Well, Thanksgiving has come and gone.  I hope yours was special as you expressed your gratitude to God for His many, many blessings.

But now – we enter the Christmas season.  Are you ready?

I am not asking if you have all of your presents, have put up your decorations, have all of your parties scheduled, or anything like that.  I am talking about your heart.

Is your heart ready?  Are you ready to experience Christmas?

A few years ago, Pew Research discovered that though the vast majority of Americans celebrate Christmas, less than half of Americans celebrate it as a religious holiday.

Think about that.  Most people celebrate Christmas as if they are having a birthday party without inviting the person who has the birthday.  It makes no sense, but that is how most people treat Christmas.

I urge you to celebrate this year in a way that enables you to experience the very things that Christmas should bring to you.

Christmas reminds us of hope.  Because of Jesus, we have hope.  We know that God keeps His promises, so we know that He has plans for those who follow Jesus and that He has a Heavenly Home for us.  We do not deserve it, but God will give it.  In fact, Paul’s prayer in Romans 15:13 reminds us of that: “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

Christmas reminds us of rest.  We often allow Christmas to run us ragged because we allow it.  However, Jesus wants us to experience His peace.  He said in Matthew 11:28, “Come to Me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

Christmas reminds us of peace.  Our world does not seem to understand what peace is, but God offers it.  Our prayer should be that of Paul in 2 Thessalonians 3:16: “May the Lord of peace Himself give you peace always in every way.  The Lord be with all of you.”

Christmas reminds us of love.  Our world also does not seem to understand love.  We see hate and hostility all around us, but we could experience love – real love.  God offers us that love – the same love Jesus talked about in John 3:16: “For God loved the world in this way: He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.”

Would your Christmas season not be more special if you experienced hope, rest, peace, and love?

I urge you to focus on Jesus.  After all, it is His birthday that we are celebrating.

Max Lucado wrote the following book that can inspire you during this time…