Keep Your Advent Season Christ-Centered

 

Shopping, baking, decorating, parties, coffee dates, movies, recitals, festivals, and the list goes on and on. It can be so easy to be caught up in the busyness of the Christmas season. But it's even easier to let the Christmas season become about busyness, and not about what it's meant to be about . . .Christ.

In this post I want to share some insight to help you (and me!) keep this Christmas season focused on Christ instead of letting the hustle and bustle take over. 

The Christmas season can also be called the Advent season. Advent means arrival, appearance, or birth. During this season we celebrate the ARRIVAL, APPEARNACE, and BIRTH of our Lord and Savior JESUS CHRIST! 

Below is a Christmas acrostic that I wrote to help you remember what we have to celebrate at Christmas!

Christ

Hope

Reconciliation

Incredible peace

Sweet joy

Time with family and friends

Memories

Amazing love

Salvation

1st we have Christ. He is the main reason, the most important part of our celebration. Without Him, none of the others (peace, hope, joy, salvation) would be true! 

Then we have hope. Hope is not just a wish or want. Our hope in Christ is more than something we really want to happen but aren't certain that it will. The hope that Jesus gives us is deep and confident. It is unshakable.

Reconciliation is a big, not-often-used word. But it simply means reuniting or settling something. We are separated from God due to our sin, but through the blood of Christ we can be reconciled to a relationship with God! Jesus reunites us to a relationship with the Father.

We can have incredible peace through the truths of Christmas! Philippians 4:7 tells us that the peace that comes from Christ surpasses all understanding! That is incredible peace! We can be confident and assured in the work of Christ, and therefore, no matter what circumstances we face, we can be at peace within our souls. We can be still; quiet; calm. Jesus is our Prince of Peace.

We have joy in Christ! Jesus brings joy. Even when life is hard or disappointing, we can be joyful when we rest in the finished work of Christ. At Christmas, we can remember why Jesus came and what He accomplished, and find sweet joy in it!

At Christmas we often spend time with family and friends. No matter where you are this Christmas, you can celebrate the birth of Christ! But it can be extra special when we celebrate with those around us. Whether it's your family, church, or friends, make sure that you are celebrating the true meaning of the season together: the gospel!

 Another special part of Christmas is the memories and traditions. :) These can be so much fun and make us feel like little kids again! Just make sure your Christmas season isn't all about following traditions, but that it is about Jesus.

Christmas is about God's amazing love! "In this is love, not that we loved God but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins." -1 John 4:10 (Propitiations simply means substitute.) May you be perfected in God's love this Advent, and may you share that Christlike love with others. 

Christmas is about salvation. Jesus came as our Savior! He has saved us. The whole reason He came was to bring us salvation. Let's celebrate the salvation we have in Christ and give thanks to God for it this Advent! 

I hope these truths encourage your soul and remind you what we are truly celebrating. It's not about Santa, reindeer, elves, gifts, shopping, and baking (as much fun as those may be). We have an even better and a lasting reason to celebrate! Let's not forget that!

May you have a happy Christmas centered on the advent of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!