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Daily Devotional Nov. 22, 2022

“The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son,                      and they will call him Immanuel                (which means ‘God with us’ )” Matthew 1:23, NIV).

 

     My daughter is a creative soul. This morning she texted me a photograph of a Christmas tree she crafted at work. The design is fashioned out of a cover band, thumbtacks, and an IV needle. The tree now sets conspicuously atop the nursing station around which she works.

     My immediate thought led me to wonder who was taking care of the patients as this artistic masterpiece was being constructed. Then I looked at the calendar. Thanksgiving is still three days away. “The time has not arrived for the celebration of Christmas!”

     Yet such is the present culture in which we live. Christmas is now visible throughout retail outlets and malls. Christmas music has been playing on local radio stations for weeks. Civic workers are busy stringing lights across the cities and towns in which we live.

     Many complain about the early celebration of the Christmas season. The practice of Advent or waiting in preparation for the coming of Christ largely has been cast aside. The fact is that we want Christmas and we want it now.

     But perhaps our eagerness to commemorate the sacred event of Jesus’ birth isn’t such a bad idea. Jesus is One about whom the gospel writer, Matthew, called Emmanuel. God is with us twenty-four hours a day, 365 days a year. The truth is that as Christians, we are a Christmas people. The continuing presence of Christ through the person of the Holy Spirit makes it possible, if not essential, to celebrate year-round.

     So, for you purists who see it permissible to limit the Christmas season to a period of only twelve days, feel free to join the timeless revelry. Throw out the tinsel and fill your cups with cheer. And if you need assistance when decorating, my daughter would be more than happy to lend a helping hand.