A Stress-free Christmas
Luke 10: 38-42
We’re late for caroling! Let’s go,” Cynthia Cutt shouted down the hallway to here teenage daughter. Her stress level had peaked. She was the choir director of our church, so Christmas was her busiest time of year. Sometimes it seemed like the preparations were never done. I’ll be glad when work is all over and my Christmas can really start, I thought on the way to church. The carolers were assembled inside. “Can we sing ‘Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer’?” a little boy asked. “I lost my glove!” “Can we go over the harmony again?” I ran around dealing with all the last-minute problems. Finally it was time to go. We hit the streets and broke into “Silent Night” at our first house. An elderly couple opened the door. While we sang, the man put his arm around his wife and hugged her close. We’ve brought Christmas to their door, I thought. That’s when I realized that I’d just experienced all the elements of the holiday—joy, peace and giving to others. I had been rushing so Christmas could begin, but it had been all around me the whole time. Perhaps no other time of year is more stressful than during Christmas
What’s amazing is that the one who brought peace in our lives and who’s birthday and coming we celebrate only seems to stress us out. Isaiah had predicted the Messiah would be the Prince of Peace. Jesus said to the disciples, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you…Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” John 14:27 And throughout the Gospels, Jesus says to the disciples, “Peace be with you.” And yet, you look at most people’s lives during the holidays and there is anything but peace.
But what really is peace? When we hear the word peace, we usually associate this to mean an absence of war. But, the Hebrew meaning of the word shalom has a much deeper meaning. It literally means "to be complete or whole" or "to live well." It can mean wholeness of life and body as in your health. It can also mean a right relationship between people. When we talk about personal peace, we think of a life free from internal and external strife. There’s the story of a man who sought the perfect picture of peace. Not finding one that satisfiedhim, he announced a contest to produce this masterpiece. The challenge stirred the imagination of artists everywhere, and paintings arrived from far and wide. Finally day of selection arrived. The judges uncovered one peaceful scene after another, while the viewers clapped and cheered. But none were selected. The tension grew. Only two pictures remained veiled. As a judge pulled the cover from one, a hush fell over the crowd. A mirror-smooth lake reflected lacy, green birches under the soft blush of the evening sky. Along the grassy shore, a flock of sheep grazed undisturbed. Surely this was the winner. Then he uncovered a second painting, and the crowd gasped in surprise. A tumultuous waterfall cascaded down a rocky precipice; the crowd could almost feel its cold, penetrating spray. Stormy-gray clouds threatened to explode with lightning, wind and rain. In the midst of the thundering noises and bitter chill, a spindly tree clung to the rocks at the edge of the falls. One of its branches reached out in front of the torrential waters. A little bird had built a nest in the elbow of that branch. Content and undisturbed in her stormy surroundings, she rested on her eggs. With her eyes closed and her wings ready to cover her little ones, she manifested peace that transcends all earthly turmoil. This is the type of peace Jesus seeks to bring in our lives, a peace that when the world around us seems to be in utter chaos and we can experience utter tranquility. It’s the peace Paul spoke of in Phil. 4:7 “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Where does peace come from? The Bible is very clear that it comes from Jesus. And Jesus himself says that he comes to bring peace. In fact, God commands us to seek peace. Psalm 34:14 says, “seek peace and pursue it.” Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” We should “make every effort to do what leads to peace. Peace comes from a quiet conscience. When the lives we lead do not match up with the faith we profess, it leads to discontinuity in our lives and that creates tension and stress. But when they do mtach up and we have integrity in our lives, there is a peace and tranquility which descends on us. So the first thing we can do is ask ourselves whether our life matches our faith and our talk matches our walk and if there is discontinuity, we need to address that.
Peace comes from a surrendered will. Stress comes when we struggle with God’s will because we want to follow our own will. And each decision and circumstance leads to the same struggle of whether we will decide for our will or God’s will. And surrender isn’t a one-time event. Instead, it is a continual surrendering to the will of God. I am continually putting to death my will, my values, my wants, my priorities by surrendering to the will of God. It is only when we die to self that we can then get out of the stress of deciding between our will and God’s for each decision because we’ve already made the decision.
