Where Are The Invitations?

This is not concerning the book I am currently reading, but I thought it is appropriate for the season!

This is a time of year when everyone’s schedules become so busy that many actually become physically ill from the stress of their schedules being so full. People are rushing around to stores, spending money for gifts, many times wondering how they are going to pay for all of this – how long is it going to take them to financially “recover” from the season. The fact that “Black Friday” exists is proof of the shopping frenzy that occurs at this time of the year.

Then, there are all the parties, programs, gatherings, and other celebrations. Of course, we are “expected” to attend all of them in order to keep from hurting anyone’s feelings or having anyone feel that you have “left them out”. We have various family members having parties; our workplaces are having parties; our friends and neighbors are having parties – and we are expected to find time in our schedules to attend all of them. Of course, we have to manage the time for this around our shopping, decorating, baking, and gift wrapping.
Sound familiar? It should – this is the time of the year we know to center around Christmas. This is that once a year madness that begins on Thanksgiving Day. As a matter of fact, in many cases, as we sit around the table for lunch or dinner with our families and friends on Thanksgiving Day, the conversation is mostly about Christmas. Who all is having a Christmas party? Are we playing Dirty Santa or drawing names? “Does anyone know what I can get Uncle Joe for Christmas – you know he has just everything!” Of course, you may or may not notice, that conversations regarding actual “Thanks” for our many blessings never occurs – but that is another story. This is just illustrating the length of time and magnitude of this Christmas season madness.

But, have you received your invitation? You may say – yes – more than I can accept and I cannot, for the life of me, figure out how I am going to make it to all the events that I have received invitations for. Perhaps you misunderstood my question – “Have your received your invitation – the only one that matters – your invitation to The birthday party?” OK – at this point, you stop and think – maybe scratch your head – your mind is racing. Your thinking turns to “Who did I forget?” – “Who is having a birthday?” – “How am I possibly going to fit yet another party into my schedule?”

How long will you ponder this question before it dawns on you that this whole season, which we have determined takes up roughly a whole month of our lives, is actually about the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ? So, in the midst of all the shopping, parties, programs, decorating, baking, sending out cards, gift wrapping and just plain being worn out – “Where are the invitations?”

Where is the invitation to Jesus’ birthday party?

Co authored by myself and and my friend, Bryan