John 3:16-17 – “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.”
I am a complete sap when it comes to Christmas.
I immerse myself in carols the day after Thanksgiving.
It is the one holiday where I decorate like it’s my job and will stay up all nightbaking for incoming family, friends and neighbors.
That joyous tickle in my belly triggers the same excitement as when I would sit on the couch with my brother when we were kids and make wish lists from theSears Catalog.
I eat things I shouldn’t. (Pecan pie, among others)
I buy things I said I wouldn’t. (“Just one more festive decor item”)
I do things I thought I couldn’t. (Climbing on the roof to hang lights)
And by the time Christmas rolls around, I find myself exhausted and bloated,with no idea where the past 25 days disappeared to.
All the pre-holiday excitement passes so quickly and I’m left with a stomach ache, an insane schedule and an empty wallet.
Oh, and it’s Jesus’ birthday.
Oh yeah, that.
It’s as if the most sacred and important birthday known to mankind is just a P.S. on all those cards I almost got around to writing last year.
I’m completely embarrassed by my lack of prioritizing. Of overlooking the Guest of Honor at Christmas in an effort to make the holiday “perfect” for everyone around me.
My mind and body don’t take a break, and leave my soul wanting.
Every year I tend to get caught up in the celebration’s details and lose sight of why I’m even celebrating in the first place.
My soul can sense the difference when Jesus isn’t my primary focus.
Just thinking about it makes my cheeks match that ugly Christmas sweaterI’ve been dying to wear.
And there I go again. Distracted by the “stuff” of Christmas.
Reminds me of a story…
There were two women, friends of Jesus, named Mary and Martha. You can read their story in the book of Luke, chapter 10, verses 38-42.
But let me summarize:
Jesus was invited to dinner at their house.
Martha was, by nature, the “doer” of the two sisters. She was making all thepreparations in the kitchen. Working furiously to serve a meal perfect for Jesus and her other guests. Her body and mind were hard at work.
But what about her soul?
She thought that her gift to Jesus was what she could “do” for Him.
Mary, on the other hand, was focused on her Guest. She was entranced by Jesus and His words of love and life. She sat right at His feet so that she could take it all in. She listened and engaged.
Her soul was being fed, nurtured, cared for.
She didn’t try to offer Him anything but herself.
Understandably, Martha gets a little upset. She is doing all the work!
In Martha’s eyes, Mary was doing nothing.
But Jesus saw it very differently.
He knew that Mary was doing something profound.
When Martha complained to Him that Mary was “slacking”, Jesus said, “Martha, Martha…“you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”
I love that. Jesus didn’t say that what Martha was doing was bad. It was all good stuff.
But what Mary was doing (“nothing”) was BETTER.
“And it will not be taken away from her.”
Jesus had so much to offer to Martha if she would just sit down and chill for a bit with Him.
A gift for her soul.
It’s hard to really listen when distractions have all your attention.
All of the preparations would come and go. Martha would be left with crumbs and dirty dishes. The cleaned house would be messy again and the meal she slaved over would be gone.
Her soul wouldn’t retain anything from her time in the kitchen.
But what Mary found what would last forever – an intimate relationship with Jesus. His words had permanently imprinted her heart. His love had captured her soul.
Which is the whole point of Christmas, right?
Jesus came so that we could be in relationship, an intimate relationship with God.
He came to rescue and connect with our souls.
I hope that when Martha heard Jesus’ reply she dropped her dishcloth and joined Mary and Jesus, so she could experience what her soul had been missing. To see the obvious – That the celebration was about Jesus, not the great concoctions she was stirring up in the kitchen.
To recognize that it wasn’t about what she could do for Jesus, but what He could do for her. What He DID do for her.
And Mary.
And You and me.
This Christmas, I want to regain focus like I’m hoping Martha did.
A little more sitting and listening and a little less frazzle.
A little more worship and a little less frenzy.
A little more remembering and a little less forgetting.
Rediscovering the Reason for this Celebration Season. 🙂
HE IS THE SOUL’S GIFT THAT KEEPS ON GIVING.
