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Hope for the Day

The Heart of Christmas

Diane Houghtaling
Posted 12/24/21

In 2001 we started hearing a song written by Matt Redman that got many of us thinking. The song was entitled “The Heart of Worship,” and its purpose was to help us see that we had made …

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Hope for the Day

The Heart of Christmas

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In 2001 we started hearing a song written by Matt Redman that got many of us thinking. The song was entitled “The Heart of Worship,” and its purpose was to help us see that we had made our practice of worship more about us and our preferences than about the object of our worship.

We sang the chorus: “I’m coming back to the heart of worship, and it’s all about you, it’s all about you, Jesus. I’m sorry, Lord, for the thing I’ve made it, when it’s all about you, it’s all about you, Jesus.”

I’d like to get us thinking once again, and change one word of this chorus. “I’m coming back to the heart of Christmas, and it’s all about you, it’s all about you, Jesus. I’m sorry, Lord, for the thing I’ve made it, when it’s all about you, it’s all about you, Jesus.”

It may be cliché, but it’s time for us to remember that Jesus is the reason for the season. Christmas is not what we’ve made it all about, although the Lord is not against us celebrating Christmas. I think He would just like to be included.

We commemorate Christmas as the day of Jesus’ birth, although December 25 was most likely not the date He was born. At the risk of using more cliché, the way we celebrate is as if we attended a birthday party and brought a gift for all others attending, but left out the one whose birthday we were there to celebrate.

So the question is how are we supposed to give Jesus a gift for His birthday? A friend recently shared what her daughter, five years old at the time, did to give Jesus a Christmas gift. She cut out a small paper heart and wrote “my heart” on it. She carefully wrapped it in tissue paper and put it in a box labeled for Jesus.

We can still give Jesus our hearts as a gift for Christmas, or any time of year, and it all starts with childlike faith. We must believe that Jesus is the Son of God, born of a virgin, who came to bring us the greatest gift of all time. We must acknowledge that Jesus died on a cross so we could have forgiveness of sin, and that He rose from the dead. Only then can we confess our sins, ask forgiveness, give our hearts to Jesus, and receive the new life He offers to us.

But truly giving our hearts to Jesus involves more than words, no matter how sincere. Our lives are no longer all about us, but all about Jesus. It’s not about practicing a religion but cultivating a relationship with God Himself. We start by learning who Jesus is through His Word, the Bible. It’s not just about reading the Bible but learning how to obey it, apply it to our lives and live by it.

We further give our hearts to Jesus as we learn to serve Him by serving others. We become the hands and feet of Jesus, and a funnel for His love to flow through to minister to all the hurting hearts and lives we’re surrounded with.

So this year let’s add something more to our Christmas celebration. Let’s give Jesus the most precious gift He longs for, our hearts filled with love and thanksgiving for our Savior.

Hope Ministries is a Christian counseling center, and we are here to help. If you would like to speak confidentially with someone, give us a call at 482-5300.

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