Mid-December Newsletter Article

This article was published in the mid-December newsletter:

“But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing.” -Luke 10:38-42

December is undoubtedly a busy time of the year. People are focused on school Christmas programs, community Christmas events, making Christmas cookies, and of course buying Christmas presents, wrapping Christmas presents, and receiving Christmas presents. There are Christmas parties to go to and Christmas gift exchanges. There is Christmas decorating to be done and Christmas cards to be sent. And then the day comes and there is Christmas worship to attend and family gatherings to get through.

Every year pastors try to help people to understand and experience the Advent season and every year the secular Christmas machine rolls through December, yelling “Merry Christmas, celebrate this holiday season with merriment (and a lot of spending too, of course).” And it drowns out the words of the prophets, “Prepare the way of the Lord” and “Repent for the kingdom of heaven is near.”

In the secular world December is the Christmas season, with all its festivities and celebration, but in the church December is the Advent season, a time of reflection, anticipation, and preparation. We are not yet celebrating the coming of a savior; we are observing and reflecting on just how much we need that savior. We have been told that the Christ is coming to shine as a light in this world, and as we anticipate his coming, we take an honest look at just how dark this world is. Sometimes we forget how dark the night is, until we see the first light of dawn.

Too often we are so focused on getting ready for Christmas and the Christmas season, that we don’t have time to prepare for the coming of the Christ. We are a lot like Martha, distracted by many things, when there is need of only one thing. We get so busy with our traditions that we lose sight of our need for a savior and God’s promise to send one.

Take time during this Advent season and consider what it means for a savior to come into the world and into your life. In order to do this, you will have to seriously consider what you need to be saved from and how much you need a savior. In the midst of all the hustle and bustle, stop and reflect on who you are and who Jesus is.

One concrete way to contemplate the coming messiah is to set up a nativity scene putting only the livestock in the stable: the cattle and donkeys and sheep. Before Jesus was born, the stable was just a barn where animals lived. There were no angels there, no Mary and Joseph, no shepherds, no wise men. They all came later. What would the world be like if God had not sent them at all? What is the world like without Jesus Christ?

We are distracted by many things, but there is need of only one thing: a Savior, God himself, and he is coming.

With Anticipation and Hope...