Is Jesus in your Christmas?

This Christmas, make sure you spend some time being quiet. I know that sounds crazy. Many of us have end of year gatherings, shopping and food preparation to do, children home from school, holidays to pack for, and church events to be involved in. Some of us even have Christmas sermons to write! There are many things calling us to be busy; yet what we need is some time to think.

There is a separate temptation for the introverts among us, like myself. I admit I hate the loud bustle of the shops this time of year and avoid them as much as possible. I like quiet and space. I can easily fill that quiet with the cricket and with good books; it’s still full, but in a different way.

Christians love to say that Jesus is the reason for the season, and we truly believe that Jesus is the most important thing to celebrate at Christmas. Yet I want to ask one simple question: do our lives show that this is true? If you had a hidden camera following you this time of year, would the documentary makers conclude that Jesus was a big part of your Christmas celebration? Or would our celebrations look much like those who don’t know Jesus?

We need time to reflect on Jesus and pray, yet the busyness of life this time of year often means that these things get pushed back and often don’t happen. Here are a few simple ideas to make sure you have more Jesus in your Christmas:

• Come to church. I know that’s not particularly insightful or novel, but it matters a great deal. Sing the carols, hear about Jesus again, and you will be encouraged. Build your family traditions around the church events so you don’t skip this important reminder.
• Carve out time to pray. It doesn’t need to be hours and hours, but if you take a few minutes either at the start or end of the day to thank God for Jesus, then He will be on your mind as you go through your other busy tasks.
• Think through how to include Jesus in your children’s Christmas. Some families have advent calendars that have Bible verses each day. Some have the tradition of reading the narratives of the birth of Jesus together or some book like The Biggest Story by Kevin de Young which recounts the plan of God in a way kids grasp and respond to.
• Look for an opportunity to speak to a non-Christian friend about what Christmas means to you. That will change your perspective. Many genuinely have no idea of the account of Jesus, and your efforts might well lead to future helpful conversations.

Jesus is the most important thing about Christmas, or any other time of the year! Make sure you don’t leave Jesus to the side and focus on things that matter less.