Black Friday is over. Cyber Monday is upon us. One article caught my eye, promising you could survive Christmas if you do all your shopping online. “Survive”
connotes a dim view of the holidays. Though I do not always succeed in following it myself, I know a recipe for Holiday happiness?—a Mary Christmas.
Though this analogy may be old, it never gets tired. While Jesus' visit to the home of Mary and Martha was not Christmas, it was as special as any holiday. And while
Martha focused like a scud missile on dinner preparations, Mary made a beeline
for the best spot in the house, at Jesus’ feet. While Martha was stewing in the
disappointed expectations of a perfect meal, Mary was consuming the abundance
of fruit that fell from Jesus’ lips. Martha busied herself with ‘every’ thing
while Mary quieted herself with ‘one’ thing.
As we begin preparations for this year's Christmas festivities, let us not allow disappointment with secondary things—family, food, presents—to steal our joy from that which is primary. Jesus came to earth “that your joy may be full” (John 15:11). Don’t allow a “Martha” mentality to steal your “Mary Christmas.”
As we begin preparations for this year's Christmas festivities, let us not allow disappointment with secondary things—family, food, presents—to steal our joy from that which is primary. Jesus came to earth “that your joy may be full” (John 15:11). Don’t allow a “Martha” mentality to steal your “Mary Christmas.”
No comments:
Post a Comment