Hurry Up!

December 22, 2022

Hurry Up!

Hurry, Hurry, Hurry! 

Most of us seem to be in a season of hurry up!  It’s hurry to get the house picked up, hurry to get the big meal prepared, hurry to get the last gift ready. 

Many of us are scrambling, running, and stewing.  We are anxious and worried about so many things so we just run harder and faster.  We are exhausted and Christmas is still four days away!

But, not all of the hurry and hustle and haste are a bad thing.  Sometimes our excitement and anticipation drive us to a deeper experience of love and joy.  There is an urgency and a rush to experience something more this Christmas.

Some shepherds were minding their business and invested in what had always been.  And then, something interrupted their lives and their routines.  Angels and light and singing filled the dark night sky with a love and joy and peace they had never before experienced.

The shepherds heard the good news that the Savior had been born in a small town located a few miles away.  In that moment, everything shifted.  Things were turned inside out and upside down.  The routines and traditions were no longer quite so important.

They were drawn to a new thing…to the best thing in life!  In Luke 2:16 we hear; “So they (the shepherds) went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child (Jesus) lying in the manger.”

The shepherds “went with haste” not because they were worried, not because they were trying to impress someone, and not because they wanted to maintain some long-standing tradition. 

They “went with haste” not because they wanted to be accepted, not because they were trying to earn someone’s love, and not because they were afraid what might happen if they did something different.

The shepherd “went with haste” and hurried and scrambled because they felt a sense of urgency to draw near to the Savior.  This is the meaning of Christmas! 

The angels prepared the heart of Mary to draw near to the Savior. 

The angels prepared the mind of Joseph to draw near to the Savior. 

The angels prepared the souls of the shepherds to draw near to the Savior.

That was the reason everyone rushed around to see the Savior on that first Christmas; to draw near to the new born Savior.

I encourage you to do whatever you can today to shift your focus between now and Christmas morning.  A clean house, a delicious house, and a good time can bring joy on Christmas day. 

But, what will bring the long-lasting joy and peace and love at Christmas is when we and all those we love draw near to the Savior.  When we do, our hearts will be filled with delight in the Lord.  The angels are preparing your heart and mind and soul to draw near to the Savior.

Merry Christmas!

Doug

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