With Christmas quickly approaching, it’s the perfect time to stop for a minute and examine our hearts for the days ahead.
It’s a tricky time of year. It’s extremely busy and our attention can easily become divided between celebrating Jesus’ birth and getting caught up in the Santa-centered and celebratory rush of gift exchanges, holiday parties and family traditions. Without a proper perspective, we can easily become mentally and physically exhausted before the New Year—which is not the point of this season.
So, if you’re like me and need to readjust your focus, perhaps looking at the first few stanzas of the hymn, Come Thou Long Expected Jesus, can help shape our outlook.
Come, Thou long expected Jesus
Born to set Thy people free;
From our fears and sins release us,
Let us find our rest in Thee.
Israel's strength and consolation,
Hope of all the earth Thou art;
Dear desire of every nation,
Joy of every longing heart.
When I read that stanza, 3 things stand out to me:
1. Focus on Jesus
Come, Thou long expected Jesus; Born to set Thy people free; From our fears and sins release us
The first three lines of the old hymn quickly point us towards the real purpose of Christmas, namely Jesus! Spend some time meditating and studying on the beautiful implications of Christmas——how through Jesus’ birth and then eventual death and resurrection we are set free from sin (Romans 6:22) and are welcomed into the family of God (Galatians 4:7). That’s definitely something to celebrate!
2. Rest!
Let us find our rest in Thee. Israel's strength and consolation; Hope of all the earth Thou art
Since Thanksgiving, I feel like I’ve been sprinting towards an imaginary finish line marked for December 25th. I’ve been distracted and hurried every single day trying to stay caught up at work, buying all the Christmas gifts and preparing for holiday travels. That is until the other day when there was a simple, yet powerful prompt in my Advent devotional to “be still and deeply consider the Lord.”
After following the devotion’s simple instructions to be quiet and think on all God has done for me, I was amazed at how light my soul felt. It brought the verse in Isaiah to mind that says, “those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint” (Isaiah 40:31). Without physical and spiritual rest, we can’t properly celebrate Jesus’ birth! I’m preaching to the choir when I say this…. Do yourself a much needed favor and REST.
3. Spread Joy
Dear desire of every nation, Joy of every longing heart.
Our desires are naturally selfish (Galatians 5:17-21) and can become even more so during the holidays when we are bombarded with materialistic and self-serving messages. In order to redirect the desires of our hearts, we must seek the Lord and dwell in His presence (Psalm 27:4). I pray He will be our one desire this Christmas and that His joy will permeate our hearts and lift our spirits. His joy alone chases away sorrow (Isaiah 35:10). His joy will be our strength (Nehemia 8:10) for today and the days to come.
So let’s set our sights above this Christmas and celebrate the long expected Jesus… through deep thought and adoration, rest and sharing contagious joy! Wishing you and your family a very Merry Christmas!
Meet the Author!
Mary Criner is a neat-freak and (recovering) shopaholic who loves to continuously redecorate her house and organize things. As an introvert (like 110% on the scale), she’s most content when spending time with her dog, Max, or family and close friends. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing and works as the Communications Director at Quail Springs Baptist Church. Mary enjoys volunteering in the CRBC student ministry and as the CRBC women’s blog coordinator.