Celebrating Everything Except the Real Reason?

Speaker A00:00:28

Do you know the real reason for Christmas? You might be thinking, Ralph, wait a minute. This is a Christian finance show. Of course I know the real reason for Christmas. But listen to this.Here's some statistics that we found preparing for today's show. The Pew Research Center, a big research think tank, found that 46% of Americans say they celebrate Christmas as primarily a religious holiday.But here's the problem. That means that 54% don't. And here's the other problem. That's down from 51% back in 2013.And the Ipso survey, another big survey house, said 75% of Americans agree. Listen to this one. They agree that people have forgotten the real meaning of Christmas. We got a problem here, don't we?Which leads me to today's listener question. And I love this. When I got this one, I said, we're doing a show about this, Ralph.Every year I say I'll slow down and focus on the real meaning of Christmas. But between shopping, bills and travel, it always slips away.Ralph, how can I actually prepare my heart to celebrate Jesus instead of just surviving December? There's so much emotion in that. But I get it.Because everywhere you look, the stores, the ads, even our own calendars, Christmas has become for so many of us, a season of stress, a season of anxiety, a season of just financial woe. And there's no peace to it anymore. But there is a solution to this.If we prepare our hearts differently, I really believe this, we can recover the joy that started in a humble manger. Let's just go back and think about that.So let's talk today on the show about the real reason for this season and how we can get back to that humble manger.

Speaker B00:02:09

This is Financially Confident Christian, your daily dose of gospel, grounded insight and faith driven tips to to help you break the cycle of financial shame with confidence.

