1.
We’re Teaching this.
We’ve all seen
the nativity with perfectly positioned characters, well-behaved animals, and a
holy glow surrounding it all. We see everyone in the scene as if they are one
big happy family celebrating the first, and probably the only, perfect
Christmas. Contrast this perfect picture with our own lives, our own families
and holiday drama, and we may feel the Christmas story looks nothing like our
own. But what if you able to pull back the curtain and see past the
picture-perfect silent night? When we look closely, we find that the REAL
Christmas story, the uncut, behind-the-scenes version looks more like our own
than we would have ever imagined. And the same God who scripted these imperfect
characters into His story is calling to join him there as well.
Session 1: Messy (12/10)
Have
you ever looked at a crowd of people and wondered where you fit? Most of us
have. For many of us, this feeling is especially noticeable at Christmastime.
In the busyness of family plans and the frenzy of crowded malls, we find
ourselves a little lost, wondering if we even matter. In this way, not much has
changed since the first Christmas. A dirty group of shepherds with a poor
reputation were the last group anyone would have expected to play a key role in
God’s story. And they remind us that no matter how insignificant we feel, no
matter how much we think we know who God will or won’t use, we all have a part
to play.
Session 2: Awkward (12/17)
Why does it seem people get so crazy around the
holidays. Whether their fighting with their family or fighting for the best
bargain, emotions seem to run a little higher this time of year. And when
emotions are involved, everything is more complicated. Joseph was a young man
with some big decisions. With a pregnant fiancé and his reputation on the line,
there were a ton of emotions and no clear answer. For Joseph to move forward
with God, he had to move past his emotions.
In his story we find that choosing God’s direction over how we feel can
be the most important decision we ever make.
2.
Think About This
On some level, Christmas brings out the inner child in
everyone. Who doesn’t love twinkling lights, hot chocolate, and singing at a
stranger’s door? Somewhere between the smell of baked cookies and the promise
of a wrapped present, the familiar wonder of childhood Christmas returns. Of
course, when we were children and everything seemed perfect, we were oblivious
to the stress of our parents. We had no idea that the perfect tradition was
grandma’s demand and not mom’s idea. No one told us that the budgeting caused
tension or that “Santa” was up until 4am putting together that bike. All we
remember is the warm memories and the feeling of perfection. And that’s what we
try to pass on to our families.
While childhood wonder is a beautiful thing, trying
to recreate every memory can be enough to drive any parent crazy. Add that
pressure to the endless images of the happy, well-behaved families who portray
what Christmas should be on TV. The result is moms, dads, and stepparents
scrambling to add one more present, one more party, one more tradition, in
hopes that their kids don’t get cheated out of the holiday experience.
Somewhere in all of the going, doing and buying, our hopes for perfection can
dissolve into a stressful frenzy to just get through it.
Wouldn’t it be nice if Christmas actually brought peace?
To our families? To our schedules? What would it mean for your family to feel
more unified and energized at the end of the holidays? Here are two ideas to
consider:
Consider
Letting Go of Something. Have you ever seen the child
at the mall who clings to a toy? The one who swears to his mom that Christmas
will be RUINED without it? In some ways, many adults act like that child,
adding stress to their families by clinging to their own traditions (trust me, I’ve
been there). They demand that the tradition continues. It’s no wonder the
apostle Paul says in 1 Corinthians 11:13, When I was a child, I talked like a child,
I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. Traditions are great. But if you find yourself clinging to them
like a child, it may be time to put them behind you.
Take
a Closer Look at the Nativity. The hiccups and
imperfections of our holidays are not that different from the first Christmas.
The Christmas narrative is a story of surprises and unexpected complications.
An inexplicably pregnant teenager. A government requirement for taxes and
travel. A pack of unkempt shepherds. They all leave the reader wondering how
the angels could have possibly announced “Peace
on Earth” as the headline for it all. Yet this is the Christmas we sing
songs about. This is the Christmas we retell and reenact. Remembering the
original Christmas is a great way to remind ourselves that the holidays don’t have
to be perfect to be meaningful.
Peace takes more planning than conflict. Rest takes
more intentionality than frenzied rush. But those are the real memory makers.
Those are the things that our children will pass on to our grandchildren. This
season, would you commit to planning peace as a part of your family holiday
experience?
3.
Try This
It’s easy to get so overwhelmed by
holiday plans that we lose the peace that Christmas was meant to bring To get everyone
back to the same page, try reading the following devotion and discussing the
questions as a family.
How would you define peace?
How can our family
focus on peace this Christmas?
As a family, let’s consider focusing on peace with a 24-Hour Ceasefire. For the 24 hours of
Christmas day, would we consider declaring a peace zone in our home and focus
on how great God is?