Advent Reflections: Day 12 By Cortney Donelson

Luke 2:13-14

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.'
I sat and watched A Charlie Brown Christmas with my kids the other night. Best. Christmas. Cartoon. Ever!
The use of Scripture in a cartoon was controversial even back in 1965 when it first aired. Yes, Linus' "True Meaning of Christmas" speech that highlights Luke 2:13-14 was almost cut. I am thankful it wasn't, because it has been included in every airing since then.  In fact, some schools around the country that use A Charlie Brown Christmas for their seasonal play are getting into legal hot water with their communities and local governments. 
I am fairly certain if this story was created today, Linus' monologue would be cut before it hit the airways. It seems the meaning of Christmas no longer includes Christ and His birth. With each passing year, Christmas leans a little more toward other things. The focus has shifted from the Word becoming flesh to consumerism-led expectations. Shopping, food, time off work or school, and a myriad of hurried activities underscore the holiday. 
So, I ask myself, how can I ensure Christ is at the heart of Christmas? How can we, as a family, do better? How can we sit still and adore Him? I believe this course of questioning will likely reveal a true dying to oneself moment for me. This path I'm on is leading down the sacrificial road. I can just sense it. But, it's a path I have chosen before, and it's one I have never regretted. I have faith and hope that it will lead to so much more than bows and ribbons. Stockings and cookies. House decorating contests and Santa. 
Perhaps, in the coming years, my family and I will rediscover this "holiday" for what it truly is - the day our LORD left home to be born in the lowliest position possible in order to rescue us from ourselves. It will become a celebration where we give to Christ in a way that would glorify God and honor the incredible gift we already received in Jesus, His Son. I cannot imagine wanting anything more than that. 
Father God, I look forward to the second coming of Christ. But, first I want to learn to honor His first coming appropriately. LORD, I am blessed to live where I do and have the things I have. More than those materials things, Father God, I want to experience the magnitude and significance of how and why Jesus was born.  Merry Christmas, LORD. It's in His name I pray, Amen.