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EP 9: Christ-Focused Christmas Celebration Ideas

by Marci Ferrell
Christmas Holidays Podcast

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Christ Focused Christmas Celebration Ideas

It’s not the gingerbread houses or cookies or special meals that will have the most impact on your family. It is the attitude of your heart. It is them seeing the Gospel lived out in your day to day life – even in the midst of busy seasons.

True Biblical contentment is not rooted in our circumstances but in God Himself. Click to Tweet

As the busy Christmas season is upon us we can find ourselves all wrapped up (literally wrapping too) in planning, cooking, cleaning, shopping, decorating, ministry activities and a multitude of other tasks that seem to come about during the Christmas season in addition to just the normal activities of life that we are dealing with.

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Find all Podcast Episodes Here with the Show Notes

I can lose focus and need to continue to pray to the Lord to remind me to have the heart of Mary and not get caught up with the attitude of Martha in all that needs to be done. I’m a very task-focused person, and it’s how my mind works so I need to be intentional and prayerful to not miss the wonder of the Christmas season.

It’s not the gingerbread houses or cookies or special meals that will have the most impact on your family. It is the attitude of your heart. It is them seeing the Gospel lived out in your day to day life – even in the midst of busy seasons. Click to Tweet

The Christmas season can be a time – a reminder to us to refocus – to again to think deeply about the realities of who Jesus is and what He has done for us.

Show Notes:

It is a good reminder for us that Mary knew God’s Word. In the time Mary lived, she was probably illiterate, but she had heard the Word of God and kept it hidden in her heart. How well do we know God’s Word? Are we able to speak the Words of His truth to others? Do we speak His truth to our own hearts? Is our time in the Word an important part of our day no matter how busy the schedule looks?

If there is one thing I want you to grasp this Christmas season is don’t get caught in the comparison trap. Comparison robs you of your energy and joy to love and care for your own family with a heart of joy and thanksgiving.
True Biblical contentment is not rooted in our circumstances but in God Himself.
It’s not the gingerbread houses or cookies or special meals that will have the most impact on your family. It is the attitude of your heart. It is them seeing the Gospel lived out in your day to day life – even in the midst of busy seasons. Make sure you love on them, model Christ to them, practice giving thanks in all things, take the time just to sit and chat and hug on them, pray for continued patience during this sometimes busy season and be reminded that true joy and contentment is only found in Christ. Let them see you are dependent on Jesus for all things.
As my husband always reminds me – because I need this reminder too – Jesus is enough – always.

I do believe a good place to start is to sit down with your husband or even as a family and talk about what items are most important in your celebration of Christmas? What traditions point you to Christ? What traditions take your focus off Christ that maybe you might want to change or modify a bit or eliminate?

God’s Word is the truth, and the Christmas story is not just a story but an event that really happened. What are some things we could do to honor the One who came to give us eternal life? Those are maybe some questions to start as you determine what a simple Christ-focused Christmas looks like in your home.

Scripture & Resources:

Luke 1:28-29

Luke 2:19

1 Thessalonians 5:18

Philippians 2:14

Matthew 1

Luke 2

Isaiah 7

Isaiah 9

Micah 5

Matthew 25:40

Come Let Us Adore Him by Paul Tripp

Good News of Great Joy at Desiring God

Ever Thine Home

10 Questions to Ask at a Christmas Gathering

Jesus Unmasked by Todd Friel

Wretched.org

Answers in Genesis Christmas Cards

14 Simple Outreach Ideas with an Eternal Focus

Remember When Tract at Living Waters

Treasuring God in Our Traditions by Noel Piper

ESV Giveaway Bibles

 

Related Resources:

Celebrating Advent: Looking Back and Looking Forward

10 Simple & Practical Hostess Gifts

Christ-Focused Gift Guide for the Whole Family

Christ-Focused Christmas Gift Guide 2017

Podcast Ep 11: Serving with a Mary Heart in a Martha Season

14 Simple Outreach Ideas with an Eternal Focus

 

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Related posts:

  1. Simple Ways to Keep Christ the Focus this Christmas Season
  2. Christ Focused Christmas Gift Guide 2017
  3. How to Avoid the Comparison Trap this Christmas
  4. 2020 Christ-Focused Christmas Gift Guide for the Whole Family


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Comments

  1. Carolyn Edwards says

    at

    Loved listening to this today. The temperatures are in the 40s today here in Texas so I am in the Christmas spirit. Thank you for these words of wisdom!

