Thanksgiving is behind, and it is full speed ahead to Christmas. It will look different this year, but Christmas will still be celebrated and honored.
We have just had our first advent Sunday. Advent is the four Sundays before Christmas and helps us prepare spiritually for the birth of Christ.
For some it is a time of decorating, for others it is getting the baked goods ready for the family. Regardless, it is a time of preparation.
For me, this advent season will be a time of reflection and meditation. This may be a disguised blessing given to us through COVID. I think we need to stop and consider what the ramifications of Christmas truly are.
I wonder have we turned Christmas into a holiday entitlement program? Do we expect certain things out of the season, much like a lord of the manor expects certain duties from the butler? Are we so focused on the wants of Christmas that we completely ignore the need of Christmas?
You are probably saying, “OK, Kent, now you have flipped your lid.”
But, I wrestle with all the special sentiment of the holiday. We tell kids to be good because the “Elf on the Shelf” will tell Santa. We go out of our way to help the needy only during this season. We spend time making sure the right gift is given and the right food is served. Our expectations rule this holiday.
But, what of God’s expectations?
We tend to ignore those expectations during the entire year and especially at Christmas. We forget that Christ came to Earth not because we wanted him, but because we needed him.
You see, the alternative to Christ is death. We all sin, and we all fall short of the glory of God, (see Romans 3:23). We did not deserve Christ nor were we entitled to Christ; we needed Christ.
So, what is it that God wants?
Psalm 51 answers that, “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise (verse 17).”
God wants us; he wants the broken, the hurt, the sinful, that is right, us.
Look, I am not trying to be a downer here, I enjoy Christmas as much as anyone. However, these times have gotten me to thinking, and I cannot help but think that we need to rethink Christmas. I think it is time to stop disappointing God and start realizing what he did on that night so long ago.
It was God who took the initiative to save humanity, not us. It was God who offered salvation through his only begotten son, not us. It was God who broke the barriers of flesh and spirit so we could commune with him. And, it is God who is reaching out, even now, to bring his children back to him.
This Christmas is going to be different; that is true, but why not make it different in a good way? Maybe, if we actually come to grips with the why of Christmas, then we can truly rejoice and be glad.
See you in church.
Rev. Kent Wilfong is the pastor at the United Methodist Church, Doniphan/Neelyville.