looking past the red and green

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i love christmas lights.

christmas cookies.

christmas songs. 

 the wonder in my children's faces as they experience it all.

but too often i find myself becoming christmas-crazy.

i have all these things i want to do,

activities for my children to experience,

and, let's be honest, shopping with 3 children

can totally take my focus off christmas.

not off santa, trees, lights, candy canes & reindeer.

but CHRISTmas. 

this year, i want it to be more than a holiday.

i want to take in the full meaning of what the birth of christ really is.

we've been going through the entire bible at church,

both on sundays and in life group.

(amazing. love it.  so good.)

2 weeks ago, we looked at leviticus and sacrifice.

it totally impacted me.

(click here to view the sermon)

the pastor was talking about old testament sacrifices,

how they had to be repeated over & over,

and were insufficient to truly cover human sin.

he said that ultimately, christmas is about the cross.

it's easy to look at christmas as just jesus's birthday.

a cute little baby in the manger.

who doesn't love a baby, right?

but christmas is a story of redemption.

sacrifice.

grace.

jesus came to die.

for me.

for you.

he came that we might live.

forever.

with him.

he came to give us joy.

not happiness or temporary satisfaction.

but joy regardless of circumstance.

that is what i want my christmas to be about.

that is what i want my children to experience.

i will continue to make gingerbread houses and sing christmas carols.

our stockings are hung by the chimney with care.

and 'foddy' the elf on the shelf delights my children every morning when they wake.

but jesus,

help us to remember.

not just your birth.

but the ultimate sacrifice you made for us, for me,

on the cross.