Pushing Back on a Cultural Christmas

If you’re like me, there are two ways that I lose sight of what it is that we just celebrated on Christmas day. First, I’ve allowed the familiarity of Christmas to diminish the meaning. I grew up in a Christian home where Christmas was centered on the birth of Christ. Even though I value that heritage, I realize that the bible readings and Christmas hymns have become so familiar that I’m tempted to listen and sing without actually focusing on the wonder of the incarnation. Second, I’ve allowed the busyness, the rush, and all the cultural Christmas fluff to crowd out the silence that’s needed to really focus on the coming of Jesus Christ into the world to undo all that’s been wrecked by sin. In his Advent devotional, Paul Tripp writes these helpful words: This season, in the midst of all the celebrations and gift-giving, be careful to remember that at the center of what we celebrate is one game-changing, life-altering, hope-giving reality: grace is a person, and his name is Jesus.