This Son perfectly mirrors God, and is stamped with God’s nature. Hebrews 1:3 (MSG)
We’ve probably all tried to make Christmas a perfect celebration at least once: buying gifts the day after Christmas for the next year, devising lists to complement other lists. Decorated trees with color-coordinated ornaments appearing in every room by October. And the entire house filled with candles, music, and lights.
I remember years ago when our children wanted a perfect Christmas tree, sort of like Goldilocks at Christmas: “Too short, too tall; oh, this one is just right.” It would have been so simple if we’d had only three trees to choose from. But we had to examine all 250 trees in the lot before we found that “perfect” one. And it had to be fresh—one that we’d cut ourselves. That tradition ended the day I found ticks spilling out of every tree limb onto my windowsill and carpet.
The next year, we bought an artificial tree, still in use. The circumstances surrounding that first Christmas over 2,000 years ago were anything but perfect. An overcrowded city. A messy barn. Noisy animals. A teenager in labor. Yet the night was accompanied by a powerful, twinkling star, a host of heavenly angels, and the fragrance of a Holy God (Luke 2:1–20).
The one thing that mattered about that heavenly event still matters today. The One born that night was God’s perfect gift to us—the Light of the World, Jesus. It had been God’s perfect plan all along. Traditions are okay, as long as our focus is right. It’s not the outward traditions of Christmas that spell perfection, but the inward celebration of the birth of our Savior, Jesus, the perfect Son of God.
Faith Step: Ask Jesus to help you simplify Christmas this year. Thank Him that He is the one perfect celebration about Christmas you never want to ignore.
