Christmas season is supposed to be a joyful one – a time of celebration, decorating, fun, partying, shopping, gifts, eating, drinking and being merry. But for some people it’s not joyful at all. It’s a time of stress, worrying about the extra financial strain this season brings, or just feeling really lonely and depressed. And with children, the pressure can be a lot more – having to give them fancy gifts and new clothes as well as a lot of late nights and sweets, increasing their crankiness and tantrums.
But what is the ‘real joy’ that Christmas is all about. There’s a famous Christmas Carol that tells us about it right in the first line – ‘Joy to the World, the Lord has come!’ We go back to the real reason we celebrate Christmas. It is the birth of Jesus – the one who brings hope to a very lost, stressed and broken world. Jesus wasn’t born in a picture perfect scene with snow or a comfortable hospital or home with family all around, singing sweet Christmas carols. In fact, his birth was far from ideal. He was born to a very poor family, in a dirty animal barn – his first bed, was where cow’s food was kept. The political situation was even worse. The king who reigned then, was a terrible dictator who killed people at his whim and fancy, and he was searching for Jesus, to kill him. There was a lot of fear around. This was the world, Jesus entered.
But his birth was what was good news to the world – ‘Joy to the World, the Lord has come!’ Jesus was God who became a human. He lived a life of service, putting others needs before his own. And ultimately made the greatest sacrifice of giving up his very own life, so that we all could live. And this is the real joy that the season brings.
So teach your children the true meaning of Christmas. Let Christmas not be a season of indulgence and self centredness. But let it be one where they remember Jesus, and think of ways they can bless others during this time.
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