Last Sunday, my pastor Rob Sweet, enlightened me to a new thought concerning an ancient title. He pulled apart this familiar Christmas passage:

And a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; and the government will rest on His shoulders; and His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah9:6

Concerning the title, Prince of Peace, Rob explained that another term for Prince is Administrator, and then, another word for Peace is Wholesness; thus, the Prince of Peace becomes the Administrator of Wholeness. I like this thought. It gives me a new perspective on what Jesus wants to do for you and me. Our well-being is His concern.

We must understand from the start that His peace is not like the world's peace which tends to numb feelings or cover hurts with temporary fixes. No, His peace does the opposite, really. The Prince of Peace seeks to expose wounds and uncover hurts for the purpose of administering wholeness in our souls. Truly, only Christ, through His Spirit can touch us with this kind of healing.

And He came and preached peace to you who were far away, and peace to those who were near; for through Him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father. Ephesians 2:17-18

Will you let the Prince of Peace have your heart this Christmas? Remember, even in the manger bed, the Messiah had the cross set before Him for the purpose of making you whole. There, He bore all your sorrow and all your sin.He reconciled all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of the cross (Col. 1:20).Let Him have you, all your wounds, all your hurts, all your pain. Unveil your deepest longings as well as your most hidden sins to your Savior. This is why He came. He is able to administer peace that is beyond anything that this world could offer. Will you allow Him to do this for you?

This Christmas season, each day, say to Him in faith, "Prince of Peace, please come." 

Not too long ago, my parents and I made a long drive from my home in Nolensville, TN all the way to Houston, TX. To stay alert during the 12 hour journey, I changed radio stations often, picking up all kinds of music along the way. I was delighted when I came across Christmas music; it was the first time to hear the familiar tunes of the season. I found myself snappin' and tappin' down the highway, over the river and through the woods. However, the longer I listened to the merry melodies, the more I began to realize, no Christmas carols, not one. I waited and waited, but to no avail. All the familiar songs were tossed around: I'll be Home for Christmas, Frosty the Snowman,Jingle Bells, but there was no: O Holy Night, Joy to the World, or O Come All Ye Faithful. Wow, no Christmas Carols at Christmas time? I was taken off gaurd, eager to enter into the season in both fun-filled lyrics and worshipful song. After a while, I felt empty, and actually quite exhausted. (I think I heard Rockin' around the Christmas Tree too many times in too short a span. Too much rockin' for nothin'.)

I know taking Jesus out of the season is not a new idea; Christmas is being stripped down to a mere happy holiday, year by year.We've seen it happen in our school system, in our mainstream stores, and in our social settings. Jesus is pushed aside, yet the holiday hooplah carries on. I liken it to attending an exquisite wedding without the bride and groom, or throwing a huge graduation party without the graduate. When the guest of honor is absent, these events are reduced to a large crowd of meaningless amusement. So is Christmas without Christ.

Truth be known, I think we should not expect the non-believer to celebrate Christ during this season. Why would a secular company chose to bear His Name? Or why would a main-stream radio station proclaim His good news? Of course, it saddens me to see our Christian heritage becoming a thing of the past. And, I'm sure it grieves the Lord as well.

But, I think what might grieve God more is when we, the believer, diminish Him at Christmas. How? By getting caught up in the hustle and bustle and expense of the season, by spinning from one activity to the next, by making a list and checking it (more than!) twice, by being so full of the season that there is no room to let Him in. So Christian, let's not worry so much about the world and it's predictable behavior of diminishing the holy-days. Instead, let's look within:

First, look into your own heart. Take quiet reverential time to acknowledge Jesus; proclaim one of His many Names in praise; carry this Name with you all day long.
Second, acknowledge Jesus in your home; share this heartfelt Name (from your quiet time) with your spouse and with your children.
Third, acknowldege Jesus in your "world." Give this Name to your neighbor, your co-worker, or your friend.

Keep His Name pulsating through your heart, your home, and your world, day after day, all season long.Your small voice from a sincere heart of faith in Christ Jesus will ring louder than any half-hearted banner or any seasonal red cup. I am certain, as the "secular Merry Christmas sayings" fade away to nothing, the faith-filled voices will not stop singing; they will rise in triumph and in adoration, worshiping Jesus as the Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace… the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings, the Lord of lords…the image of the invisible God…the head over all rule and authority…Immanuel, which translated means, "God with us". (Is. 9:6, I Tim. 6:15, Col. 1:15, Col. 2:10, Matt. 1:23)

Christian, as the world goes silent, 'tis the Season…to sing to the world.

Good Christian men, rejoice

With heart and soul and voice

Now ye hear of endless bliss

Joy!Joy!

Jesus Christ was born for this

He hath ope'd the heav'nly door

And man is blessed evermore

Christ was born for this 

Christ was born for this.

                                                                             (John Mason Neale, 19th century)

*3 Directional tools for you during this Christmas Season, located on the sidebar of my website:www.respitefortheweary.com:
1. Christmas Devotional: Who is this Jesus, and Why did He Come? (starts Dec. 1st)
2. Older Christmas posts: Celebrating Christmas
3. My new 365 day devotional book: The Heartbeat of God  

Every year at Christmas time I look forward to a few of my favorite things. It's what makes Christmas, Christmas. Here are three (of many) traditions that I cherish over the holiday season: love exchanged through Christmas cards, joy shared at family get-togethers, and peace given in quiet moments with my Savior. I think each of you can relate to one or all of these Christmas traditions.

