My son, along with his 3-year-old classmates, lined up at the back of the church, nervously awaiting their procession down the center aisle to take their place on the stage. It was the annual Christmas concert at his Christian preschool, and after weeks of practice, it was finally time to perform “Feliz Navidad” and ”Jingle Bells” for the proud parents.

But first, the head pastor of the church that hosts the preschool took the stage to welcome the families and offer a few thoughts on why we celebrate Christmas. “Welcome! It’s wonderful to be together today to celebrate the birth of Christ. But before the children perform, I’d like to offer a brief word of encouragement, which is this: Parents, please don’t keep Christ in Christmas.”

I’ll admit the preacher didn’t have my complete attention until that moment. I had a full day ahead of me, and my mind was on how I was going to get my older kids to all the places they needed to go and still navigate all the things I needed to do.

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While the pastor continued on about the bumper stickers we often see on cars at this time of year that say “Keep Christ in Christmas” I turned to my husband and asked, “Did the pastor really just say “Don’t keep Christ in Christmas?” Before he could respond, the pastor answered the question for me.

I can’t remember his precise words but his message clarified my confusion.

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“When parents pack up the Christmas decorations, they tend to put away Christ as well,” he said. “We tend to keep Christ in Christmas day alone. The invitation is to take Christ beyond your Christmas celebration and into your everyday lives.”

As the pastor concluded his message, I nodded my head in agreement and whispered a prayer of gratitude for a God who wants to go with me and chooses to dwell in me by His Spirit.

It’s the “wants to” that gets me. He loves us so much that He chose to enter our fallen world and broken lives in the humble form of a baby, His Son. But this is no ordinary Son. He is both God and man. He is Jesus, and every longing of the human heart finds its fulfillment in Him.

In John 10:10 Jesus said, “I came so you might have life, a great full life. My purpose is to give you a rich and satisfying life.”

Life! This is Christ’s gift to us.

He was born in a manger in Bethlehem to fulfill God’s perfect and pure law on our behalf so that we might walk in freedom from trying to do enough and be enough to secure God’s love and welcome.

If this is who He is and why He came, why do we put Him away with the Christmas décor? Maybe it’s because we’re more prone to think that Christ came to give us laws to follow rather than life to the fullest? But Jesus said, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” (Matt 5:17).

He was born in a manger in Bethlehem to fulfill God’s perfect and pure law on our behalf so that we might walk in freedom from trying to do enough and be enough to secure God’s love and welcome.

The Apostle Paul also attests to the freedom from the weight of the law that Christ came to offer when he wrote, “So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law.” (Gal 5:1)

These are just some of the gifts given to us in Christ.

Freedom from striving for God’s affection.

Life to the fullest.

Love that doesn’t waver based on our behavior.

Hope in hardship.

Peace that passes understanding.

Joy that isn’t contingent on our circumstances.

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This doesn’t mean we won’t continue to walk through trials and heartbreak on this side of heaven. Jesus assured us, “In this world, you will have trouble.” But, He continues, “Take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

To “Keep Christ in Christmas” is to miss out on the gifts Christ was born to give us. May 2020 be the year we choose not to put Christ back in the décor boxes in the basement but rather accept the invitation to live in real relationship with Him.

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