And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” Matthew 3: 17 (NIV)

I have a reputation as the over-the-top birthday party girl. Last year, my son turned two, and we had a petting zoo, crafts, face painting, Chik-fil-a, and of course ice cream. I know that I should simplify, and I feel guilty about not, but I have given in. I love it. I love making a huge deal out of his big day. I don’t mind blowing my budget or even decorating fifty cupcakes. I have already started planning for next year’s party, and it is only nine months away.

We make a pretty big deal out of Christ’s birthday too. Stores start putting out decorations right after Halloween. We blow our budgets, we decorate, we send out cards, we cook, we shop, and we overbook our calendars. Sometimes I worry that all the presents and commercialization has cheapened this holiday. That we are so busy that we forget that it is indeed a birth we are celebrating and not that crazy-looking bearded man in a red suit. Every year, I tell myself that I am going to simplify: spend less, commit to less, and rest more. These are valiant resolutions, and occasionally I even keep a few of them.

I don’t think God minds though. It is His Son’s birthday after all, and He is surely a proud Daddy. He didn’t hold back either. No other holiday has more tradition, more events, more decorations, or more presents. The stars even shined brighter. God has never been about stuff, yet three kings from the East brought this tiny baby gold, insense, and myrrh. And I thought my parents spoiled their grandchild! Don’t give those retail stores all the credit, God knows how to celebrate in a big way. It isn’t about all that stuff of course – it is about His Son!

I know this whole book is about centering ourselves on Christ during this crazy season, but don’t forget that it is indeed a celebration. Indulge for the day in that. Bake some cupcakes, and break out the ice cream (yes, even in December).

Lord, help me to remember what it is we are celebrating today. Help me to delight more in You than the packages beneath my tree.

Take a few moments to read the story of Christ’s birth today (Luke 2:1-14 ). Try to keep His birth the focus of your celebration today.

Charcoal drawing by Ryan Snieder, 2007

The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. Luke 13:44 (NIV)

As a teacher and a mother, I love to see when kids get it. That light-bulb moment when they understand a concept or when my son discovers something new. You can literally see their minds work, and then their faces light up with excitement. What a joy to discover something new!

One of the most popular and well-known Christmas carols is “Joy to the World.” If you can remember the second line, you realize that the source of that joy is “the Lord has come.” There are several Scripture verses that relate joy to some discovery of Christ. Even before Christ was born, John the Baptist “leaped for joy” in his mother’s womb upon Mary’s greeting (Luke 1:44). The angels revealed the great joy of Christ’s birth to the shepherds (Luke 2:10). Finally, Mary and the disciples were filled with joy upon the discovery of His resurrection (Matthew 28:8 and Luke 10:21).

The Greek word for “joy” most often used in the New Testament is chara. It should not be missed that the Greek word for “grace” is charis. They are closely connected. It is as if God is saying if we only understood, or discovered, what grace is all about, we couldn’t help but rejoice!

One of the hardest verses to face in the Bible is James 1:2. You know, the one telling us to consider it pure joy when we face trials of many kinds. I don’t know about you, but I find it difficult to find joy in struggles. However, with a bit of distance, I can usually look back and see how that trial was used to show me more of God’s character or to make me more dependent upon Him. The struggle itself rarely seems joyful, but the end result should be celebrated. I love that joy is not reserved for birthday parties and holidays, but that Christ is meant to be discovered even on our worst days.

If we want to experience more joy this season, we must discover more of Christ. We must seek to understand this amazing grace He has given to us and even to seek out these same discoveries amidst our struggles.

Father, let me discover more of you. Let me enjoy learning and seeking your character this Advent season.

What can you do to discover Christ? Are you going through a trial where it is hard to feel joyful? Try to look ahead and see how God is using that trail to glorify His Kingdom.

Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy. I Peter 1:8 (NIV)

Every Christmas I try not to miss it, to miss Him. I make it my goal to complete all my myriad tasks in an organized and timely fashion, so when the time comes, I’m serene, peaceful, and ready. I hurry and scurry and plan and prepare, so that when The Moment I’ve set to enjoy Jesus comes, I don’t overlook it.

