Toxic haste

The pastor was preaching his annual Christmas sermon about the shepherds watching their flocks by night. A little boy leaned over to his mother in the church pew, whispering, "I know the shepherd's name."

He had mom's attention. She whispered to her intuitive son, "How do you know his name?"

"It says so in the Bible. My Sunday School teacher says they went with haste."

The shepherds went to Bethlehem with haste. After Angels lit the sky, delivering the message of the baby born in Bethlehem they had to go and see what had been made known to them (Luke 2:16.) Nothing else mattered. They set out with great haste.

Haste is a word that describes a focused sense of energy, action, and purpose. Yet in our day haste can degrades to frenzy and panic. Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year. Unfortunately, it can also be one of the most stressful. Making gifts and parties perfect. Those who have a few precious days off for Christmas pay for them the days before and following. One survey reported that twenty-five percent of Americans would rather skip Christmas. Instead of shock, you might think, "That is not a bad idea."

As one of the recovering twenty-five percent, I have adopted two strategies that have reinvigorated my enthusiasm for Christmas. For starters, I've learned to say no. No, we don't need a Christmas program every weekend in December. No, I don't need to attend a Christmas party every weekend in December. No, we don't have to buy things they don't need, so they have something to unwrap. Of course, I cannot say no to everything I want to. But choosing what to say no to is freeing.

I've also decided what I wanted to say yes to. So I say yes to making Christmas cookies. Yes, I want to watch a Christmas movie. Yes, I want to be a part of the Christmas Eve service. Even if I do not wish to attend Great Aunt Betty's sister's twice-removed Christmas party, choosing to say yes has released that heavy feeling of obligation and dread.

Christmas should be a time of haste, not panic and frenzy. "Haste to bring him laud." Haste to gather together. Haste to come and see what has been revealed. Haste to know Jesus, God with us.