotsit (whether or not made by you), a used book purchased with lots of thought at a charity shop. Try to limit the craziness on gifts for the kids.
- Mute the telly for each and every advert (after you’ve seen it once, you’ve seen it).
- Set aside one evening or mealtime during which your family can ponder and celebrate the wonder of what the season is really about.
- Sit in a quiet place for five minutes each day (even if it’s the loo, with kids wailing outside the door), and thank Jesus for Christmas. Thank him that he left his grand heavenly home to come down to our grubby, sin-filled world and love it. Die for it. And that most wonderful of all, he’s still here.
What ideas do you have for turning Christmas the right way up in your home?
Prayer (as a couple)
Dear Lord Jesus, we are so grateful that you left Heaven and entered our world. Help us to celebrate your birth and glorify you in our thoughts and actions over the Christmas season.
Prayer (for others)
We pray for our family members who don’t know you yet. May they see something in the way we do Christmas that will spark their interest in you.
Quote
‘O come let us adore him, Christ the Lord.’
