Are You Ready?

I went into Target on September 7th. Weird for me. Who likes shopping? Ugh. Even weirder is that they had a display of winter coats and snow pants. On SEPTEMBER 7^TH!  Minnesota is Minnesota but that is straight up crazy. Usually that means that Christmas stuff isn’t too far behind.

To me the early arrival of Christmas stuff leaves me confused in how I should feel. I listen to Christmas music year round so the presence of Christmas things isn’t the primary concern. I know some people think that Christmas decorations and cookies have a pretty small window of time that is acceptable, but I am fairly generous with that window. Ironically, some of the same short-window-for-Christmas people would be happy with a four month pumpkin spice season.

I suppose a part of my confusion over how to handle the early arrival of Christmas stuff is the negative reminder of how materialistic and consumer driven the holiday can become. It is a yearly lament by many Christians that the season has lost a lot of its sacredness to sales pitches for the latest and greatest toys, technology, or cars. This is certainly true.

Some deeper reflection on the early arrival of Christmas stuff reveals that my angst and confusion comes from a sense of not being prepared. We feel such pressure to give the right gifts, deal with family appropriately, honor the right traditions, and so many other things. In the midst of that, as a believer in Christ, I am supposed to prepare my head and heart for what should be a beautiful season of drawing close to God.

That first Christmas display each season, while a sign of consumerism, is also a trigger to my heart that I’m not ready. Not ready to worship. Not ready to wait on the Lord. Not ready to lay aside my to-do list for the sake of time with Him.

With so much to do, with so many people to see, with so many good and fun and worthwhile opportunities in front of me I find my heart unready to truly appreciate Christmas. I often come out the other side of the season having had just that experience.

Christmas is about one thing: Jesus, Emmanuel. It is a celebration of God with us. How much of our time and energy during this season is actually set aside for us to be with God? He has come, has dwelt among us and we often simply carry along choosing the part of Martha rather than the part of Mary.

Choose the good portion this year, like Mary sitting at Jesus' feet, or his mother Mary, treasuring up things in her heart. Get out your calendar if you must and set aside time to be with Emmanuel. He is there and he is waiting. Don’t let the panic or anxiety or frustration that is triggered by all the other Christmas chaos steal from you an opportunity to be with Jesus.