The truth is I usually still manage to miss it. Every year I fall further behind. More unexpected guests show up, or my Christmas banana bread implodes, and I’ve got to make another batch. When I finally look up from the holiday wreckage, I discover that it’s time to pack up the ornaments, and I haven’t met with Jesus at all.

I can blame my busy schedule, my chronic procrastination, or my overwhelmingly large family for my failure to connect with my Savior at this most precious time. But if I really care to stop and examine my life, I see an insidious pattern of activity and planning, with very little room for stillness and worship. I realize the busyness is not the problem but a symptom: I haven’t the first clue about how to enjoy Jesus.

My faith is generally characterized by action. I go and do, I serve and help, and I make giant spiritual to-do lists to track my personal progress. But lately, I’ve felt a tug on my soul in the opposite direction. “Get back to Jesus,” it whispers to me. “All this activity will never fill your heart and deeply satisfy you.” “But,” I argue, “what about all the things on my list? They’re good things, things that need to be done.” “Yes,” says my soul, “but unless you do them from a heart overflowing with Jesus, they will not bring you the joy intended for you.”

So where do I begin this process of enjoying Jesus? This process that cannot be wrapped up and conveniently opened on Christmas morning, like a much-anticipated gift. If I want to experience the Christ in Christmas this year, I have to allow my soul to experience the discomfort of not knowing what to do or how to connect with Him. I have to sit at His feet, over and over, waiting patiently as He breaks down the walls I’ve built to guard my heart from His. Walls made of control and lists, of disappointment and fear. Simply put, I must learn to worship.

Truthfully, though, the worship transformation I need cannot only happen in my quiet times, although they are the bedrock. Instead, I must learn to enjoy Jesus all the time. John Piper says about worship, “It is not a mythical interlude in a week full of reality.” I’ve got to find a way to change my spiritual glasses so that I now see everything in my life as evidence of the presence and love of God and as proof that He is marvelous, glorious, and ultimately satisfying.

Enjoying Jesus is not a feeling I can conveniently manufacture at Christmas time. It must become my lifestyle, as much a part of my daily routine as breathing. Retraining my heart to recognize and praise Him in the everyday parts of my life will enable me to stop and enjoy Him, even in the middle of the busiest Christmas chaos.

I experience Jesus and know His presence in my life as I love and enjoy being loved in return. I must also translate my happiness and enjoyment of His good gifts to me into worship. If I can recognize His goodness, mercy, and glory in my everyday life and respond with a grateful, praise-filled heart, then when I am confronted with the enormous and overwhelming love He showed in His Advent, my heart is prepared to respond.

Lord Jesus, teach me to recognize Your presence in my life so that I may enjoy You more fully.

What are some ways to worship Jesus during your everyday activities?

For the joy of the Lord is your strength. Nehemiah 8:10 (NIV)

Last Christmas, my husband Corbin and I hosted the main course of a progressive dinner. I spent the day cramming every baby swing, rocker, Christmas bin, countless papers and mail, and anything else that would constitute clutter into the garage. The day also included a forty-minute hostage rescue as three-year-old Basden locked herself in the downstairs bathroom, right after five-year-old Hudson proceeded to pull a heavy pewter stocking holder off the mantle onto his forehead, resulting in a purple and blue goose egg. After a full day of cooking, cleaning, setting up Christmas decorations (picture Corbin wrestling with strands and strands of white lights, including splicing wires), and placing tables and folding chairs all over the house, we were finally ready for our guests.

Right before the crowd arrived, I double-checked the front porch for poinsettias and all the little white lights had Corbin worked so hard on. Yea! With just minutes remaining, everything was in its place! Smoke filled the house as I walked back inside. At my request, Corbin had started a fire in the fireplace, and I’d neglected to tell him that I had closed the damper the day before. Oops. So we threw open all the doors and turned on ceiling fans (in 35-degree-weather) to clear the kitchen and den of the thick smoke. About that time, all our guests arrived, having caravanned from the “appetizer” home. Unbeknownst to us, six-year-old Branson went outside to greet them. But instead of inviting them through the newly-decorated front entry, he graciously opened the garage door and loudly beckoned, “Welcome! Come on in through the garage!”

