Our Gift to the Infant King

Midnight is approaching and it'll officially be Christmas - for me that is. Gosh, when I chat and IM and PM and email with people from different parts of the world, it seems like i'm the last to experience the holidays - me being in Southern California and all. But that's okay!

So I figured I'd take a sec to write a quick Christmas post to extend my greetings and best wishes to you all. By now, I hope you know that I love and appreciate those of you who have journeyed with me this past year. And i'm equally excited and thankful to many of you who have come along within the year or even just recently. We all have such similar stories!

This season is about His story. Jesus - the Christ, the Messiah, the Savior - born into this world to reveal God Himself. Sometimes, we can forget about how significant His story is during this season because often times Christmas is simply a time of family, friends, decorations, gifts, traditions, crowds, shopping, lines and traffic. It's the hustle and bustle of trying to "make Christmas happen" that can cause us to lose focus on Him and His story. When the magi from the East approached the manger, they brought gifts to Him. So why is it that during our Christmas season, we give gifts to everyone else but Him?

Let's remember that Christmas isn't an event that happens. I doubt even that December 25th is actually and literally His birthday anyway. But that doesn't really matter, does it? Christmas is an annual reminder for each of us to consider a new beginning. It is through His birth, that we have new birth - a new life of purpose that acknowledges and reveres God. And so, it isn't merely an event for us, but rather a beginning of a new life that expresses a continuous lifestyle of faith and worship of the King.

When the season's trees and trimmings and traditions are done and over with, let's remember that Christmas hasn't ended. We continue to celebrate daily by living out our discipleship of Him who was born in us. Let's make sure there's room for Him INN us. Laying down our lives before the infant King, committing our loyalty to Him daily, and following after His Way - that is our Christmas gift to Him.

Merry Christmas, my friends!

(hehe, i put that cheesy part INN, just for Shawn!)