I'm dreaming of a right Christmas

We all want the perfect Christmas, A Christmas suitable for a Norman Rockwell print, A Christmas that warms our hearts and refreshes our soul. However, this year many people will not have perfect Christmas…

• For some a perfect Christmas is out of reach because of because of their economic condition; debts are mounting up and they wonder is there is a light at the end of the tunnel. A perfect Christmas is nowhere in sight.
• Others are experiencing a strained relationship with family members and the upcoming holidays will be less than perfect as it filled with anxiety.
• Still for others this is the first Christmas without a loved one who has passed on and the holidays just don’t seem the same.

Knowing we will not always have a perfect Christmas – we should strive to have a RIGHT Christmas.

For there to be a right Christmas there must be a right focus. Someone has coined the phrase, “Let’s put Christ back into Christmas”. The truth of the matter it has been awhile since Christ was the focus of Christmas. I recently read an article stating in 1594, Christmas was canceled in the New England Community of Salem, Massachusetts because of “too much frivolity and worldliness”, and was not reestablished in the community for 23 years. Not much has changed in the last 400 years it seems we still have a wrong focus when it comes to the Christmas season.

When it comes to a right Christmas we must understand what Christmas is all about and in Matthew 1:18-25 we get a clue to what makes a right Christmas.

1.   Christmas is about salvation

When God revealed to Joseph via a dream His plan with the simple message; “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” 2,000 years ago Jesus came into this world for the purpose of bringing us salvation. Salvation is not found in the latest gift or the perfect decorations rather it is found in Jesus. Some say Jesus is the reason for the season, but truthfully we are the reason for the season, our sins are why Christ had to come to this earth and bring us salvation.

2.   Christmas is about God changing locations

Matthew 1:23, "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel" which means, "God with us."

Max Lucado writes we sometimes lose the majesty of Christmas in the mundane of the season.

We see the gifts, we enjoy the season, we share with family and friends and we feel a little more generous at this time of the year. But Lucado reminds us, “Let’s not lose the majesty of Christmas; The God who created everything, allowed His son to become a baby.

• The One who had unlimited power, would now allow His son to become powerless in the form of a baby.
• The One who was clothed in majesty, was wrapped in swaddling cloth
• The One, who walked the streets of Heaven, would now be born in a barn.
• The One who had no needs, was now dependant on a young mother

When I realize what Jesus did for me 2,000 years ago, I can take comfort in the knowledge that regardless of my situation, I may not have a perfect Christmas; I can have a right Christmas.

This year I am dreaming of a RIGHT Christmas – a Christmas with the right focus.