Things often don’t go as planned during the Christmas holidays, given all that the busy season requires. The necessities for preparing my heart and home for the beauty of the Advent season include lots of laughter and flexibility. Even more important than grandiose meals and impeccably decorated homes, striving to joyfully go with the flow keeps my heart at a place of contentment.

Father, please replace my frustration with laughter and my irritation with joy this Advent season. I recognize that I need Your strength to truly enjoy this full, worshipful time.

Can you recall a Christmas event or tradition falling apart? Is it something that could have been handled with laughter rather than angst? How would it affect those around you – especially children or a spouse – to see you handle Christmas “lightly” this season?

But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:40-42 (NIV)

Last Christmas we entertained family at our house. We served dinner and opened presents. Later while everyone visited, I headed to the kitchen to clean up. There I stood alone with the dirty dishes feeling irritated and resentful. Then I remembered something my sister and I say to keep each other in line; “Stop being a Martha.” With a smile, I put down the dishes and began to enjoy my family along with everyone else.

We’re referring to Martha of Mary and Martha, of course. Two sisters host Jesus on His journey from Jerusalem, and while Mary sits at Jesus’ feet eating up everything He has to say, Martha is busy in the kitchen feeling sorry for herself. She then complains to Jesus and asks Him to reprimand Mary for not helping her. Jesus does the opposite. He tells Martha that she needs to get her priorities in order and that she could learn something from her sister, Mary.

Is this you? Do you ever get so focused on the busyness of entertaining that you lose the joy that God intends it to be? As Christians, God calls us to practice hospitality. This is not simply entertaining—true hospitality is practicing generosity. It requires opening our hearts as well as our homes. However, when our focus on busy work comes before a heart of servitude, we can become overwhelmed, exhausted, and even resentful.

No doubt our need to practice hospitality tends to be in overdrive around the holidays. We serve at the school party, office party, church party, for the in-laws—the list goes on and on. It can be stressful to open our hearts and be generous day after day and event after event. And it’s true: busy work has to be done in order for these events to be enjoyable. But Jesus calls us to bring glory and honor to Him no matter what we do and to assign priority to the actions we choose. Mary’s heart clearly honored Jesus as she sat at His feet, but because Martha’s heart was full of worry and angst, she missed out on the blessing that Jesus had for her. He made it clear that He was more concerned with matters of the heart. Regarding hospitality, how does your heart look this season?

Dear God, give me a heart of generosity. Help me to find the joy in being hospitable, and instruct me to know the proper time to work and to fellowship.

Do you tend to be more like Martha or Mary? What does your heart look like when you are practicing true hospitality?

So [the shepherds] hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word . . . and all who heard it were amazed . . . . The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told. Luke 2:16-18, 20 (NIV)

The shepherds were no doubt hard workers, but they were nowhere close to the top rung of society in Jesus’ day. Yet, they received their own personal invitation, from angels no less, to go see the Christ child. Scripture does not tell us what expectations the shepherds had, but they were clearly not disappointed because they left glorifying and praising God. After all, can you envision the shepherds’ delight at finding the Christ child exactly as the angels had described?

When I think back over past Christmases, my joy appears to be tied to the expectations that I had. For instance, as a child, I enjoyed Christmas if Santa delivered the gift that I had requested on my wish list. Amazingly, my Santa, a single mom on a tight budget, always came through–even when the gift was a Swatch watch that required her to travel to a city over an hour away.

As an adult, the joy that I experience at Christmas comes not from the gifts I receive but from having my family together. I learned this lesson the Christmas after my sister got married and moved to Boston. That Christmas, my sister could not make the trip home for the holidays. I realized then that I had taken for granted being together as a family every Christmas. Spending that one Christmas apart taught me to value the other Christmases that she has gotten to come home.

