How Christmas Was Deeper This Year

Friday, December 22, 2023

Photo by Kym MacKinnon on Unsplash

I love Christmas. I know I provide a source of either humor or annoyance by posting a countdown to Christmas on my Facebook page on the 25th of each month. On Monday, I look forward to putting on my page, “Zero months until Christmas!”

This Christmas season has been more melancholy than previous ones. We've spent the majority of the time getting our son ready to head off to basic training at the Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, knowing that we will only be able to visit him via FaceTime on Christmas morning.

We've also had two funerals at our church between Thanksgiving and Christmas, adding to the difficulties that this season can bring. Death is never easy, but having it happen during the holidays often connects to the association of loss that makes death all the more difficult.

I could go on but I want to tell you how grateful I am for how deep this Christmas has been for me.

First, I found a wonderful Christmas devotional.

O Come, O Come Emmanuel: A Liturgy for Daily Worship from Advent to Epiphany by Jonathan Gibson served as a great daily read, connecting me with Scripture, Advent hymns, quotes from faithful preachers of the Word, and much more. Seeing how believers worshiped this same Christ in spirit and truth over the centuries, trusting in His unchanging Word, helped me to cut through the commercialism and melancholy mood that descended upon us during the holidays.

C.H. Spurgeon's Good Tidings of Great Joy: Christ's Incarnation the Foundation of Christianity was published by Banner of Truth Trust in 2023. As you know, Spurgeon is my pastor. I've written about him academically, having my dissertation published this past year with another book coming out next Spurgeon called All-Around Spurgeon via Acoma Press. Even with this, Spurgeon never grows old with me. His deep theology coupled with his helpful illustrations allow me to understand Christ and His Word better. These have 38 devotions to bring you to the front step of what Christmas is truly about.

This Spotify channel has no “Winter Wonderland" or “Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire" or anything like it. These are timeless carols that sing about the birth of Christ from a biblical perspective. I needed this. With my son heading off to basic, with the loss of friends, and with countless other matters happening that life brings, I need truth! These songs remind me of the incarnation of Christ and provide that anchor for my soul. I'd also recommend this:

This came out in 2020 during the pandemic. We were all in a daze as to what the world had become and what it would be like moving forward. I'm grateful that the Gospel Coalition released this when they did--it was a salve to my soul and a reminder that God still remained on His glorious throne. The truths of Advent and Christmas were driven home even more: “A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices.” Yes!

What has Christmas looked like for you? I pray it’s filled with the joy and hope of Christ!

Merry Christmas to you all!

Bare Forests will take a break from December 26 to January 2. Feel free to join us for our morning worship and our Christmas Eve services either at our website or on our Facebook page.