Christmas is definitely my favorite holiday. As the song says, the season is in many ways "the most wonderful time of the year" (Pola and Wyle, 1963). With the special food and festivities, the wonderful music, giving, and seeing friends and extended family, Christmas is a time when wonderful memories are made.
Sometimes I wonder, though; in the middle of all the ornaments, Christmas lights, and "'Tis the Season to be Jolly," have we forgotten the magnitude of this day? Yes, it is great for "parties for hosting, marshmallows for toasting, and caroling out in the snow." It's a wonderful time of year to give presents, sing carols, and visit family. But this is not what makes Christmas what it is.
Throughout his life, John Wesley encountered many dangerous situations (see source). Through it all, however, God kept him safe. As Wesley neared the end of his life, his friends gathered around him. Huddled close to hear him speak, they witnessed his last words: "The best of it is, God is with us!" Wesley understood that nothing we face - whether it is poverty, ill health, life's oft-changing circumstances, or even death itself - is out of God's control. As John Wesley left this world, he had no need to fear; his God was with Him, as He had been with him on earth.
As we celebrate Christmas, enjoying our family, the holiday food, and giving and receiving presents, let us remember that Christmas is more than songs, gifts, and gingerbread men. Christmas is about Christ - God's gift to us. This season is when we remember when God became man and lived among us, sharing our sorrows, filling our needs. He gave us the right to become children of God; He will always walk beside us in whatever we face in life - or death. In the midst of all our celebrations of this truly joyful time of year, let us remember that "The best of it is, God is with us!"
'""Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall call his name Immanuel"
(which means, God with us).'"
- Matthew 1:23
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