Did you ever see the movie, “Finding Nemo”? This is a cute story about a clownfish father trying to find his son, who was lost through a series of unfortunate events. This cute American movie came out almost twenty years ago and was a great success. In the father’s journey to find Nemo, his son, he reluctantly joined efforts with a dingbat Blue Tang fish named, “Dory.” Together, Dory and Marlin (Nemo’s dad) set out to find Nemo, going through tumultuous obstacles that include sharks, jellyfish, sea turtles and the East Australian Current (EAC).
While Finding Nemo is a cute movie, finding Jesus can be more grounded in our day-to-day reality. I bring this to your attention now because it’s the Christmas season and all the more reason and importance to “find Jesus.”
I think it’s central to Christmas that we keep Jesus as the focal point for the festivities that go with this season. Of course, there are the customary parties, decorating, obligations, celebrations, etc. that accompany this season. At the same time, I’d like to encourage you to let these activities serve to sharpen our focus for finding Jesus. It’s very easy to get caught up in all the festivities of this season, going about all the parties, concerts, customary activities and expectations, in the weeks that culminate to Christmas Day.
If you’re an introvert, this can be a very tiresome and draining season. If you’re an extrovert, you might be thrilled for all of the opportunities to interact with people, party and enjoy the many socializing occasions. And perhaps if you’re an ambivert, maybe the Christmas season is a challenging time to find a constructive and healthy blend of people and solitude.
Regardless of where you are most comfortable on the social spectrum, I’d like to encourage you to make this season about finding Jesus – looking for Jesus, prioritizing Jesus, discovering Jesus and experiencing Jesus.
I’m challenging you to keep Jesus as the central priority in this season, such that your scoped priority is defined in the essential crosshairs of Jesus, full stop. In thinking about this, maybe you could ask yourself some questions that could be helpful over the course of the next few weeks:
- In this party, how do I sense Jesus?
- In all the hustle and bustle of this season, what experiences or feelings can point me to Jesus?
- What kinds of activities could you choose that would help you to focus on Jesus?
- When I’m wrapping presents, maybe I could think of Mary wrapping Jesus in swaddling clothes
- Could I let the beautiful Christmas lights remind me of the star the wisemen followed to find Jesus?
- Maybe I could read Matthew 2 and Luke 1-2 over the next few weeks – possibly breaking them into individual parts to read about the wisemen, shepherds, Gabriel’s announcement to Mary, etc.
This is a really wonderful time of the year and it can have lots of fun, activities, festivities, bustle, hustle and obligations. Regardless of everything that’s happening around us, let’s remember to prioritize Jesus in our hearts, particularly in this enjoyable season!