Peace comes from a hopeful heart. For more than 600 years, Israel had known nothing but occupation and slavery. And through all that time, they looked forward to the coming of the Messiah. They subsisted on hope. The Psalmist put it this way (74:14) says, “But as for me, I will always have hope.” We can have hope because we worship an awesome God who is always in control. This time of year, we not only look forward to celebrating the birth of the Christ child, we also use this time to look forward to the second coming of Jesus and the establishment of His kingdom here on earth. We have the promise that God is always with us. So no matter what we face, we have hope. 1 Peter 1:13 says, “In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”
Peace comes from loving fellowship, both with God and with others. It is through Jesus Christ that we have been reconciled to God and it is through him that our relationship with God, which was broken by sin, has now been restored. It is this reconciliation and fellowship with God which leads us to a loving and supportive fellowship with others. and In fact Jesus prayed that “they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.” John 17:23
Peace from the right priorities. In our Scripture today, we have the story of Jesus dropping by with the disciples at the home of three of his closest friend’s homes, Mary, Martha and Lazarus. Now wouldn’t that stress you out to have Jesus stop by your home unannounced? Martha immediately goes into the kitchen to begin fixing a meal while Mary goes in and sits with Jesus to enjoy his company. Martha gets so frazzled and upset that she goes to Jesus and says, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone?” Jesus’ response is: “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” The Greek word for ‘worried’ literally means “ripped up inside.” Jesus is basically saying, Mary you’re getting so stressed out that you’re going to get an ulcer. Here I come to visit you and instead of being blessed, you’re stressed out.
The average American spends 42 hours a year on holiday activities. That's one standard work week spent shopping, wrapping, and returning presents, attending holiday parties, and traveling from place to place. So how can you avoid the stress trap of the holidays? Realize you can’t do everything. We get stressed out when we try to do too much during the holiday season. How do you know what is most important? Six principles. First is the God principle. Is it pleasing to God? Second is the home principle. Is it best for my family? Third is the time principle. Does it have eternal value? Fourth is the influence principle. Does is bless other and help me make disciples? Fifth is the potential principle: does it utilize my gifts? Sixth is the people principle: will it help me connect with others and build relationships? When you set your priorities and know what is important then you know what to say yes to and what to say no to.
Mary knew that spending time with Jesus and being in his presence was the most important thing in that moment and so she chose the better part and we need to as well. First, take time for God. This time of year seems to race out of control toward a Christmas finish line and he thought of adding space for spiritual reflection during the Advent season often seems overwhelming. There are so many tasks that need to be done, so many expectations to meet, how could we possibly add one more thing to my life? But it’s during this chaotic season, we’re invited to take time to prepare ourselves spiritually for the coming of the Christ Child. And in fact, isn’t that what Christmas is all about: the Christ child and not the culture’s activities of a secular Christmas? We are to prepare our hearts, minds and spirits for God’s coming. So make time for God. That’s the challenge God gives us during this season of preparation. Take time out from our busyness to be with God. Make time for meditation, prayer, scripture study, and journaling. And in doing so, we can connect with God.
Second, simplify your decorations: a manger and a wreath, And maybe a few other small things around the house. You can so a tree if you want it but that’s a lot of trouble. If you do, make decorating the Christmas tree a soulful event. Play music that sets a Christmas tone, put some cider on the stove to warm, and let the answering machine pick up calls. When you string the lights, talk about the power of light in our lives, how we are beacons of God's light in the world and how you can be light in the world this Christmas pointing people to Jesus.
Third, take care of your health and well being. It may be the season to be jolly, but too much food and alcohol is harmful. Eat and drink in moderation. Get enough sleep, at least 8 hours each night and keep exercising regularly.
Fourth, make a budget and stick with it. Work out a budget of expected Christmas costs over and above your normal monthly costs. That includes gifts and increased bills for food and utilities. Then stick with it and try to pay cash for everything.
Fifth, remember whose birthday it is. It’s Jesus’ birthday! So don’t make Christmas about us and cut down on the shopping and gift giving. Choose to buy presents only for the children and limit the number of gifts given to them. Or have a Kris Kringle, where everyone draws a name out of a hat and buys a present only for that person. Set a limit on the cost of presents for each person. If you’re going to shop, shop early or buy your gifts over the Internet where they will wrap and mail it for you.
Sixth, slow down and take a breather. Make some time for yourself. Spending just 15 minutes alone each day, without distractions, may refresh you enough to handle everything you need to do. Take a walk at night and stargaze. Listen to soothing music. Find something that reduces stress by clearing your mind, slowing your breathing and restoring inner calm.
Seventh, stay connected, but not over-committed. The holidays are a great time to stay connected with family and friends. Getting together with loved ones and friends provides us with a great opportunity to relieve ourselves of some of our stress. Many of us, however, add to our stress levels by over-committing ourselves (and our loved ones) to social events this time of year. Do your best to avoid accepting every single invitation that comes your way.
But most important, stay connected to God during this season and allow His voice to drown out the voice and the hustle and bustle of the world around you.
