Getting the Most out of Christmas
Luke 2:15-20
I. Pursue the Truth of Christmas (vv. 15-16)
II. Proclaim the Tidings of Christmas (vv. 17-18)
III. Ponder the Treasure of Christmas (v. 19)
IV. Praise the Triumph of Christmas (v. 20)
More to Consider
During World War II, General Dwight Eisenhower was in Europe, directing the planning for the D-Day Invasion. It was during intense moments of preparation that word came of the death of his father. What do you do at such a moment? It was impossible for Eisenhower to leave his command. He couldn’t possibly return home, nor was it possible for him to take time off to grieve and process his sorrow. But, as he wrote in his book, it also was not possible to go ahead with business-as-usual. What did he do? He sent everyone out of his office and he set aside thirty minutes to think about his dad, to write out his thoughts in a diary, and to just put down his feeling on paper. After half an hour, he forced himself to get back to work; but he left his office early that evening to spend some more time in the evening thinking about his dad and putting his feelings to paper. That’s all he could do. But as we think of Christmas this year, think of this. If General Eisenhower, in the midst of planning for the invasion of Europe, could shut the door and spend half an hour thinking about the death of his earthly father, should we not find a way of shutting the door, opening our Bibles, and thinking about the birth of our heavenly Savior? Sometimes we need to take time to ponder these things in our hearts, as Mary did. During this Christmas season, take the time to sit at your desk in the soft glow of a single lamp, reading through the Christmas story, contemplating and praising and worshiping God.
Pastor Todd M. Kinde
