{"id":3970,"date":"2016-12-18T07:04:11","date_gmt":"2016-12-18T13:04:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sarahdamm.com\/?p=3970"},"modified":"2016-12-18T07:04:11","modified_gmt":"2016-12-18T13:04:11","slug":"rejoice-god-giving-christmas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/sarahdamm.com\/index.php\/2016\/12\/18\/rejoice-god-giving-christmas\/","title":{"rendered":"Rejoice! God is Giving Us Christmas!"},"content":{"rendered":"

This reflection is the fourth\u00a0in a four-part series that supplements the free\u00a0Advent prayer journal I am offering to email subscribers. You may read part one\u00a0HERE<\/a>,\u00a0part two\u00a0HERE<\/a>, and part three HERE<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

One more week, and we will be celebrating the birth of Jesus. Ready or not,\u00a0Christmas is coming.<\/p>\n

This Advent, we may have started out a bit weary, a bit sorrowful, a bit worn out. We heard Jesus’ invitation to come to Him for rest<\/a>, and we rested in His love, peace, and grace.<\/p>\n

Along the way, we took time\u2014even if it was a little bit here and there\u2014to be still<\/a> in Jesus’ presence. To receive all that He wanted to give us this Advent: rest, renewal, peace, and hope.<\/p>\n

As we traveled the slow pilgrimage to Bethlehem with Mary and Joseph, we experienced a purpose in our waiting for the Messiah. We discovered that waiting for and\u00a0with<\/em> the Lord is meaningful and fruitful<\/a>. We draw closer to the Lord, and we realize that we’re not alone. Ever.<\/p>\n

Today, our joyful expectation increases, as we light the fourth candle on our Advent wreath. Children break from school this week, and as we are checking our\u00a0to-do list one more time to see what’s left to do.<\/p>\n

Are you feeling overwhelmed\u00a0about\u00a0getting it all done? Do you feel like there is still too much to do? Is there an internal struggle between getting stuff done and keeping prayerful and focused on Christ? Does that struggle have to be there, or can our work and prayer be intertwined?<\/p>\n

I admit that I\u00a0fight anxiety on a daily basis. I try to be mindful of remaining in God’s presence and savoring these last Advent days. For me, anxiety can well up pretty quickly. And in my anxiety, I can swing from still wanting everything to look be “perfect”\u00a0to throwing up my hands, saying, “It is what it is. I can’t do anymore. I have nothing left to give.”\u00a0(Daily Advent Devotional for Women<\/a>)<\/i><\/p>\n

So,\u00a0this last Sunday\u00a0of Advent, I remember Jesus’ invitation to\u00a0come<\/em>. No matter what is still left to do, what is most important is that I\u00a0come<\/em> … I\u00a0still my anxiety<\/em> … I\u00a0wait with the Lord in hope<\/em> … and I rejoice. Christmas is coming! Ready or not!<\/p>\n

“You don’t have to earn Christmas, you don’t have to perform Christmas, you don’t have to make Christmas.”\u00a0(The Greatest Gift<\/a>)<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Over the next few days, I encourage us (myself included here!) to keep spending time in God’s presence. Here are five\u00a0simple ideas to keep the week focused on the real reason for this season: Jesus.<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Get up early and sit in the dark quiet with Jesus, only the Christmas lights on to illumine your conversation with Him.<\/li>\n
  2. Read the daily Gospel, and\u00a0listen to His desire to soothe your weary soul.<\/li>\n
  3. Reflect on\u00a0the O Antiphons<\/em>, which are alluded to in Advent Prayers for the Weary Woman<\/em><\/a>.<\/li>\n
  4. Go into a church or chapel on your\u00a0way to running errands, and spend some time in His presence. He is there. He is waiting just as much as we are waiting.<\/li>\n
  5. Invite Jesus and those present on the first Christmas\u00a0to accompany you in your tasks. Imagine Mary as your baking partner. How would she handle the sprinkles dumped on the floor and the mess of flour and the\u00a0endless dirty dishes? Maybe Joseph is there, as you wrap the gifts. Invite the wise men on your journey to find that last-minute gift.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Let go of the anxiety. Surrender the burden. Allow HIM to prepare your heart. Rest in Him; wait for Him; breathe easy in Him … God is giving us Christmas! He is giving us His Son wrapped in swaddling clothes. Oh! How worthy He is of our rejoicing!<\/p>\n

    “He who did not withhold his own Son, but gave up for all of us, will he not with him also give us everything else?”<\/em> (Romans 8:32)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

    If He gave us his beloved Son, He also will give us the grace to do what we need to do and let go of the rest. No matter what the outcome of our preparations, Pin-worthy or not, we can be open\u2014with wide arms and hearts\u2014to receive the greatest gift this Christmas, Jesus.\u00a0What more could we ask for?<\/p>\n

    Click HERE<\/a> for this week’s free printable. Have you received your\u00a0FREE Advent prayer journal<\/a>\u00a0for all email subscribers? We still have one week\u00a0of Advent, so it\u2019s definitely not too late to carve out some quiet time with\u00a0the Lord, before His arrival on Christmas! Jesus can do A LOT in a week\u00a0… all we have to do is come to Him.<\/p>\n

    \"Rejoice!<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    This reflection is the fourth\u00a0in a four-part series that supplements the free\u00a0Advent prayer journal I am offering to email subscribers. You may read part one\u00a0HERE,\u00a0part two\u00a0HERE, and part three HERE. *** One more week, and we will be celebrating the birth of Jesus. Ready or not,\u00a0Christmas is coming. This Advent, we may have started out a bit weary, a bit sorrowful, a bit worn out. We heard Jesus’ invitation to come to Him for rest, and we rested in His…<\/p>\n

    Read More Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3975,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[82],"tags":[25,26],"class_list":["post-3970","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-advent","tag-advent","tag-christmas"],"yoast_head":"\nRejoice! 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