Can you believe that Christmas is right around the corner? There is so much to love about this season – and so much to do!
It’s so easy to get caught up in all that needs to be done and entirely miss out on celebrating Jesus ourselves.
So, here are five ways to prepare your heart for Christmas – so you don’t miss it.
Read the Christmas Story AND the Easter Story
What? Read the Easter story at Christmas?!
Yes! The Christmas story takes us to the Easter story. It’s why Jesus came. He came to die the death we deserved to die and then to rise in order to offer us the life we don’t.
Here’s a recommended reading plan that takes you through just a short passage every day for twenty-five days.
Memorize Scripture
Choose a couple of verses to memorize throughout the month of December that will help you remember and reflect on the good news of Christmas. (If you want an incredible app to help you memorize Scripture, I’d highly recommend the Verses app. It tracks every day that you spend five minutes or more memorizing and provides an incredible series of tools to make memorization easier.)
Here are a couple of verses you could memorize.
John 1:3-5
Isaiah 40:28
Philippians 2:5-7
Romans 6:22-23
Sing Christmas Songs
Who doesn’t love Christmas music? The answer is no one. The familiarity of Christmas songs, though, can numb us to the beauty and depth of the words.
So, take time to listen to and reflect on music that declares the incredible story of God come down.
Celebrate
Take time to celebrate – really celebrate. December is crazy. I know. But don’t save all of your celebrating until Christmas Day.
Get coffee with a friend and celebrate the community God has formed among His people. Serve outside of your ministry and celebrate that Jesus came to serve us. Enjoy a family dinner and celebrate that God has invited us to be a part of His family. Take the day off and celebrate that we don’t have to strive because Jesus accomplished what we never could.
There you have it! Four ways you can prepare your heart for Christmas. I hope and pray that you’ll invest in your own heart. You have the honor of sharing the incredible news of Jesus this Christmas – but don’t forget that doing things for Jesus isn’t the same as being with Jesus. Be with Him – and with His people – this Christmas.
