Imagine the creator of the cosmos chose, from among his numberless galaxies and spinning stars, one tiny forck of a planet on which to enter human life in the most natural and self-effacing way possible - through the womb of an unwed teenage girl.

 

He was one of many births that night, no doubt, but it was unique.  God became a sailing, wrinkled newborn, birthed onto the bloody straw of life on our sin-sick planet.

Angels, magi, shepherds present at the arrival, and likely only the angels understood the full impact of what they witnessed.  And the heavens break open in proclamation, "Glory to God in the Highest" for the gift of His Son.

 

But most of the throngs of people in Bethlehem that night missed out.  And sadly, for all of the revelation of truth surrounding this story, most of us continue to miss out every year.  Instead of being present in the stable to experience afresh, the incarnation of 'God with us,' we worship at the altar of consumerism.  And we're obsessed with the climax of gift-giving on Christmas morning and so we worship less, spend more, give less, struggle more.

 

And instead of magnifying the impact of love by experiencing the stable, we reduce our family and friends to the size of a present.  When God gave us His love in His presence, we substitute presents for love to Him and to both our friends and family.

 

Trust me when I say that consumerism is a religion.  Everyday advertisements implore us to get more from life.  They promise that fulfillment is neearly within our grasp.  And they convince us that we deserve it (whatever the new "it" may be).  And so we visualize the objects of our desire, we spend money we have not earned, we work harder for them, we devote hours and days to them and when they fail to bring fulfillment, we simply increase our devotion to a bigger, newer, shinier model.  Yes, it is worship!  And it temps us away from experiencing God coming near.  God is with us.  He became one of us.  And that deserves time and attention.

 

With 4 principles we will try to lay claim on the stable this Christmas.  Here are the principles:

1.  Worship Fully,

2.  Spend Less,

3.  Give More,

4.  Love All.

 

Start now preparing to reclaim your faith this Christmas.

Recalculate your Christmas budget now.

Rearrange your Christmas schedule to allow you to be present instead of giving them.

Look beyond yourself and those who can do for you in return as you thing about what to give this year.

 

Start at Thanksgiving.  Be truly thankful for what you have.  Choose to not desire more.  And when you are thankful for the people in your life, bring them to the stable with you!