    • Marci Ferrell says

      at

      Carolyn, thank you so much for sharing that with me today and stopping by the blog. We had snow for the first time this season today in Wisconsin and I realized how much I missed it :). Although the 40’s sounds nice ;).

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Marci Ferrell
Patience is our ability, under the control of the Patience is our ability, under the control of the Spirit, to persevere and endure in times of suffering or hardship.⁣⁣
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Come listen in (or read) EP 118: Cultivating Patience with One Another at the link in my profile @thankfulhomemaker (click on the link under the blue arrows and then this image)
By affliction, Christ . . .⁣⁣ shows us our em By affliction, Christ . . .⁣⁣
 shows us our emptiness and weakness,⁣⁣
 draws us to the throne of grace,⁣⁣
 purifies our affections,⁣⁣
 weans us from the world,⁣⁣
 and makes us long for Heaven.⁣⁣
~ J.C. Ryle⁣
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Read more of Trusting God in Your Trials at the link in my profile @thankfulhomemaker (click on the link under the blue arrows and then this image)
I know we can all relate to self-pity as women, wi I know we can all relate to self-pity as women, wives, and mothers.  How many times do we focus on our needs that aren’t met?  Unfair situations or circumstances?  Self-pity is a selfish tendency that takes our eyes off Christ and puts them on ourselves. ⁣⁣
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We forget that “God works all things together for good to those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.” Are we able to give God “thanks in all things”?⁣⁣
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Come listen in to EP 105: Practical Steps to Overcome Self Pity at the link in my profile @thankfulhomemaker (click on the link under the blue arrows and then this image)⁣
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#rootedinChrist #rootedintheword #christian #christianity #thankfulhomemaker #bedeeplyrooted  #christianblogger  #christians #treasurechrist #joyinchrist #inchristalone #deeplyrooted #martynlloydjones #selfpity
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Weekly Menu Planning Free PDF is at the link in my profile @thankfulhomemaker (click on the link under the blue arrows and then this image).
"God's written Word, the Bible, is God's greatest "God's written Word, the Bible, is God's greatest earthly gift to his people, second only to the living Word, Jesus. And because the living Word perfectly lived out the written Word, we are blessed beyond measure. Jesus fulfilled every precept found in Psalm 119, keeping the principles and commandments of this psalm, and he did so on our behalf.⁣
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Our failure to live wholeheartedly is covered by Jesus, who lived it perfectly for us. Ultimately, he is Psalm 119 in human form, the Word became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14)."⁣
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~ Taken from Sing a New Song: A Woman's Guide to the Psalms by Lydia Brownback⁣
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With my whole heart I seek you;⁣
let me not wander from your commandments!⁣
I have stored up your word in my heart,⁣
that I might not sin against you.⁣
~ Psalm 119:10-11
Accept the cost of good deeds in time, thought, an Accept the cost of good deeds in time, thought, and effort. But remember that opportunities for doing good are not interruptions in God’s plan for us, but part of that plan. We always have time to do what God wants us to do.⁣
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I’m sharing a walkthrough of various tools and s I’m sharing a walkthrough of various tools and systems that help me to get things done. It’s a practical episode, and I hope to encourage you, if nothing else, to take a look at how your days are going and ask yourself some simple questions like:⁣
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What is working and what is not working?⁣
Where do I find myself wasting time?⁣
Where can I make better use of my time?⁣
Can I simplify my days or various tasks or automate them?⁣
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These are just a few questions to ponder, and there are many more you can ask, but the main one is to seek the Lord and ask him, are you a good steward of your time? Is your desire to honor Him amid your days and in how you spend your time?⁣
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Many more than ten systems or tools help me manage my days, but these items top my list. I’ve shared more in detail on some of these in past blog posts or podcast episodes, but I wanted to put together an episode that walked through how I use each one.⁣
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An episode like this one is more helpful to me than you because it helps me to think through my days and systems and tools and determine what is working for me and what isn’t.⁣
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Listen to 10 Things Helping Me Manage My Days as a Homemaker at the link in my profile @thankfulhomemaker (click on the link under the blue arrows and then this image).
Who doesn’t want to save money, time, their sani Who doesn’t want to save money, time, their sanity, reduce stress, eat healthy and avoid the dreaded question, “What’s for dinner?” It sounds great, right, and we’d all love to do it, but how do we get there?⁣
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Though gradually, though no one remembers exactly Though gradually, though no one remembers exactly how it happened, the unthinkable becomes tolerable. And then acceptable. And then legal. And then applaudable.⁣
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