The star came to rest over a little stable in Bethlehem. Three wise men travelled from a far country to bring gifts the baby that lay within. When they entered that stable, they found the baby and his parents, surrounded by worshippers. A shepherd was posting photos of the newborn king to Instagram. A villager chatted to a friend on her cellphone about how calm and bright the scene was. An angel was texting a status report to God. Just outside the stable, another would-be worshipper was making a list of all the tasks he had to finish before he could go inside.
Oh. Holy. Night.
This season is billed in one popular song as the most wonderful time of the year, but it has become the busiest time. I think it’s a pretty neat trick of the enemy to encourage us to fill up our holiday schedules with so many fun to-dos that we become stressed out and exhausted – and sometimes even cranky. (If you’ve ever been Christmas shopping in a mall, you’ve probably met a person like this; I’m sure you never get cranky.) And we miss the point of Christmas altogether.
The point of my opening paragraph isn’t that social media or modern technology are evil. It’s that they are examples of how we make ourselves constantly busy and, therefore, constantly unavailable to God. If Jesus came into the world now, would we even know how to be still before him?
So, this year, let’s take a cue from the nativity scene set up in my living room. The whole cast of characters is there – the holy family, a shepherd, animals, wise men and an angel. Here’s what I love about nativity scenes: every figure (including the animals) is completely focused on Jesus. No one is doing anything else but looking at him. Every time I pass by it, I hear “O come let us adore him” in my head.
It’s hard to adore someone when you’re multi-tasking! Just try doing that with your significant other and see how it goes over. My sincere recommendation is that you add to your long holiday list, “Be still before Jesus. Adore him.” And then put it on the top of your list and don’t do anything else until that item has been accomplished.
May your Christmas be calm and bright, and may there be some stillness in it.
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