Reflecting on my past Christmas expectations reveals that having my family together makes my holidays richer. However, I can find enjoyment in knowing that I have a personal invitation to worship the Christ child every Christmas, whether my family can spend the holiday together or not.

What expectations do you have for this Christmas that must be met in order for you to enjoy the season? Are your expectations realistic? Like the shepherds, perhaps you could find enjoyment in simply knowing that you have a personal invitation to worship the Christ child.

Father God, thank You for sending each of us a personal invitation to behold Your Son, not just at Christmas, but each and every day. Help us to recognize and remove any expectations that we have placed on this season that might restrict us from enjoying Your presence so that we might, as the shepherds did, go about glorifying and praising You for all the things that we have heard and seen.

What steps can you take to make your holiday expectations more realistic so that you can enjoy the season?

Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow. James 1:17 (NAS)

Do you wander the aisles aimlessly hoping the right gift will jump off the shelves at you? Or maybe you stare at your budget willing more money to appear because otherwise you don’t know how you will buy gifts for every member of your extended family. Or perhaps you’re trying to decipher what she meant when she said, “You know me and what I like. . . .”

Whether we’re rushing around at the last minute or trying to find a gift for that hard-to-buy-for person, buying gifts at Christmastime can be more stressful than enjoyable. Even once we purchase the gift, the anxiety remains until the receiver opens it and genuinely seems pleased with our selection. How do we retain the joy of gift giving during this busy season? The answer will look different for each person, but here are a few of my thoughts.

Fix your eyes on Jesus. Spend time reading about and pondering God’s priceless gift of His Son. Let the joy of receiving it overflow into your own gift giving.

Focus on the recipient. Use this as an opportunity to consider all the things you enjoy about the person, and spend time in prayer thanking God for him or her. If you’re buying for someone with whom you have a difficult relationship, think about how God has grown you through that relationship. See gift giving as an expression of your love for the recipient and a tangible demonstration of God’s love overflowing through you.

Prepare in advance. Whether you buy gifts all year long or you wait until December, try not to wait until the last minute. Feeling like you don’t have enough time only creates more stress. Take a look at your budget earlier this year than last year so you can build in realistic spending expectations.

Communicate. You’re not a bad friend or family member if you can’t think of gift ideas on your own. Go ahead and ask what people want. If you want to keep the actual gift a surprise, ask for a short list of ideas from which you can choose. If you are married, make sure you and your spouse are on the same page regarding budgets, who’s buying what for whom, and your timeline for doing so.

Let go of worldly expectations. More is not necessarily better. Price does not determine how much you love a person. Give from your heart and not out of self-imposed obligation.

This season, slow down and enjoy the process of gift giving, from choosing the gift to watching the receiver open it. Don’t let stress and anxiety rob you of the joy giving gifts can bring.

Father, You love giving your children good gifts. Help me to learn from You to enjoy giving gifts also, especially during this busy season. Let Your love overflow through me to those around me.

Is gift giving enjoyable to you? What can you do to ensure gift giving is a joy this year?

Spend some time today and reflect on what God’s hope has meant in your life. Here are a few ideas you might consider:

• Reflect on the way God has offered you hope in the past. Consider making some sort of monument in your home to remind you of them (a pile of rocks, a set of keys, a special Christmas ornament . . .)
• Write down your expectations for this Christmas, the New Year, or your life in general and consider whether or not they are reasonable.
• Meditate on the hope God offers you today (start small if you have to!) and spend some time praising Him for it.
• If you’re struggling to find your hope in Him, pick a couple Bible verses to read and/or memorize.

Lord, remind me of the ways you have offered me hope, and help me to find my hope in You during this busy season and throughout the coming year.

. . Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect . . . . 1 Peter 3:15 (NIV)

Truthfully, I felt a bit hopeless when called upon to write a devotional about “hope.” The word looks small, but the task of explaining it seems enormous. So I’ll resort to what writers do when they can’t fully explain something with a succinct answer: I’ll tell stories.

When I was six years old, I woke up in the middle of one night and found my dad on the couch getting a shot from our pastor’s wife who was a nurse. Shortly thereafter, an ambulance arrived and took my dad to the local hospital. I didn’t understand the magnitude of what was happening then, and neither did anybody else.

