Now that Thanksgiving is over, we immediately start preparing for Christmas. There are decorations to hang, goodies to bake, packages to wrap, cards to be mailed, parades and flotillas to watch (not to mention the many football games). Oh, and if you didn’t get it all done on Black Friday, gifts to buy! So much to do and so little time to do it! Such is the Christmas season for many of us.

Hopefully we can all find time to pause and reflect upon the true reason for the season.

When the God of creation found favor with a young Jewish girl named Mary and His Spirit “overshadowed” her (Luke 1:35), she gave birth to the “Son of God” who was to be called, “Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1: 21). So we celebrate the birth of babe who became the Savior of the world. This is the real reason for Christmas.

But sometimes this meaning gets lost in the commercialization of this holiday (which literally means “holy day”). I saw on Facebook the following poem, which addresses this problem. I don’t know the author’s name so can’t give proper credit, but I wanted to share it with you anyway:

‘Twas the night before Christmas, God glanced over the earth,
He looked to and fro; all over its girth.
“They missed it again,” He said with a sigh,
A heavy heart and a tear in His eye.
“I gave them my son, so they could be free.
My greatest gift, to them from me.
They traded me in for a man in red,
A little tree, and a horse drawn sled.
How do I save them and make them see?
My love is complete, my grace is free.
How do I help them, when all they know
Is a talking snowman, and a box with a bow
Maybe next year, they will stop and see
The biggest gift of Christmas is the little child from me.”

Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a babe wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” (Luke 2:11,12)

Merry Christmas!

Rich Pollock is a retired Presbyterian minister. He lives in Topsail Beach with his wife Julia. Both are active affiliates of Emma Anderson Memorial Chapel. Rich happily fills in at the pulpit when a weekly guest minister is unavailable to lead us in Sunday worship.