How to Keep Christ in Christmas
The Countdown to Christmas has begun! The chaos, the parties, the memory-making. At the writing of this blog, we are 36 days away! Perhaps you’re like me, and looking for a way to keep Jesus at the center of all of it. Here’s an excerpt from my Christmas devotional Fulfilled. It’s a great way to keep your heart focused on what Christmas is really all about. (The ebook will be on sale 11/25-12/2/25)
Silence Speaks (Day 3 from Fulfilled: A 28-Day Christmas Devotional)
Second Peter 3:9 “The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake…”
Between the event in the garden of Eden that ushered sin and brokenness into the world and the establishment of a new covenant of hope with the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus, there was a gap. Honestly, that sentence seems like an understatement. Even to me. And I’m sure for the people who lived through it, it felt more like divine punishment than divine design.
As we trace the narrative arc of Scripture, we inevitably come to this long period of silence. Following the Old Testament era, for four hundred years the nation of Israel, recovering from exile and captivity, waited without a word from God. Waited for God to speak to them again, while clinging to the words he had spoken through prophets and priests. Words that promised a Messiah. A Rescuer.
Depending on the season of life you find yourself in, you might desperately long for a little silence, but most of us would probably agree that silence from God often feels personal and painful. And you might be wondering why I would include a couple of devotions about silence in a week dedicated to connection.
As I was preparing to write this book, I noticed something interesting; silence surrounds the story of Jesus. It bookends it, as if silence itself is a herald if we have ears to hear it. To drive the point home, the Bible shows us other seasons of silence too. And always, God was up to something. Silence sowed seeds of longing into desperate hearts, that God would then water, as only he could, with miraculous and thunderous outpourings of his mercy and kindness.
– Zechariah was struck silent, unable to speak, before the birth of his son, John–the voice of thunder in the desert (Luke 1). In Zechariah’s silent season, his son was growing.
– Even more significantly, between Jesus’s crucifixion and his resurrection, between Good Friday and Easter, there were three long days of silence. In this silence, God’s magnificent plan of salvation was being sealed.
Perhaps silence is a significant part of our stories as well. Maybe this Christmas you find yourself in the midst of a silent season. Let me remind you today, friend, there is always purpose in God’s ways. May you find comfort today in the fact that he never wastes a season–even silent ones.
Pause & Reflect
Spend five minutes in total silence. Let God speak to you about an area where he has seemed silent. Is there something that the silence is teaching you?
Liked this sample? You can purchase the book here.