Speaker A00:02:21

Hello and welcome to the show. My name is Ralph. I'm so happy you chose to join me. You landed today in the middle of our series of how to find joy in Christmas without going broke.And my goal every day on the show is to help you break that cycle of financial shame and do it with confidence. And the holidays it brings on. So many people are dealing anxiety and fear and shame.And I hate to say this, but the statistics today said something deep. So many of us have lost a real reason for the season. I've seen this. I'm a Christian, I'm an accountant, and I'm a father.And I've seen how finances and schedules can steal the focus away from Faith during the holidays. I'm going to tell you a funny story about my youngest, and I talk about him on the show sometimes. Now I say, youngest, this dude is 6, 7.He's a big guy, full beard. But anyway, I'll tell you a funny story. When he was a kid, we had celebrated this thing called Advent.Now, if you're a Catholic, you understand Advent. As a Protestant, it's not a big thing for me, but it's a cool thing. Anyway. Basically, Advent works like this. You celebrate several days of.They call it an Advent calendar. And so my wife wanted to get the kids something cool. She went out and bought this wooden box, and it was basically a wooden Advent calendar.And here's what she would do. It had a little door for each day, and she would put little gifts in there.And let me tell you right now, my youngest son, man, he was like, I love this. This is the coolest thing ever. But here's the problem. When he's 22 years old, he still thinks this is the coolest thing ever.And I guess it was last year at Christmas. We were putting out the Christmas gifts, and he said to his mom, he said, mom, where's the wooden Advent box? And she goes, son, wait a minute.That was cool when you were a kid. He goes, oh, no, this is part of the Christmas tradition, Mom, I want to see it. She goes, oh, okay. Okay, fine. So she went to the basement.We weren't even going to put it out this year. We're kind of putting. This particular year we're going to put out just a couple things. We're doing some travel during Christmas, but he insisted.So my wife put out this. And it's a cool thing. It's a little wooden box. It's. Somebody made a beautiful piece, like an artwork, basically, is the best way to explain it.So she put it out. And he looks over and he says, but, mom, there's nothing behind each one of these doors. And I said, that's hilarious.And so it leads me to today's quote. And this comes from a woman named Janice. My dear Maida Terry, Christmas is not as much about opening our presents as opening our hearts.And think about that's a simple, profound reminder of the real reason for Christmas. My son didn't get it at the time. He since figured it out. It's not what's under the tree. It's not what's in that Advent calendar.It's not those little gifts, but it's really the presence of Christ in our hearts. And I just want you to lean into that today as we talk about how do we celebrate the real reason for this particular Christmas season?First thing I'm going to encourage you to do, simplify your calendar. Sometimes you just got to say no because those things that you're doing dates are draining you.So many people are running themselves ragged during the Christmas season. I got to go do this. I got to go this. I got this work party. I got to go do this. And they drive themselves crazy.But when you say yes to peace, when you say yes to rest, that's what brings your family closer to Christ. If you want to get back into the reason for the season, bring your family closer to Christ. Second thing, a little bit of financial talk here.Avoid that Christmas creep. Now, this isn't the creep that sneaks up and steals your presence. This is that financial creep. You might be saying, ralph, how do I do that?Well, I'm a big believer in intentional spending, so decide ahead of time. This is a great time to do it. We're in November. That's why I'm doing this series.Decide ahead of time how much you're going to spend, how much you're going to give. Don't forget to giving. That's a big part of this. But be intentional in it. That will help you remember the reason for the season.Here's another big thing you can do, and I'm embracing this myself. Read one verse or devotional every morning. Those small moments can help you focus and keep your heart alive because it's so.Listen, we all are surrounded by noise from all directions this holiday season. The buy one, get one free sales that you got to have this sale and the social media, the glitter and all that stuff.But man, how many times do we just reflect on the real reason Christ being given to us? A baby laying in a manger. Which leads me to this. If you're going to give, and I'm not saying don't give, but think about relational giving.What are you talking about, Ralph? Write letters to other people. I mentioned this on the show a couple weeks ago.That gift box that my wife did where she wrote a letter to each one of us that made a mark on our hearts. Share meals with other people. Give your time.Because the truth is those gifts are going to last longer than anything that's wrapped anything that you're going to buy in a store, those things are going to last a lifetime. And last but not least, and I've leaned into this so many times, you're probably Ralph, if I hear it again, I'm going to snap.It's all about your presence over those presents. See, the most memorable Christmas moments are the simplest ones that you share in love. Which leads us to our Bible verses.I actually got two again today. You're like Ralph, you get a lot of two day Bible verses. But listen, this is the season, right?First one comes to us from the book of Luke, chapter 2, verse 10. This is the Bible birth story. You're going to recognize it. But the angel said to them, do not be afraid.I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in a town of David, a savior has been born to you. He is the Messiah, the Lord. See, that's the reason for the season.You want to focus on the reason for season? Read the book of Luke. Read the birth of Jesus. I get so frustrated when I hear happy holidays all over the place.I almost feel like this is a happy Christ. Sounds kind of silly, right? But it's truth. That's the point of Christmas. Celebrate what you want. You can celebrate all the other holidays.Great, enjoy. But if you celebrate Christmas, read Luke 2:10. And this is our other Bible verse for day. Matthew 6:21.For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. What are you treasuring this holiday? Are you treasuring the gifts? Are you treasuring the decorations?Are you treasuring all the nonsense around Christmas? Are you treasuring Christ? I'm going to challenge you today. Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.How about we pray together right now?Because we need to pray today, Lord, we just thank you and help us to see that our heart needs to be focused on the gift of Jesus, not the pressure of the season. It's so easy to get caught up in the busyness of the holidays, Lord.So give us wisdom to manage our time and manage our money with peace and with purpose, understanding the real reason for the holiday. And Lord, we just want you to help us to have gratitude for the greatest gift that we could have ever received.There's no one going to ever outdo you, Lord, and that's your son, Jesus Christ. So help us to lean into that today and through all the holiday season that it's all about that birth of Christ. And we ask this in the name of Christ.Amen. So here's my action item for you today.I want you to block all 15 minutes tonight or later today and I want you to just sit down quietly and pray and ask this to the Lord. Say, Lord, what would you have me to focus on this Christmas, just think about that. Just pray to that Lord.What would you have me to focus on this Christmas? And write down your answers. Commit to it. Just lean into that. But ask him what he wants you to focus on. Because listen.When you're quiet and you listen, he'll tell you what this is and what you should listen to this holiday season. And listen. If this episode has reminded you of the real reason for Christmas, I would like to encourage you to share with somebody else.We see from the statistics that 50 plus percent people don't understand the real reason for Christmas. And this show can help them understand that.And you may never know whose heart might have been reminded that Christmas isn't about that rush, but about the redeemer. Just send them to our website. You can send them to financiallyconfidentchristian.com, have them listen to this again.Send a link to a friend, send them a text, send them an email, call them and say, hey, listen, I want you to listen to this because here's the thing. Christmas isn't something we've got to endure that's terrible. It's something we gotta celebrate.And when we clear the clutter from our hearts, peace will take its rightful place. Remember, the best give you can give is your presence rooted in his presence. So look upward, not to the sides.Be a financially confident Christian today. Stay financially savvy, God bless you, and you have a great day today.