Isn’t it interesting how movies and media have such a big impact on our thoughts and expectations for the Christmas season?

~ For example, if I were to ask you what are some “ideal” Christmas elements, what are your first thoughts?

~How many of these elements came from movies or media?

~I am not saying that it’s bad to take things from movies and media; my concern is what happens in our minds and hearts when our season doesn’t look anything like that?

~What are some of your own Christmas family traditions?

~Name some Christmas memories that come to mind easily; good or bad, happy or sad.

~Is it possible to see Jesus in all of our Christmas experiences?

~In thinking about your Christmas memories, where do you see Jesus in them?

“What have been your Christmas goals/visions up to this point?

“To invite Jesus’ peace, joy, and hope into our everyday lives this Christmas season; Jesus’ presence is required, our presence is requested.”

HOW TO INVITE CHRIST’S PEACE THIS CHRISTMAS

Jesus is our source of peace. To tap into our source; it requires us to seek God’s presence. His Word repeatedly tells us that He is present with us. The question we need to ask ourselves is: are we present with Jesus? How do we be ‘present’ with Jesus? I am glad you asked. Let’s look at Psalm 46 and see what the Lord says about this. As you read to this passage of Scripture, please be mindful of each verse that tells us how God is with us.

Psalm 46

God is our refuge and strength,

    an ever-present help in trouble. 

Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way

    and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,

though its waters roar and foam

    and the mountains quake with their surging.

There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,

    the holy place where the Most High dwells.

God is within her, she will not fall;

    God will help her at break of day.

Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;

    he lifts his voice, the earth melts.

The Lord Almighty is with us;

    the God of Jacob is our fortress.

Come and see what the Lord has done,

    the desolations he has brought on the earth.

He makes wars cease

    to the ends of the earth.

He breaks the bow and shatters the spear;

    he burns the shields with fire.

He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;

    I will be exalted among the nations,

    I will be exalted in the earth.”

The Lord Almighty is with us;

    the God of Jacob is our fortress.

In those 11 verses, it is mentioned at least 4 times how God is present with us. In the first part of verse 10, God gives us the secret to how to invite His peace into our everyday lives this Christmas season; and always, even when we are journeying through a stormy season. He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;”. When we ‘BE’ still and seek our God, we are inviting His peace into our lives. In the verse, Be still, and know that I am God, what is the first word? (Be) God says that Be comes before know; our being with Him comes before knowing Him and knowing His peace.

I would like to share a spiritual practice with you today that can be helpful in amping up our ‘Being’ power in this season. Take 3 deep breaths and relax. Read and reread Psalm 46:10 shortening the verse by one word each time until you are down to one word. What I am asking you to do is focus only on the words and on Holy Spirit’s presence as you read.

Be still, and know that I am God. 

Be still, and know that I am

Be still, and know that I

Be still, and know that

Be still, and know

Be still, and

Be still,

Be.

~Might there be an invitation for you today into a new way of ‘Being’ in this Christmas season?

“To invite Jesus’ peace into this Christmas season, Jesus’ presence is required, our presence is requested.”

HOW TO INVITE CHRIST’S HOPE THIS CHRISTMAS

I was recently reminded of how; as human doings, we misplace our hope. Not that we don’t know where it is, but that we place our hope in things or people other than Jesus. Maybe we place our hope in the ideal Christmas dinner or giving the perfect gift or hosting the perfect Christmas event. Movies and media can contribute to our misplaced hopes; can’t they? Movies and media can get us thinking about the ‘if onlys.’ If only I had… If only I could give… If only my family would … If only my life was like that Hallmark movie, then my hopes would be fulfilled and I would be happy. These false hopes can lead us to disappointment because our real Hope can only come through Jesus who is our Hope. Just like without the ground; or a tree stand, a tree would fall over, we are not upright without hope in Jesus; we can feel misplaced.

~What are some hopes that you have for these next several weeks?

As we move forward to establish one main hope, goal, or vision for this Christmas season, I want to take a few minutes and talk about SMART goals. SMART is an acronym for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Timely.

