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Woburn

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35 Olympia Avenue
Woburn, MA 01801

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Sunday 10:00 AM

Sunday 11:30 AM

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North Shore

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North Beverly Elementary School | 48 Putnam St.
Beverly, MA 01915

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HOW TO MISS CHRISTMAS

by Kyle Asmus on November 28, 2018

Whether you’re ready or not, Christmas season is here. The nog’s been poured, the chestnuts are roasted, and this year’s Hallmark movie where the workaholic, single, big-time lawyer finally finds true love in a rural town while ice skating next to a Christmas tree is officially on repeat.

I wrote that sentence in jest, but (promise not to judge me) I’ll absolutely drink my eggnog and watch that movie every time it’s looped because I LOVE Christmas. I love the decorations, the Bing Crosby songs, the cookies… everything.

But because I love Christmas, I’m most susceptible to “missing it.”

This season has a way of distracting people. The plans, the parties, and the presents are all good things that have the power to pull our focus from the big thing. They blind us to what God has for us in this unique time of the year.

I want to enjoy the baby in the nativity scene, but I don’t want to miss the arrival of the King. I want to watch movies about Santa, but I don’t want to miss the Savior. I want to enjoy giving my wife the perfect present, but I don’t want to miss the presence of God.

But if I do miss it, I think this is how it’ll happen:

1. Separate secular and sacred
This is the only time of the year when culture links arms with the church in celebration. It’s crazy when you think about a pop radio station playing songs like ‘O Holy Night’ and ‘Joy to the World.’ Everybody who hums along is praising the coming of the promised messiah even if they’re unaware. I understand and agree with the clichés “Don’t forget the reason for the season” and “Don’t take Christ out of Christmas,” but I wonder what would happen if we genuinely looked for common ground to start Christ-centered conversations instead of simply identifying what is different about our celebration. This is an excellent time for evangelism because the secular is already walking in step with the sacred. If I focus too much on separating the two, I’m in danger of missing it.

2. Focus on family over fellowship
One of best parts of the holidays is family time. Cousins, grandparents, your eccentric aunt’s new boyfriend who rocks Birkenstocks in December... It’s fun to connect with all the people you wish you saw more often. Even so, I know I’ll miss it this Christmas if the busyness of the season is my excuse to pull away from Christian fellowship. I’ll miss a massive opportunity to see God move if, knowing our churches will be full of people who only come to church once or twice a year, I stop prioritizing Sunday worship, serving, and GROUPS. I’m not going to neglect or minimize my time with family, but I know I’ll miss how God might use me if I pull away from fellowship.

3. Rush through rest
We all love and crave time off. Time away from work and meetings and appointments is a beautiful thing. But I’ll definitely miss it this Christmas if I don’t take advantage of that time to rest in Scripture and prayer. It’s amazing how quickly my days off fill up with errands and to-dos. That’s not rest. Rest is giving myself quiet space to sit in God’s presence without a timer. When I don’t allocate some of my holiday time off to reading through the Christmas narrative in the Gospels or giving myself the gift of uninterrupted prayer, I’m going to miss it.

I don’t want any one of us to miss what God has for us in Christmas 2018. I believe He has something to show all of us! Let’s not get so distracted that we miss it. Who knows all that God might do in you and through you!