There I was, in JC Penneys, riding the escalator to the bottom floor. The mall was a-flurry with shoppers and sellers, all with deadlines—3 days till Christmas! All except me, of course. When I shop at Christmastime, I go when I have plenty of time to enjoy the moment, allowing no sense of rush. 

So that day as I shopped, I hummed along to the Christmas carols that were playing. On my ride down the escalator I think the song was “O Holy Night”. The verse had played and now the dramatic chorus was being sung by the rich voices of an amazing choir. “Fall on your knees, oh hear the angel voices! Oh night divine! Oh night when Christ was born. Oh night divine!…” As I listened, my soul was caught up in the wonder of the God of the Universe sending His Son to earth to be a vulnerable baby. Jesus came for one purpose, to die for our sins so that we could live with Him forever. Such love! Such amazing grace! The wonder of God sending Jesus from Heaven to show mankind His glory, His love, His power, His grace…that truly is awesome!

Inspired by the words of the song, I was no longer humming, but now quietly joining in, singing about the truly divine night, picturing the host of angels singing in the night sky to an audience of lowly shepherds. When I arrived at the bottom of the escalator I stepped off and rounded the corner, only to see a bigger-than-life Rudolph! My mind’s picture of the heavenly host had just collided with a reindeer with a flashy red-nose!  And right there in the store I had to laugh. I laughed because I thought, “This season is all about an epic, real-life story of God saving mankind by placing His Son in a manger! Baby Jesus’ birth announcement involved an angelic choir, and here we are, caroling up and down the mall, singing about the glowing nose of a reindeer! Don’t get me wrong, I love those songs! I sang about Santa and snowmen and Rudolph every year with my kids.  But you have to admit, the contrast between the truth of why we celebrate, and what we have turned that celebration into is pretty ridiculous!

Oh that those who have never yet met the Savior would seek Him, just as the wise men made an epic journey in search of the King who was born. They weren’t disappointed, and neither are we when we find Him. And He has made Himself oh-so-findable! 

God said, “And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:13

Heavenly Father, thank You for the extravagant way in which You have demonstrated Your love for us. You gave Your Son. Leaving Heaven was, by itself, an unimaginable sacrifice. But the purpose of Jesus’ coming to earth, so that He could die to take away our sin so we could live with You forever, truly there could never be a greater love, a greater sacrifice, a greater wonder!How we love you! How we adore you!  May the light of Your love draw many to find You during this Christmas season. Amen

P.S. How does one go about seeking for Jesus, the Savior of the World? Pray! That just means to talk to God as if He is listening…because He is! Tell Him you want to know Him. Also, since God revealed Himself through His Word, read the Bible. It’s made up of 66 books. Though you can start anywhere, I would recommend reading the first book in the Old Testament, Genesis, and reading the fourth book of the New Testament, John. Finally, ask God to help you find a church in your area where you will find pastors and church leaders who can answer your questions. Once you find Him, you will know that Jesus is the very best gift of all! Merry Christmas!