It was October, and Christmas catalogs had already begun to arrive. When we went to town, my granddaughters were thrilled to notice Christmas displays in the stores. They begged to wander the aisles that sported both the latest Christmas gifts and indoor and outdoor decorations.
I, however, felt rather appalled to be bombarded so early in the year with the commercialism of Christmas. One thing had to be said, though: marketers are certainly intentional when it comes to planning promotions for the season. They know how to plan and then launch those plans to get people's attention.
As I considered this, I thought about God's intention regarding Christmas. He planned it, even before the creation of the world. God is timeless. He knows all things. He knew that we would sin and need a Savior to cleanse us of our sins and restore us to a right relationship with Him.
God's intention for Christmas, the coming of Christ, was there from the beginning. We see the first foretaste of that intention in Genesis 3:15 when the Lord states that He will put enmity between the serpent and the woman and between the serpent and the woman's offspring. He will crush the serpent's head, and the serpent will crush His heel.
In fact, several Old Testament prophecies predict the birth of Christ. Isaiah 7:13-14 tells us that Christ will be born out of the house of David to a virgin. Jeremiah 23:5-6 predicts the righteousness of Christ, who will be a King and save His people. Micah 5:2 states that He would be born in Bethlehem. Yes, God planned; He had an intention when it came to the first Christmas. Then He promoted the fact that Christmas, the salvation of the people, was coming by getting the people's attention through the prophets.
As I considered these things, I was challenged with how intentional my Christmas plans are. Or are they? How much attention do I really devote to the celebration of the birth of the Savior compared to the time I spend buying, wrapping, sending, making, cooking, cleaning, decorating, and gathering? Where are the eyes of my heart focused? Are they on the Christ child and what His coming meant for the whole world, including me, or have the intentional plans of commercialism diverted my focus?
God's plans for the first Christmas were intentional. I pray that mine, as well as yours, may be likewise.
Lynne Phipps and her family live on a small hobby farm in the heart of Alberta, Canada’s farming country. She has been writing devotions for forty years and never tires of the spiritual correlation the Holy Spirit blesses her with. He uses normal everyday events and the behaviors of the multitude of glorious creatures He has brought across her path to point her to the truths of God. Lynne is a devotion writer for VineWords: Devotions and More, Christian Devotions, and The Illustrator.