5 ways to maximise Christmas

We are less than 2 weeks away from Christmas now. Your tree is up – along with your stress level – for the annual festival of great joy and great grief.  We rejoice in remembering God’s kindness, eating abundantly, seeing loved ones and passing presents round.  At the same time we feel the pressure of getting everything ‘done’, engage in difficult relationships and remember those we dearly miss.  How do we make the most of this ‘complex’ time?  Let me suggest five broader areas for you to construct your own list of maximising Christmas in 2009.

First, Reflect.  Reflect on what we are celebrating at Christmas time.  In Matthew’s gospel, Jesus is also given the name ‘Emmanuel’ – ‘God with us’.  In the grace of God, he didn’t look at us from afar, but came and genuinely shared in our plight.  Not least because he longed to save us.  Anselm of Canterbury wrestled with the weight of our sin. Anselm saw that our ‘debt was so great that, while man alone owed it, only God could pay it, so that the same person must be both man and God.’  He argued it was necessary for God to become one of us, if anyone was to be brought back to God.  Again, in Anselm’s words about Jesus, ‘the life of this Man was so sublime, so precious, that it can suffice to pay what is owing for the sins of the whole world, and infinitely more.’  Take time to reflect on the wonder the Creator would become creation.  Don’t simply rely on getting to church, but carve out time to re-read a gospel (why stop at just the birth narrative?).

Second, Maintain gratitude.  Christmas is a time of pressure.  The temptation is then to give in to the sins of grumbling and complaining.  Not only does this add to the pressure those round you feel – but it undermines the first point of reflecting the wonder of God becoming one of us. We make the most of Christmas by having our emotions express the truth of what we are remembering.  Which leads to the next suggestion…

Third, Express delight.  Delight in all of God’s good gifts.  We must keep Christmas a ‘Christ-centred’ celebration – but that doesn’t exclude enjoying God’s generosity in creation.  Gifts like family, food, friends and Christian fellowship.  Make plans (even choosing to miss some events!) to ensure you can have joy at Christmas time as an expression that you understand God’s generosity.

Fourth, Share kindness.  To know Christ became one of us to bring us into his family, it would be inconsistent to take this chance to share His kindness with others.  The father of modern Christmas, Charles Dickens, described it as: ‘a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable, pleasant time; the only time I know of the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people . . . as if they were fellow-passengers.’  He captures that Christmas – like the gift of Jesus – should primarily be other person centred.  The gifts we normally give are often obligations – given because we know we must.  Ask the question: Who are you being generous to as a pure gift?  Take advantage of TEAR’s ‘World’s most useful gift catalogue’ or other great organisation.  Have Christmas lunch with the community.  Invite others to share a meal with you.

Fifth, Prepare.  I don’t mean just get the presents wrapped and the tree decorated.  Prepare for Christ’s 2nd coming.  The Book of Common Prayer’s prayer for this season recognises that Christ will come again to judge and that we need to be found ready.  While Jesus is on the hearts and minds of our society, it is also a great chance to help others be prepared to (whether it is an invite to Carols under the Bridge, a gentle chat or a relevant book as a gift).

May your Christmas be a truly blessed time – In Him,

Mark Smith
Assistant Pastor