Christmas…Jesus…Incarnation…Church…events…food…Presents…money…stress…
We love the Christmas season and we, as believers, want Christmas to be all about Christ. We want to “put Christ back into CHRISTmas.” We want to keep Jesus as the “Reason for the Season.” We have these great slogans that do express our desire to make Jesus the central focus of the season, but then we find ourselves falling into the busyness of the seasons only to look back and feel like we have failed. We have an all-or-nothing kind of mindset.
Evaluating the Season
If we were to do an honest evaluation of the season, we would probably see there were times when we did well and Christ was central, but there were times when we got caught up in the events and secondary things surrounding Christmas. So, what are we to do? How can we do better?
Sorry, that last question was a little bit of a trick question. I don’t think the answer is to do more or add a bunch of other things to the list of things we must do. I think the answer is found in resting. Instead of adding more, more, more, we need to take some time to step back, find some quiet and a cup of coffee, and just sit. Take a moment to breathe and relax, to stop running your mind through all of your lists.
Where is Christ?
So, you may be asking, where is Christ in all of this? How does this help me to put Christ in His rightful place? Great questions! The answer lies in the next step. Once you have quieted your heart, consider Christ. It is the noise, the busyness, and the stress that pushes Christ to the side during Christmas. A way to bring Him to the forefront is to take a moment quiet down so that you can actually spend some time thinking about Jesus, spend some time meditating on Christ. Christian meditation is very different from Eastern meditation. Eastern meditation is about emptying your mind, and Christian meditation is about filling your mind with scriptural truth. It is taking time to pause and ponder what the Bible says. But, if you are like me, it can be hard to take time to pause and rest and meditate.
What can we Learn from Mary and Martha?
In Luke 10 there is a story about two sisters Mary and Martha. It is a common story, that we are pretty familiar with. But there is a danger in that familiarity—we know what is true, we affirm what is true, and we feel like that is enough. But, often, we don’t actually live it out, we don’t actually seek to practice it. We falsely believe that it is enough to acknowledge the truth of the passage but not apply it.
Let’s take a look at the passage:
38 Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. 39 And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. 40 But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” 41 But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, 42 but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”
Luke 10:38–42
What do we see Mary doing? She is sitting at Jesus’ feet listening to Him teach.
What is Martha doing? Serving.
That’s a good thing, isn’t it? We are called to serve (Phil. 2:3-4). Jesus came to serve (Mark 10:45), but Martha’s service isn’t highlighted as a good thing. Why not? What does the text tell us? In v. 40 we see that Martha was distracted with much serving. Serving wasn’t wrong, but she was caught up in serving, she was going too far. She was so caught up in what she was doing, that she wanted Jesus to chastise her sister for not helping. And Jesus, lovingly and compassionately, tells Martha that she is the one who needs to be corrected. Martha’s serving was a good thing, but she got so caught up in it that she missed the best thing. Mary understood what was most important and stopped to listen to Jesus.
Find Time with Jesus
There are many good things that we are tempted to get caught up in during the Christmas season and we miss out on the best thing—Jesus. So, my challenge to you, and me, is to find a moment or two each day and pause. Stop. We need to allow ourselves to rest, catch our breath, and sit at Jesus’ feet. Take time to consider what He has done for us. We celebrate Christmas because God entered into humanity, and lived a perfect life, with the goal of going to the Cross to be your substitute. As our substitute, He took our sin upon Himself and gave us the righteousness of God (2 Cor. 5:21). What an incredible gift that was given to us and worthy to meditate upon and celebrate this Christmas season!
So, will you and I have a Mary Christmas or a Martha Christmas?
