 Apathy at Advent
The Christmas season is upon us. For many Christians, myself included, Advent is a season of excitement and joy as we celebrate the incarnation (putting on flesh) of the Son of God. While it's easy to get wrapped up in the excitement of gifts, food, family time, and fun, there's another subtle distraction that can keep us from enjoying Christ during the Advent season—apathy. Who could be apathetic during such a joyful time of year? I can't speak for anyone else, but I know I tend to struggle with apathy. It's a sneaky little thought that creeps in every year: "I've read the Christmas story a million times. There's nothing more to get out of it. A virgin birth. Check. Shepherds. Check. Three wise men. Check." Some years I gloss over these magnificent and eternity-altering words without even a spark of excitement or joy. I can hear John Piper exhorting me to "LINGER....LINGER...LINGER!!" You may be thinking that Advent and Christmas aren't even biblical holidays, so we shouldn't even be worried about lacking holiday joy. You're right in saying that the Bible doesn't command Christians to celebrate Advent or Christmas. I've had some friends make a huge fuss about this, but you can't convince me that it's sinful to celebrate the Son of God coming in the flesh. However, I am fully convinced that there's something wrong with my heart when I don't get excited about Jesus. The Gift of Gifts I'm ashamed to admit that I get excited about lesser things. If you turn on a UK game, I'll find myself drawn to the screen. If you buy me a new tech gadget, I'll spend a day or two getting it set up and playing with it. If you hand me a new book, I'll spend some time flipping through the table of contents and reading the opening chapters. If those things bring me excitement, why doesn't Jesus? Part of my problem is that I let lesser gifts capture my attention. Flame, a Christian rapper, once said that we are like a pig in a pin who will pass up a steak to eat slop. C.S. Lewis said we settle for mud pies. I don't want pig slop or mud pie faith. I want the joy of the Shepherds and the Magi who dropped everything to celebrate the Life and Light of men who burst on the scene to save His people from their sins and be with them. I want to rejoice in the God who came to be with sinners in order to save them. For me, Advent is a time to be lifted from the miry bog and set on the firm ground. This is especially true in 2020 as I honestly reflect on my heart during this chaotic year. Too often, my eyes have been set on this earth below rather than on the things above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Advent is a time to grab my Bible, a great devotional, and a notebook to feast on the glory of Christ. He is the greatest of all gifts. Cherish Him As I've talked to friends and family this year, 2020 seems to be a year that has felt more challenging than others. Worldwide lockdowns, a deadly pandemic, racial tension, protests and riots, local and national elections, and a whole host of other happenings have tended to draw my eyes from the glory of Christ. Instead of keeping my eyes on Jesus, at times I have beheld the spectacles laid out to distract me. This Christmas season will allow me some focused, intentional time away from all of that, Lord willing. I'll share my plans for Advent. Maybe you can add one or all of these plans to your list. Maybe not. Regardless of what you're doing, make sure you focus on cherishing Christ, regardless of the season. Advent will come and go. So will Lent. As fast as 2020 blew by, so will 2021, 2022, and so on until Christ returns. We have to take time daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly to simply slow down and give ourselves to time with the Lord. 6 Ways to Meet With God During Advent 2020 This year, my Advent plans are to:
I'm not doing every one of these things every single day. None of this guarantees that I'll be happier this Advent season. None of it earns me a spot closer to God. However, I want to do most of these on most days because they're simple ways to connect with God. I want to saturate my heart with Christ more than I saturated my mind with Covid-19 and election stats this year. I want to discuss the glories of Christ and His coming in the flesh more than I debated the constitution and perspectives on justice. I'm not saying that any of those things is inherently wrong to think about and discuss, but it is wrong to be consumed by them, and I found myself consumed for much of this year. Advent will be a much needed break. What are your Advent traditions? How will you celebrate Advent differently this year than other years?
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*I received a free copy of this book from the publisher. I was not required to leave a positive review. Also, as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.  You may be wondering why I'm still talking about Christmas books in January. For many parents and grandparents, Christmas is a wonderful and exhausting time of year. If you're like me, you're too tired to even think about Christmas 2019!