Specific- When we establish a goal, we want to be detailed in the what, how, and when of the goal we want to work toward.

Measurable- We need to make sure that we have a way to measure if we are moving forward toward the goal.

Attainable- Our goals need to be something that we can reasonably accomplish.

Relevant- We want our goals to be a step toward the ultimate goal for our lives.

Timely- As we set our goals, we want to establish a timeline of what we will complete and when. This timeline should be realistic.

An example is: One of my goals this Christmas is to improve my active listening skills with my family and others around me. I will plan to be intentional with each of my conversations so that I listen to learn about the other person and so that they know that they have been heard. I will know that I have accomplished this by their verbal and nonverbal responses in our conversation. 

~Can you narrow your hopes/goals/visions for this Christmas season to one main hope, goal, or vision?

Make sure to share your goal with someone who can hold you accountable; someone who will check in on your progress and encourage you to move forward toward your goal.

“To invite Jesus’ hope into this Christmas season, Jesus’ presence is required, our presence is requested.”

HOW TO INVITE CHRIST’S JOY THIS CHRISTMAS

Let’s look at some Scripture passages that tell us about the Lord’s joy.

“Nehemiah said, “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” (Nehemiah 8:10 NIV) What do we learn about joy from this passage? (My thoughts: The Lord’s joy is our strength. Joy is a celebration and a reason to celebrate.)

“Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, “The Lord has done great things for them.”  (Psalm 126:2 NIV) What do we learn about joy from this passage? (My thoughts: Joy can come out in laughter and songs of gratefulness for what God has done.)

“and provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.” (Isaiah 61:3 NIV) What do we learn about joy from this passage? (My thoughts: Life is a series of losses and Jesus restores them all. This is a reason for joy.)

“The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”). (Matthew 1:23 NIV) What do we learn about joy from this passage? (My thoughts: God with us is a reason for joy.)

We get focused on the earthly stressors of the Christmas season and everyday life; Jesus came as an infant; Immanuel, to the earth to show us how to refocus on the eternal things; such as, peace, joy, and hope. Looking at the Christmas season and our past expectations for the season can contribute to the earthly stressors that we experience. However, if we return to Psalm 46, verse 10 where God says, “Be still, and know that I am God” and then set our goals to begin with Being with Him and allowing Him to set our next steps; one at a time, we will have invited Jesus’ joy into our Christmas season. 

Now let’s return to our goal, we need  to talk about next steps. Let’s break down into bite-sized pieces how we will reach our goals.

It is important to remember that your next steps do not have to be big things, they can be as simple as praying a prayer; the point is forward movement toward your goal. Sometimes smaller steps are better because we can celebrate the completion of the step and gain momentum to continue forward. Big steps can lead us to failure and then we lose momentum.

An example from my goal: 

Next Step 1- Spend some time studying basic body language and understand what my body language is saying to those around me.

Next Step 2- When in conversation with another person, minimize distractions and focus on them, using eye contact and body language.

Next Step 3- Clarify what they are saying by repeating what I heard to make sure I am understanding them correctly.

Note that I didn’t write out every step toward my goal; just the first three, this will keep me from getting overwhelmed with all that I want to accomplish. When I have completed these first three steps, I will establish my next three steps and so on. It’s important to focus on bite-sized pieces so that we can be successful. And remember to celebrate each accomplishment.

~As you consider your next steps, be mindful of how might “Being” present play into your posture moving forward? What is your first step toward your goal? Your second? Your third? 

“To invite Jesus’ joy into this Christmas season, Jesus’ presence is required, our presence is requested.”

We have talked about how our childhood experiences, movies, and media have contributed to shape our expectations of the Christmas season. We have also talked about our goals, hopes, or visions for this Christmas season; and hopefully beyond, and how establishing a SMART goal with bite-sized next steps can help us to reach that goal. If you are interested in talking more about SMART goals, active listening, or anything else that we have discussed today, please reach out to me through my email: Soulcarecoach.amy@gmail.com 

If you want to check out my blog, you can find it at: hopestable.home.blog or my Facebook page is Soul Care Coach. I also have an instagram at: amyedeberg.