In the hubbub of Christmas and the race to create our own versions of a Norman Rockwell painting, we often find ourselves overwhelmed and exhausted by the time the big day arrives. The pressures of life such as the demands at work to get our year-ends completed and the cries of our children hoping that Santa will bring them the newest and coolest toy on the market, can sometimes feel like too much for one little person to handle. And it is.
That’s because Christmas was never meant to be a burden; it was always meant to be a Blessing. Greed and Black Friday mayhem has replaced acts of kindness and people sharing a moment watching carollers singing under the town hall Christmas tree. And why? Because the rest of the year is performed at high speed as well.
It seems that we don’t know how to slow down. We know we should, we read messages like this and think to ourselves, “Hey, That’s me! I need to take a moment.”
And yet, we rarely do. But this Christmas can be different if we will let it. If we will make the decision to take that moment - every day - and consider what this Season really means to us, then Christmas can truly become that Norman Rockwell painting we so long for it to be.
We may not have all the right decorations and we may still need to wrap presents until the wee-hours of Christmas morning, it’s true. But if we will “take the time to stop and smell the poinsettias” – if we will take those moments and listen to the words of the carollers – Christmas may just become that magical wonderland that we remember it to be from our childhoods. Christmas may just become a blessing to us again.
Luke 2:13&14 – “And suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the Angel praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace and good will towards men on whom His favour rests.’”
A very merry Christmas to all of you from all of us here at Parkland Christian Centre in Canora – remembering with you that Jesus is the “Reason for the Season.”
