Rushing Toward Christmas or Savoring the Wait?
The Chaos of Christmas
The Christmas season is often characterized by busyness and chaos. Malls are crowded with frantic shoppers, calendars are packed with social engagements, and to-do lists seem endless. In the midst of the frenzy, it can be tempting to rush through the holidays, focused more on checking tasks off our list than being fully present.
But the very first Christmas was chaotic and busy too. The story of Jesus’ birth is filled with inconvenience, last minute changes, and desperate situations. Joseph and Mary traveled 100 miles from Nazareth to Bethlehem while she was heavily pregnant. Upon arriving, the inn was full with no vacancies, and Mary went into labor. The best Joseph could provide for the birth of the Messiah was a stable with hay and animals.
The hype and busyness of our modern Christmas celebrations starkly contrasts the lowly, humble circumstances of that first Christmas night. The Son of God entered earth not with fanfare and prestige, but in the neighborhood of outcasts and animals. The Savior of the world was born into an impoverished family far from home.
God intentionally chose these lowly circumstances not in spite of, but precisely because of the desperation. The manger birth speaks to Jesus’ later mission to offer Himself as a sacrifice for humanity’s salvation. Just as He laid aside heavenly riches to be born in poverty, so too would He lay aside His life to provide rescue. The stable foreshadowed the cross.
Like Joseph and Mary, there are times when our attempts to follow God faithfully lead us to desperate places beyond our control. We wish for a way forward but can’t see one. We pray for change but nothing happens. We try again and again but seem to sink lower. The confidence we once felt in God’s provision melts into anxiety and fear.
In these moments of desperation, the most helpful response is not more strength or knowledge, but less hurry and more presence. Slowing down creates space to remember that the God we serve is Immanuel, “God with us.” He has not abandoned us but walks with us at exactly the speed we need.
Our circumstances are not ultimately about us but rather opportunities for the Messiah to enter in. We are but supporting characters in a story where Jesus is the hero. Places of hardship become staging grounds for His love, rescue, and redemption. Like Joseph, we may not grasp it in the moment, but God has mysterious purposes for our perceived humiliations.
Left to ourselves, we seek lesser saviors in our desperation. We adopt treasured “precious” things like relationships, careers, influence,approval, comfort, or possessions and elevate them above God. We trust these idols to provide meaning, security, identity, and control. But just like Gollum in Lord of the Rings became engulfed by the false precious of the ring, our disordered loves will eventually enthrall and destroy us.
The Christmas story provides the cure to these false saviors. At the cross, Jesus demonstrates His costly and jealous love for us, securing His rightful place as our supreme treasure. All lesser loves and allegiances fade in light of knowing we are fully known and delighted in by God Himself. We can lay aside the futile search for meaning and validation in lesser things.
The birth of Jesus shows that we are loved not because we are lovely, but so that we can become lovely. God’s affection is not earned but graciously given to bring freedom and transformation. This security then overflows in our capacity to love others well, even those considered unlovable.
During this busy season, may we slow down enough to let Jesus captivate our affections. May we be quick to recognize the work of lesser loves, but unhurried in allowing God’s love to recenter our lives. His grace is sufficient for all our desperations. Though holiness comes slowly, it comes surely as we surrender distractions and make space for Him. We need not hurry the process but trust God’s timing to bring forth new life. No matter how chaotic and busy, may the true meaning of Christmas take root in our hearts.