It’s fun to see Christmas through the eyes of our children. During this time of year as we drive around at night, my children constantly are yelling out, “Christmas lights! Christmas lights!” They point out the different beautiful displays that they see along the trip. But while I still enjoy seeing the lights and other decorations that people have put up, the “wow factor” has kind of worn out for me. So it’s nice to have the kids around, to help remind me of what it all looks like through their eyes.
You see, it’s easy for us to forget the “wow factor” of the Christmas season, because we have experienced it all so many times before. And I think we have the same problem with the story of the Nativity from Scripture. We have already read, or listened to it hundreds of times over the years. We know it so well that we don’t really even pay attention anymore. It has lost a little bit of it’s “wow factor” for us, because we already know the story so well. But in reality it is no less incredible, just because we have heard it before. And knowing how it all works out from the perspective of the rest of Scripture should cause us to be all the more impressed with what is happening.
Do you ever find yourself underwhelmed at the idea of Christmas? Do you find yourself unamazed by the story of the Nativity? If so, then I want to encourage you to come to The River this Sunday. I will be looking at the Nativity once again, and trying to help us consider just how amazing it really was. But then we are going to move beyond the “wow factor” and talk about what we can apply to our lives from what we hear.