Christmas Is For Sinners!

Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior.
Titus 3:5-6

I love Christmas, and if you love Christmas too and you're like me, each year you set out to make the approaching Christmas season the best one ever. Like me, you're convinced that with careful planning and discipline, you can have the perfect Christmas.

You resolve to get your shopping done early, while at the same time resolving not to focus on the giving and receiving of gifts. You resolve to not overspend, yet you resolve to be generous. You resolve to make time for everyone, while also resolving to make sure to not overextend your social calendar.

You resolve to allow for moments of sacred intimacy with your Maker and quiet reflection upon the indescribable gift He gave, but then...

Before you know it, Christmas has come and gone in a whirlwind of packages and bows, casseroles and cookies, receipts and returns, carols and conflicts.

Nothing fits right. Nothing works right. Nothing hooks up without a $20 doohicky from Radio Shack.

Nothing satisfies. Nothing eases the strain of that relationship that no longer fits any of the traditional models.

And you and I are left with feelings of disappointment and guilt, and maybe even shame.

How dare we be ungrateful for the crummy gifts we got! How dare we be insensitive to the time demanded of us by our hyper-extended families! How dare we become obsessed with our decorating and schedules and parties and giving and getting and eating and eating and eating! How dare we forget Jesus during the celebration of His birth!

So, if I might be so brave as to confess to you, a couple of days ago I was beginning to feel all of the aforementioned bad stuff, wondering why my best-laid plans were failing, why relationships are so darn complicated, and why I couldn't be a "good Christian" for Jesus on His birthday when it hit me:

That's why He came - that's what Christmas is all about. Because we needed Him to come down and do what we could not, not even for one day out of the year.

So the next time I mess it up big time, the next time I sin, the next time Christmas isn't everything it ought to be, the next time I let the events of the season overshadow the emergence of the Savior, I'm not going to burden myself or anyone else with false guilt or unrealistic expectations. I'll just go to God, and then I'll thank Him for Christmas, when He accomplished everything I couldn't and paved the way for reconciliation through the gift of His Son.