I said in my last post that their is something about Christmas that feels magical. You know, that “feeling” of Christmas. But if you are like me, there are some years that don’t feel like Christmas. This is one of those years for me. The further we get into Christmas season the less like Christmas it feels. I got to thinking what makes Christmas feel like Christmas? What makes Christmas magical? The ribbons and bows? The lights and smells? Cookies? Now I love all these things but is there anything underneath the neatly wrapped gifts? When you get down to it, Christmas is beautiful with all the lights and ribbons and bows and all… but in a weary world… ribbons and bows are just ribbons and bows.
What is underneath the neatly wrapped gifts?
I think back to how the first Christmas is described, and it doesn’t seem like there is anything magical there either. Think about it… The baby who was born to be “King”… wasn’t really born in a setting we would consider “fit for a king”. There were no lights, no ribbons and bows, no soft crib, no comfortable place for Mary to rest, no smells of pine and bayberries, and since he was born in a manger it probably kind of smelled because of the animals.
“Your faith has made you well”
Even without the ribbons and bows and presents… the first Christmas doesn’t seem magical either. So what’s so magical about Christmas? The Reason for the season. It can be easy to miss, glossed over, or not even thought about. But there is something underneath all the lights and bows. The undeniable touch of Jesus, and the gift of Him leaving heaven to come to earth.
I think of the woman who desired to touch Jesus’ garment.
She suffered 12 years of constant bleeding, she spent all she had to see doctors, and she only got worse. She had heard about Jesus and thought that if she touched His garment she would be healed. And immediately after she touched Him she stopped bleeding . Jesus says to her “your faith has made you well”. Doctors couldn’t heal her, but Jesus did. Underneath the nearly wrapped presents, there is a greater gift. In a weary world, a Savior was born. Born to bring hope to the hopeless, rest for the weary, peace to the restless, and underlying joy to the broken. I’ve been tearfully praying the past week specifically for a few people that I know are going through some tough stuff this season. I’m praying that they feel the touch of Jesus even in the times of pain.
If you are feeling hopeless, weary, restless, broken… that is my prayer for you too… That you will feel His touch, because underneath it all, He is there.
I wanted to leave you with a song by Josh Wilson. This song has quickly become one of my Christmas favorites! I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!