That night was the beginning of a long journey for my family as my parents traveled throughout the state to find out what was plaguing my dad. A diagnosis of cerebral Whipple’s disease came many years later. And while that brought some relief, the ultimate answers from the doctors did not. There was no cure. Amazingly, those words didn’t rob me of my hope that my father would be healed. Just like the Bible says about Abraham in Romans 4:18, “[a]gainst all hope, [I] in hope believed” that my dad would be healed. Maybe it was childlike faith. All I know is that I didn’t produce that hope; God did.

Similarly, the whole time that I was in college I hoped that I would get married after graduation and start a family. I’ve now been out of college for over eleven years and haven’t seen those plans materialize. But not being able to see what I had hoped would happen hasn’t put a damper on my hope. I’ve continued to hope and pray for a spouse, taking comfort in Romans 8:24-25, “For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.”

Thankfully, Jesus has filled me with hope and doesn’t call upon me to define it or to explain it. He only asks that I be able to answer people when they ask me about the Reason for my hope. That I can do. I can tell people that my hope comes from Christ and Christ alone.
At this time of year, so many people yearn to know that there is more to life than a humdrum daily routine. They long to be filled instead of living an empty life. They desire to know about and have this hope that we as Christians have. So as you are spreading holiday cheer, make sure to spread hope as well.

Precious Jesus, thank You for abiding in me and giving me a lifetime supply of hope. This season and throughout the year, give me opportunities to share the Reason for my hope.

Have you thought through how to respond if someone asks you the Reason for your hope? Why not practice that with someone you know so that you will be ready to share your hope with others this holiday season.

But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times. Micah 5:2 (NIV)

At eight years old, all I wanted for Christmas was a boy’s BMX bike. I was very detailed in my request, and I was sure that everyone involved was aware of my desire for this bike. My big sister, on the other hand, wanted a very girly ten-speed bike. On Christmas Eve, I lay in my bed with unbridled expectation, picturing myself riding through the neighborhood—the envy of all my friends. After a few hours of restlessness, I sprang to my feet to see what awaited me in the living room. My sister was already old enough that she cared more about sleeping than seeing what Santa had left, so I ventured out alone.

With the lights from the tree to guide me, I saw two bicycles. One was a boy’s BMX bike and the other a girly ten-speed. But hold on a minute, something had gone terribly wrong! The boy’s bike was clearly intended for my big sister and the smaller, girly bike for me. I started to panic but convinced myself that everything would be fine after I informed my parents of this unfortunate misunderstanding. That morning, my sister had no complaints as she saw her intended bike was clearly cooler than mine. Even though I was heartbroken, I saw the smiles on Christmas morning from Mom and Dad, and I said nothing. I ended up riding the bike, pastel stripes and all, for over two years.

My disappointment for something I had hoped for with all my heart was tortuous. My mind had been fixed upon the ideal gift that I myself had concocted. I had put all my hope in one thing, and it had let me down.

Webster’s Dictionary defines hope as “to cherish a desire with anticipation.” What do you desire with anticipation this Christmas? It may be something material, but often times we simply want everything to run exactly as we had planned. Jumping from one destination to the next, we hold different expectations for each. When those expectations aren’t met, things can start to fall apart. We feel disappointed, overwhelmed, and before we know it, Christmas has come and gone, and we have missed the real reason for this holy day.

Thankfully, the solution to dealing with our disappointment is one that will never let us down. It sets our eyes on the ultimate expectation. In Micah, God reveals that the Messiah will be born in Bethlehem and “will be their peace.” (v.5) The Israelites were only able to anticipate the birth of the Messiah, but as Christians, we get to celebrate this blessed event. God gave us the greatest gift of hope when His son was born . . . what more could we possibly need?

Lord, let the hope of Christ be the only desire I have this Christmas. Help me to keep my focus on You so that no expectation goes unmet.

Are your hopes in line with what God would intend for you this Christmas? During this season, in what areas do you struggle with keeping your hopes on Christ?