I John 1:7

But have you ever thought why certain things are our favorites? What is the deeper root, or the  foundational rock of the different traditions at Christmas? Could it be that we are made in the image of God and that He is the originator of the beautiful things that we habitually do this time of year? I believe so… A long, long, long time ago, God spoke to the Israelites: These are the appointed feast of the Lord, which you are to proclaim as sacred assemblies (Lev. 23:1). These feasts were to be celebrated every year, generation after generation. And all these feasts pointed to…Jesus. So, we humans are not the originator of traditions, or the author of Christmas for that matter! Perpetual acts of celebrating are a God-designed decree; and it pleases Him. He is the author of love and joy and peace and fellowship and family and faith.

    So over this next week, invite Him into a few of HIS favorite things. Dig deeper into these traditions and stretch your arms wider with His love that is ever present and that conquers all; then, hear Him rejoice over you with singing (Zeph 3:17).

‍

A holiday tradition in the Baxter home is for all of us to load up together in the truck and head toward the local Christmas tree lot. A tree is picked from the selection, put in the truck-bed, and then placed in the corner of our living room. All of this is done in cheerful merriment of the holidays. (Ok, not all of us are cheerful all of the time, but it sounded good).

Our tree stood bare for a night and a day before we decorated it this year. The evergreen branches have a stark beauty all on its own. But, of course, a Christmas tree is meant to be decorated! So, three of the six of us decorated it together last night. The other three in the family obviously had had enough merriment during the tree-selection process…bah-hum-bug.

As we decorated, I was reminded of a life lesson that I have taught my kids on different occasions. The lights and ornaments are inanimate, of course, but we can learn something from them. For example, these objects don’t “look” around and about themselves, wishing they were made differently. They just display their own unique creativity. Also, they don’t “fret” over their postition, wondering why “that ornament over on the other side of the tree gets to hang in a higher spot”. No, the lights and ornaments are content to contribute to the work of art as a whole; but at the same time, their individual spot on the tree is beautiful because of them. As I placed each unique ornament on the tree in it’s designated branch, I thought of how the Christmas tree is a beautiful picture of the body of Christ working together.

Just like the ornaments, we are each a beautiful creation. Both time and care were put into the manufacturing of the intricate items placed on the tree. Likewise, we are fearfully and wonderfully made (Ps. 139:14).

And just like the ornaments, as well as the lights, we all have a place to rest, a place to display our beauty, a place to contribute to the whole design. But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift…for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ (Eph. 4:7, 12).

So when you look at your tree this year, think of the body of Christ. You have a unique ability in sharing a universal purpose: to shine your light… and to display God’s glory. And you have a specific place in which to do it. Don’t wrestle, just rest. Hear your Creator and Positioner say, “You are precious in My sight…you are honored and I love you.” (Isaiah 43:4). Merry Christmas.

‍

The familiar line of the Christmas story goes....And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. (Luke 2:7)

"Knock, knock."
"Who's there?"
"Jesus."
"Jesus who?"

When Joseph and Mary went knocking on the doors of the homes and inns of Bethlehem, they were shut out, one at a time. If these residents and inn owners had only known just Who it was they were pushing away, would things have played out differently?

For example, if Joseph had said about the soon-to-be-babe, "It's Jesus, Prince of Peace," would they have let the young desperate couple inside? And then, if they had entered for the night, I wonder if all guests inside the inn would have been invaded with a calm serenity like they had never experinced before.

Or, if Joseph had exclaimed about the coming-infant, "It's Jesus, Savior of the World," would some home-owner have quickly prepared Joseph and Mary a room? And then, would each individual there in that house have felt a lift in their spirit from their personal burdens, as well as a holy protection from evil and darkness?

Or, what if Mary desperately shouted in the streets about her expected child, "It's Jesus Immanuel--'God with us'!"? Would each one of the Bethlehem inn-keepers have turned their places inside-out in order to provide a place for God's presence to be within his establishment? If so, on that glorious night, would all the inhabitants have experienced life that is truly life? (I Timothy 6:19).

Sadly, these home-owners and inn-keepers were unaware of just Who was knocking at their door. But the good news is, we do know! The vital question is this: what are we going to do with Jesus, because He isknocking, and He doeswant in.

Let's not shut Him out any longer; let's allow Him into our individual hearts. And then, let's together, one by one, let Him back into our homes... let Him back into our schools... let Him back into our country. He is the Light of the World....and in Him there is no darkness at all. (I John 1:5). Why do we keep choosing darkness?

Hear His words, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock, if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me." (Rev. 3:20)

"Knock, knock."
"Who's there?"
"Jesus."
"Jesus who?"
"Jesus Prince of Peace, Savior and Protector, Light of the World... God with us. Can I come in?"

Here we are in the beginnings of the Christmas season, and I already feel surrounded by lots of the swirling and twirling activities that accompany the season. Every year, I have to keep my heart in check, and consciously choose to Whom or what I will give my devotion. (Devotion: love, loyalty, or enthusiasm for a person, activity, or a cause.) Will I choose Jesus or will I choose the season?

I invite you to join me in reading the 25-day devotional, "Who is this Jesus and Why did He Come?". Each day, 5 defining verses are provided for you to "be still in" during the rush of the holy-days. This small booklet can be found on-line at www.respitefortheweary.com.

He is so much more than a baby in a manger! Find out this Christmas, that it's really not about our initial devotion to Him; rather, it's about His Christmas devotion to us...