HOW TO PREPARE FOR CHRISTMAS

“This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” – 1 John 4:10

In the time in which we’re living, with so much uncertainty and so much strife, the world is looking for a demonstration of something different than what is happening around us. This Christmas, we have the opportunity to share the good news of Jesus Christ, who is the Prince of Peace. The only problem is that we need to do more than just talk about the Savior. 

What the world is looking for is not just the message of Christmas, but the spirit of Christmas, as seen in flesh and blood. What good is it for Christians to celebrate Christmas and fight to get a Nativity scene in some public square yet have an unloving attitude that gives Jesus a bad name? This tells me that we all need to prepare for Christmas in a new way, and not just by buying gifts and putting them under the tree. 

What makes Christianity special is the love of Jesus. The Bible says that God is love. Jesus was God in the flesh, so Jesus is the perfect picture of God’s love. People were drawn to him because he was full of love.  As Christians, we’re called to demonstrate his love.

 So to prepare for the holidays, we should pray, “Lord, I want more of your love in my life this Christmas!”  There’s nothing wrong with putting up a tree and celebrating with family, but we also need to show those around us the love of Jesus. That’s what people really need. That’s what they are looking for, and they’re not going to find it in the world.

This is God’s will for all of us. Let’s show the world that we’re different. How can we do that? God will help us do that. That’s why he gave us the Holy Spirit—to enable us to live lives that are pleasing to him.  That includes loving people. That’s what draws people to Christ. So to get ready for Christmas this year, we’ve got to ask Jesus to love through us as he did two thousand years ago. He will surely answer our prayer.