A Christmas Miracle

The Anticipation of Christmas By: Pastor Kahn 
 
As I opened my eyes one Christmas morning, it was still dark in my bedroom. A thought came into my head. Should I go sneak a peek under the Christmas tree, or go wake up my mom so we could open all the presents?
As a fifth grader, the latter seemed like the only reasonable option for Christmas morning. For weeks I had waited with anticipation for my gifts, hoping that one of my presents was a black basketball jersey that read “Jordan” in red letters. I had wanted it so bad and hoped that my mom picked up on the many subtle (or not so subtle) hints that I gave her. It didn’t take long to see it laying under the Christmas tree, with the red “Jordan” and the red “twenty-three” clearly visible. I had waited sooooooo long and finally it was mine!
I think we have all, at one time or another, felt the anticipation of the approaching holiday season. What we tend to forget in the anticipation and preparation is the real reason for Christmas.
During this time of year, we forget that the main reason for celebration is the miraculous act of Jesus Christ making himself nothing, being born in the likeness of man (Philippians 2:7). We forget that this baby, thirty-three years into His sinless life, was put on a cross as the ultimate payment for our greed, selfishness, gossip, and self-righteousness (all things that tend to happen when we focus on the materialistic aspects of Christmas). May I suggest our anticipation not be about the things that will only last on earth, but instead celebrate the one that, after the cross, conquered death and restored our relationship with God. I’m looking forward to celebrating Jesus’ miraculous coming to earth and am also looking forward with anticipation to when I’ll see Him again.