Today’s Author: Kory Roe
We are in the final stretch… the last few days before Christmas! The days (and nights) where time is filled with hustle and bustle as people scurry to get the last of the presents for under their trees. It’s this week, in particular, that usually knocks me back. It’s the week where I find myself pondering if all of the running and driving was worth it to find the most perfect gift.
We start each Christmas season with the promise that we will focus on what is the most important part of Christmas. To focus on the Christmas story and the promise and celebration that comes with the birth of Jesus. My household is just as guilty as getting caught in the hustle of the newest, hippest, or greatest gift.
So in the last few days before this precious day, I ask us each to ponder the delight that awaits us. Are you at all tired from the preparations that go into creating the “perfect” Christmas Eve or Christmas Day celebration? Are you filled with a little anxiousness over a holiday celebrating with more loved ones than that of last year? Are you finding yourself a tad guilty and wondering whether or not you truly took the time to focus on and enjoy the meaning of this season? I challenge each of us to slow the pace. Turn off the oven, the cookies you have will be perfect. Turn off the television, the Christmas Hallmark movies will likely still be playing in January. Sit in the stillness. It may seem cliché, but there is a common saying that “time passes in the blink of an eye,” don’t let it pass without taking the time to reflect on what this next week means to you and the promise that awaits. Spend quality time in the JOY of this season.
Heavenly Father, as we await the birth of your Son, be with us. Turn our eyes back to the true meaning of the Christmas story and help us to relish in the joy that awaits us. You have provided so much- the gift of fellowship, of family and of a Christmas that allows us to celebrate You with a few more of those we love most. Help us to take a breath, to take a step back and to stay in the present of all that comes with this time of year- it is Glorious. Challenge us to celebrate the coming of your precious baby boy in the best ways that we can. Amen.
“Mid-week devotions are authored by members of our community. If you are interested in creating a trio of reflections to be shared on an upcoming Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday contact Pastor Peter.“