It can happen to any one of us. The “glad tidings of great joy” can become yesterday’s news. Of course we would never say that. But we feel it. The tree is up, the lights are on, but the sparkle is gone. The holiday has lost its luster. There’s no jolly with the holly.
We know the meaning of Christmas. We know who Jesus is and what he came to do (see Matt. 1:21; Luke 2:11). We know we should be joyful, but we’re not. So what’s the problem?
Is it the pandemic? Should we chalk it up to being the “Covid Christmas of 2020”? Perhaps other circumstances have stolen our joy: financial hardship, the loss of a loved one, marital conflict, a bad breakup.
As difficult as these issues may be, they shouldn’t be able to steal our joy. After all, Jesus said, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).
Plus, for many of us, our circumstances aren’t that bad in the grand scheme of things. Truth is, we’ve simply grown accustomed to Christmas, and it just doesn’t feel all that special anymore.
The Real Problem
When Christmas loses its luster, when it no longer excites us, it’s because we have fallen into the rut of familiarity. We’ve lost our awe of God.
I preached on this theme a few weeks ago in a sermon on Hebrews 12:18-29. Verse 28 says, “let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe.” The greatness of our God should never cease to amaze us.
But, sadly, the sacred can become all too familiar and commonplace to us. The distinguished Princeton professor and theologian B. B. Warfield warned his students,
As the average man breathes the air and basks in the sunshine without ever a thought that it is God in his goodness who makes his sun to rise on him, … [so] the words which tell you of God’s terrible majesty or of his glorious goodness may come to be mere words to you….
It is your great danger. But it is your great danger only because it is your great privilege.
The very atmosphere of your life is these things; you breathe them in at every pore: they surround you, encompass you, press in upon you from every side. It is all in danger of becoming common to you! God forgive you, you are in danger of becoming weary of God!
Paul Tripp included this quote in chapter 8 of his book, Dangerous Calling. Its geared to pastors, but applies to all believers — especially those who know their Bibles well.
Tripp then provides a helpful analogy:
Artists talk of the dynamic of visual lethargy, which means that the more you see something, the less you actually see it. On that drive to work the first day, you are conscious of all the sights and sounds…. But by your twentieth trip, you’ve quit noticing…. The beauty that once attracted you is still there to see, but you don’t see it, and you cannot celebrate what you fail to see.
You cannot celebrate
what you fail to see.
To make matters worse, we turn our eyes to that which we most naturally and sinfully see: Ourselves. Things.
Yet Jesus came so that we might no longer live for ourselves but for him who loved us and gave himself for us (see 2 Cor. 5:15; Gal. 2:20). As Paul Tripp points out, “any glorious thing in creation was given that glory by God so it would function as a finger pointing you to the one glory that should rule your heart — him.”
So how do we get our awe of God back? How do we put the sparkle back in Christmas? How do we get to the place where we once again “stand amazed in the presence of Jesus the Nazarene”? Tripp writes,
I don’t have a set of strategies for you here. My counsel is to run now, run quickly, to your Father of awesome glory. Confess the offense of your boredom. Plead for eyes that are open to the 360-degree, 24/7 display of glory to which you have been blind. Determine to spend a certain portion of every day in meditating on his glory. Cry out for the help of others. And remind yourself to be thankful for Jesus, who offers you his grace even at those moments when that grace isn’t nearly as valuable to you as it should be.
Note: Just hours after I published this article, Erik Raymond wrote a terrific piece on The Gospel Coalition website that serves as a perfect “sequel” to my devotional. Plus he shares some great insight on what could otherwise be a confusing Christmas carol. So I joyfully commend to you Erik’s article, What If I’m Not a Merry Gentleman?