Do you find yourself distracted by all the lights and decorations of the modern Christmas season? I know I do. It takes a concerted effort to cut through the barrage of jingling bells and roasting chestnuts to get to the Biblical account of the virgin birth and the incarnation. Our family has had to come up with different ways to make sure that we remember the true reason for the season.
One of my favorite Christmas traditions is reading through our customized advent calendar. Sixteen years ago, Lydia and I bought an advent calendar with little boxes that are pulled out and turned around to complete a Christmas picture. The picture has nothing to do with the Biblical account, but the verses inside the boxes certainly do.
Each box has a piece of paper with a verse written on it. The first day is titled “Light – #1” and it has Isaiah 9:2, “The people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.” Inside the box there is also a little object that connects with the verse. The first box has a little light bulb from a string of Christmas lights. The kids always enjoy passing around the object as we discuss what the verse means.
Every day our family reads from the advent calendar it helps us turn our minds to the fascinating details of Jesus’ birth. We read about the Roman census that forced Mary and Joseph to travel to Bethlehem (Luke 2:1). We talk about the prophecy of Isaiah that predicted the coming of Christ (Isaiah 9:6). We also read passages that point to the reason why Jesus Christ came to earth. One of my favorites is day twenty-three because it describes Jesus as the Good Shepherd who “lays down his life for the sheep.” (John 10:11). We have found it is important to always talk about the cross when we talk about Christmas because if Jesus had not died on the cross and risen from the dead, then there would be no reason to celebrate Christmas.
This year I added a few verses to one of the days. I added Luke 2:8-20 which describes the shepherds seeing the host of angels outside of Bethlehem. After they rushed to the city, they found Joseph and Mary and they told them what they had heard from the angels. Verse eighteen says, “And all who heard it marveled at the things which were told them by the shepherds.” I looked up the original Greek word for “marveled” and I discovered that it means “to give careful thought to, consider, ponder.”
As I think about how our family celebrates Christmas I want to make sure we take the time to marvel at the Christmas story. We need to reflect on the Biblical account so that we understand what took place, but we also need to meditate on it so that we realize how it has impacted our lives. My prayer for our family is that we would take the time to marvel at Christmas and I hope you and your family will do the same.
