How to Rediscover the Wonder of Christmas
With less than a week to go before Christmas, we are in full holiday mode. Songs on the radio, TV specials, decorations in stores and homes, and Christmas programs at schools remind us that “in the air, there’s a feeling of Christmas.”
However, if you dig a little deeper you’ll see the truth: many people feel empty and burned out, just counting the days until Christmas is over. They go through the motions of exchanging gifts and attending parties, but there are no tidings of goodwill in sight. For many people, Christmas is downright depressing.
What happened to the joy and wonder of Christmas? Is there any way to get it back?
I believe there is, but it requires turning the conventional thinking about Christmas on its head.
Giving and receiving
We tend to think about Christmas through the lens of giving. We want to give the perfect gift. We want to give a fantastic holiday gathering. We want to give a noteworthy performance at the Christmas pageant. We want to give a memorable Christmas to our kids.
Giving is a wonderful thing, and we should absolutely focus on giving to others, especially during Christmas. However, it’s easy to focus so much on giving that we wind up empty. In doing so, we miss the joy and wonder of Christmas.
The heart of Christmas is simple: in order to give, you must first receive. It’s the complete opposite of how we have normally think about Christmas. It also explains why so many of us feel burned out. We’re running on empty because we have been giving without first receiving.
Receiving God’s gift
But what exactly is it that we’re receiving? When you look at Scripture, you begin to see many things that God freely gives to us: love, salvation, his Spirit, eternal life, and many other gifts. I want to highlight just one: the gift of peace.
Here is one of my favorite passages of Scripture:
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:4-7)
These verses are packed full of wisdom and insight (as all of Scripture is, of course). But for now, I encourage you to focus on God’s peace, “which surpasses all understanding.” You can’t think or act your way into peace. You can only access it by “praying and supplication with thanksgiving.” That’s another way of saying that you’re talking to God, asking him for something, and being thankful.
People pray in all kinds of ways. It’s not about the method or tradition—it’s about just doing it. Prayer involves talking, but it also involves listening. One of the ways I like to be still and listen this time of year is by seeking holy moments.
Seeking holy moments
Ever since I was a kid, I have tried to find a few times in December to be still and reflect. There are moments and traditions that are special to me. They won’t mean much to you, but they are my way of seeking wonder.
One of my favorite memories, from decades ago, took place in the small country church where I grew up. I helped clean the church, so I had a key. One night I drove there and listened to Michael W. Smith’s Christmas over the sound system. (It’s my favorite Christmas album to this day.) I sat in the darkness, in a pew in the middle of the small sanctuary, enveloped by God’s presence. It was a holy moment.
Another of my favorite memories happened at the church where I used to serve as the worship pastor. Every year at the Christmas Eve service, we would conclude by lighting candles and singing “Silent Night.” It was a holy moment.
One of my earliest memories as a kid was laying on my back under the Christmas tree and looking up at the lights. I know it sounds silly, but it’s something I still do every year. I also watch It’s a Wonderful Life every year, usually late on Christmas Eve, and it’s become a meditation on what it means to live a blessed life. For me, those are holy moments.
All of these moments help me to be still, to listen and pray, and to rediscover the wonder of Christmas. I encourage you to find your own moments when you can do the same.
You and I don’t need a perfect Christmas. Christ has already made us perfect in him. When we pause to receive and reflect on what God has done for us, we can recapture the joy and wonder of Christmas. Then we will truly have something worth giving.
