Monday Morning Manna: Defining Christmas

I understand that “Jesus is the reason for the season,” but beyond that priority truth what defines Christmas for you – glitter, gifts, gatherings? For me it has always been about family. I clearly remember my first Christmas with a family other than my own. At the Christmas celebration in the home of my then, fiancée, I remember being disappointed, not so much because of how they celebrated the holiday, but because it was different from how my family observed Christmas. My favorite thing at family Christmas was watching my father’s expressions as others opened gifts he had purchased for them. It seemed like he always failed to open his own gifts till everyone else was finished. After I had my own family, I remember taking them to my parent’s house for Christmas. My father would have carefully mapped out all the really good house decorations in the area, and was eager to show them to us. For him, it was more about giving, then glitter. Being gathered with the people of God in a Christmas worship time, as significant as it is, has always been second for me to being with my own family. At Christmas time, I really don’t need any other gathering than family, and I don’t need glitter, and the only gifts I need are the ones I have given to others. The wise men brought gifts to Jesus – “gold, frankincense, and myrrh (Matthew 2:11), but when the celebration was over, they were the ones most blessed, for no one ever encounters the living Lord, without being blessed. Francis of Assisi said it this way, “It is in giving that we receive.” So, I will once again, receive Christmas this year, in the presence of family, through the joy of giving. What defines your Christmas?
Dr. Dan Crawford, Senior Professor at Southwestern Baptist Seminary, is the WestCoast Baptist Association’s Spiritual Life & Leadership Mentor. Follow Dan on Twitter @DrDanRC and Facebook www.facebook.com/dan.crawford.