Coming Back to the Heart of Christmas

When I wrote “The Perfect Christmas” meditation 15 years ago, my objective was to de-emphasize the pressure of an idyllic, curated holiday. The goal? To make peace with my reality and peel back the Hallmark veneer and meet baby Jesus face to face “unplugged.” That meant a shift within me. In my heart I thought it was a “one and done” kind of thing. Yet once again I feel yet another shift from the brisk winds of change. I’m coming back to the heart of Christmas in a way I didn’t realize I needed to do.

All this month, I’ve been thinking about the praise song “The Heart of Worship” by Matt Redman. His confessional ballad reveals his admission that he recognized something was missing in his music ministry. Sometimes he, like us, found himself overproducing, overworking, and needlessly complicating what he started out to do.  So he banished his band and sound system for a season and dialed back the theatrics. He returned to the essence of worship.

Christmas Unplugged

In a kind of musical Martin Luther equivalent, Redman recalibrated, focusing on non-amplified voices raised in authentic praise to God, staging a mini-musical reformation. Out of that move came one of the most beautiful, heartfelt ballads devoted to minimalism sung in church today. With lines like “I’m sorry Lord for the thing I’ve made it/And it’s all about you, all about you, Jesus,” Redman reminds us of the importance of much needed deconstruction in our lives from time to time.

It’s given me pause to take inventory in my own life. And I see now it’s time for a paring down. Are you, like me, in need of a recalibration? Usually during the Christmas season, I take down about 20 boxes of decorations. I stress about getting them up on time. You would often find me adhering to a rigid system of tree trimming.  Passed on by my perfectionistic mother, tree trimming itself was more of a drill than a hearth-lit scene out of a Hallmark movie. I had similar stresses about getting Christmas “up” until a well-meaning friend reminded me that “Jesus doesn’t care about the garlands.”

That hit a little too close to home.

Martha, Martha, Martha – No, Not Stewart!

In fact, that sucker punch to my Martha stomach sent me reeling momentarily. I recalled the words in Luke 10:41-42 where Jesus told her she was “worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed- or indeed only one. Mary (Martha’s sister) has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” My overachieving self used to think Mary was a tad lazy. Couldn’t she multi-task and kill two birds with one stone? Listen to Jesus and be the hostess with the mostest. But Jesus doesn’t want our distracted self. He prefers our undivided attention. And that sometimes requires some reprioritizing.

So I took down a few ornament boxes. And left 3/4 of them in storage. Because after Thanksgiving, my dad needed me to care for him. I had to trim back my hostess obligations. Because Jesus doesn’t care about the cancelled parties either. He wants our hearts. And He wants our hearts to look like His. So what would Jesus do? He would forgo the garlands and the door wreaths. He would put the people before the pomp. And He would stir some conviction in my heart to make the right choice. So I’ve tried to do that.

But My Attitude is Lagging Behind My Conviction

My “try” is a start but it’s not the holy grail. Sacrifice without grumbling? Refocus without whining? That’s another matter entirely. After all weren’t we all “entitled” to a great Christmas after the marginalizing nature of last year’s holiday? And now with the mask ordinance in effect, I’m wondering why I bought the new lipstick and pouting in my pity party about new sacrifices. Can we expect more sequestering now that many states are again instituting the mask mandate? What can we expect at all?

I tell a story in my “perfect Christmas” meditation about getting my jolly on in the car a decade or so ago. Singing, moving, and grooving in the driver’s seat, I suddenly paused when “Mary Did You Know” came on the radio. I love that song, but my first fleshly thought was that it was bringing down my “ho ho” spirit.

Wake Up Wallop

And that’s when the Lord picked up his proverbial wake-up mallet and whopped me over the head with it. Christmas isn’t about being jolly during the holiday it’s about being joyful in the Lord for what He’s done.  That gift came at a great price to our Almighty God. He warranted the birth of Jesus precisely because we are imperfect. Jesus Christ came to redeem our imperfection. He did not arrive in a carefully curated Airbnb outfitted with fragrant bowls of pine potpourri. Instead, the Christ child laid in a smelly, uncomfortable stable with straw for His bedding. The only perfect thing about Christmas is this: it stands as a hallmark in God’s divine plan. He followed through rescuing His people from sin and death.

“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given. And the government will be on his shoulder and His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.” That prophecy in Isaiah 9:6 tells us all we need to know about Christmas perfection. I’ve concluded that Christmas pressure can actually be an obstacle in celebrating the humble birth of our Savior. Surely the Lord looks down at the too-long Christmas lists, inflated credit card bills, and road rage and shakes His disappointed head. Has the manger been obliterated by the barrage of gifts and ill-conceived priorities we’ve shoved in front of it?

The Only Expectation That’s Ever Fully Met

What will this holiday season bring? What can we anticipate? We may expect Jesus to meet us wherever we are. Let Him handle our disappointments and grumbles, whatever they may be. We may lean into Him. David said in Psalm 18:6 “In my stress I called upon the Lord and cried unto my God; He heard my voice out of his temple and my cry came before him, even into His ears.” Save your pasted smile this holiday for store clerks and casual acquaintances if you are struggling down to the depths of your soul. Because God wants the real you, including your expression of pain and disappointment. Thankfully, He offers solace and comfort for those who ask Him for it. He is our “hiding place,” and surrounds us with divine deliverance.

We truly can kneel at the manger and watch Him turn our mourning into dancing when we express gratitude for divine work accomplished in our lives. We can trust His plan to redeem and restore as we wait patiently for His plans to come to fruition. As we hone in on the practice of gratitude, it’s my hope and prayer that this unplugged Christmas and all it signifies becomes a more prominent, permanent part of our approach to living here on Earth until He comes again in glory!

Join Christian encourager/blogger/author Cindy LaFavre Yorks as she sojourns alongside you in your faith walk. Partner with her as she shares her travel tips for navigating life’s most challenging detours. Through personal storytelling and Bible application, Cindy cheers you on as you raise your white flag and deepen your trust in Him to develop an unshakeable faith to help you go the distance.