December is here. The lights displays are up, the special holiday coffee flavors are out, we have been barraged by an endless cry to buy, buy, buy, and soon Christmas trees will be going up everywhere we turn. It’s easy to view all of these things as distractions to the true meaning of Christmas, the time that has been have set aside to remember the Incarnation, God coming among us through the birth of Jesus. But instead of dismissing all of the cultural trappings of Christmas as a distraction to the true meaning, may we be encouraged by what they remind us about the birth of Jesus.

The lights that we see remind us of the glory of God that shone around the angels in the night sky as they proclaimed the good news of the birth of Jesus. They also remind us that Jesus is the “Light of the World” and He calls us to let His light shine out of our lives for all the world to see. The constant cry to buy more and more gifts reminds us of the greatest gift of all, Jesus, God with us, our Savior and Lord, who out of love gave up the glory of heaven to bring us the gift of life.

The Christmas trees remind us of the wooden cross on which Jesus came to die to pay the price for the sin of the world, so that through faith in Him we may find peace with God, forgiveness, salvation and life. And all of the special flavors of the season remind us of Psalm 34:8, “Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him.”

As you experience the lights, trees, gifts, flavors, and even the advertisements of this season, take time to give God thanks for coming among us and offering to us the greatest gift in the world, the gift of eternal life.

In Christ,

Mark