However, before you put Christmas 2018 on the shelf, I want you to ask yourself some questions: Was your Christmas a "Jesus Christmas"? Was Jesus as much at the center of your Christmas as you desired? Did you make time to emphasize Christ during your family's devotional time last month? Whether you're disappointed with the Christ focus of your Christmas or just want to keep up the steam from this Christmas, A Jesus Christmas: Explore God's Amazing Plan For Christmas by Barbara Reaoch is something you'll want to add to your bookshelf for Advent 2019. Barbara Reaoch has made this book friendly for families of all ages and sizes. Each day families are called to explore, explain, engage, and enter in to a passage of scripture. The "engage" questions are keyed to different age groups so that all of your children can get in on the discussion. There is even an answer sheet on thegoodbook.com so parents can be confident that they give their children the correct answers to all the questions! This isn't your average children's Christmas devotional guide. It is gospel-centered, richly theological, and sound in doctrine. Children will be exposed to biblical Christology as well as the amazing Christmas story throughout the month of December. My most favorite aspect A Jesus Christmas is the family journaling space. Parents and older kids can journal directly in the book, bringing the experience even closer to home. Younger children and those with some artistic flair even have a large blank page to draw a picture or word art. If you want a more Christ-centered Christmas for you and your family in 2019, get your copy of A Jesus Christmas today!  “But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us…” Titus 3:4-5a Since the day sin entered the world, we have been searching and waiting. Our relationship with God has been broken, not only by Adam’s sin but by our own sin as well. When we look at the world around us, we see the painful evidence of our brokenness and our fallenness. We see suffering, sickness, sadness, and death. This isn't how things were supposed to be on that sixth day of creation, but that's what came when we chose to go our own way rather than trusting God.
In Titus 3:3, we see vividly what life is like without Christ. We are foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others, and hating one another. We can simply turn on the news, scroll on our newsfeed, or look in the mirror to see this. We need a Savior. We need something more than a list of laws and good works to fix this. And that's exactly what God gave us in Jesus’ birth. Titus 3:4-5 show us the hope and reality that came on that first Christmas morning. Let’s look at how glorious this first Noel (which means Christmas) truly was: Our Savior entered into time and space. "But When... God our Savior appeared". God the Son took on flesh and submitted Himself to 24 hour days and the womb of His virgin mother Mary. Could you imagine the God of the universe entering a womb that He created? Let the awe of that mystery sweep over you this Christmas. Consider that the Son of God allowed His skin to be warmed by the sun he created. The stars He made would shine in the right place and the right time to serve as a sign that He would burst into creation to show us His Father's glory! Our Savior brought goodness and loving kindness. When God the Son came into such a sin-sick world, He could have brought wrath and judgment to the wickedness He saw. He could have given us the wages of our sin, which is death. We have all fallen short of His glory and deserve the just penalty. One day He will return for this very purpose. But in His first coming, Jesus brought compassion and love for dead sinners. He brought good news and freedom to the captives. He brought grace; the kind of grace that binds up the wounds of the broken, gives sight to the blind, and hearing to the deaf. He brought the kind of grace that brings dead sinners to life. Our Savior brought salvation. Some of the most amazing words ever spoken are found in Titus 3:5: "He saved us". We didn't save ourselves because we couldn't. We wouldn't have saved ourselves if we could because we love this world too much. God knew sin would do this to us, so He sent His Son, at the right time, to save us from our sins if we cast off our pride and self-righteousness. If our Savior didn't appear on Christmas morning, salvation wouldn't have appeared either. But He did on the first Noel. *As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. If you're anything like me, you love to buy good books for the people you love, but you've somehow missed someone on your list. If so, I have a few books that will make great Christmas gifts for the people you love:
If you waited this long, you better hurry! If you're buying in store, you'll be fine, but if you're an online shopper, it looks like you've only got about a day to ensure that your gifts arrive before Christmas day with one or two-day shipping! |
Dwell with Christ exists to encourage people from all walks of life to give their lives to fervent devotion to Jesus. For eternity, God's dwelling place will be with man, and we can experience a taste of the eternal glory now on this pilgrimage we call life.
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