How to Make This Christmas Count

I love Christmas.

The singing. The decorations. The food. The traditions.

But Christmas isn’t just a day — it’s a season. And it’s a season packed with opportunities for what I like to call Merry Moments — snapshots of joy, celebration, and Christmas cheer.

For my own family, one of our favorite Merry Moments is Christmas at the cabin. The quiet. The cold air. The warmth inside. The simple joy of being together. Those are the kinds of moments we cherish.

Here's a picture of me (on the right) with my brother and two cousins at our infamous Christmas at the cabin many (many) years ago. (And the crowd said, "Awwwe!")

And really, isn’t that what we all want at Christmas?

Comfort. Joy. Sugary drinks. Carb-loaded food. And most importantly, happy endings in our Christmas movies!

Hallmark has mastered this, haven’t they? They built a whole brand around capturing perfect, emotionally satisfying moments — the perfect birthday, the perfect reunion, the perfect Christmas. And then they turned it into movies that always end happily.

Why do we love that so much?

Because that’s what we actually want.

• We want to be well.
• We want to be whole.
• We want to love and be loved.
• We want fullness of life and a reason to rejoice.

But maybe this Christmas you aren’t feeling that.

• Maybe the magic has faded.
• Maybe the light of hope is dim.
• Maybe peace feels far away.

That’s where the true story of Christmas meets us.

I believe a truly Merry Christmas becomes possible when you personally connect your life to the Christmas story.

At the very heart of that story is this verse:

When we picture the nativity scene, it looks like the ultimate Hallmark Moment — peaceful, clean, glowing, perfect. But it’s not a snapshot of a single moment in time. Those characters weren’t all there at once. And to be more accurate, you’d probably need to include a furious king (Herod), a desperate Joseph planning an escape, and even the dragon of Revelation.

Maybe we’ll keep the traditional scene?

From that nativity flow four ways to have a Christmas full of Merry Moments.

I love Christmas — but if I’m honest, it can also be stressful. Beyond the hustle and bustle of the season, there are deeper troubles:

1. Troubles of Circumstance
Mary and Joseph were young, displaced, under pressure, socially outcast, far from family, and welcoming a newborn into uncertainty.

2. Troubles of the Soul (Sin)
The shepherds were considered dirty, unclean, and morally suspect. They were known for their sin.

That’s why the movie The Best Christmas Pageant Ever hits so powerfully. It tells the story of the Herdmans — “the worst kids in the history of the world” — who unexpectedly become part of the Christmas pageant and come face-to-face with the gospel.

It reminds us of something humbling and hopeful:

1. We are all sinners.
2. We are all the worst.
3. And we all need to be rescued.

The shepherds didn’t just come to observe Jesus — they came to receive Him.

Historically, shepherds were often the ones who prepared the sacrificial lambs for Passover — wrapping them in swaddling cloths and placing them in a manger to keep them set apart.
Now imagine their “merry moment” when they see Jesus — the Lamb of God — wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.

They knew exactly what it meant. This baby had come to die for them. As Pastor Josh Howerton put it so well: “Jesus came to die, not just for you, but instead of you.”

That is a gift beyond value. But the question remains: Have you embraced this gift?

The wise men show us that the proper response to Jesus is worship and sacrifice.
The Bible says:

We were created to worship. And we are most whole when God is at the center of our lives — not ourselves. So what gifts can you give Jesus this Christmas?

• Give Him your worship.
• Give Him your time.
• Give Him your commitment.

Here’s my challenge: Give God one year of your life — and you will never be the same.
And for churchgoers: Give God more than Sunday mornings — and watch transformation happen.

After the shepherds left the scene, they ran through the town telling everyone what they had seen.

Jesus later echoed this kind of mission:

“Go out to the highways and hedges and compel people to come in…” — Luke 14:23 (ESV)

This season, try this:

• Read the Christmas story with your family.
• Have one conversation this month about the true meaning of Christmas.

You don’t need a pulpit. Just a willing heart.

I truly believe God wants you to find peace with Him this Christmas:

And that peace is found in one place:

That is my prayer for you — that this wouldn’t just be another Christmas season, but the beginning of the merriest, most meaningful moments of your life in Christ.

To help you connect even more personally with the story of Christmas, I encourage you to watch:

• The Best Christmas Pageant Ever — a powerful and surprisingly moving take on the gospel through unlikely characters.
• The Shepherd — a short film by the creators of The Chosen that beautifully captures the transformation of a sinful shepherd through the coming of Christ.

And lastly, if you'd like to give back to Jesus this Christmas, consider donating to our "Christmas Gifts to Jesus" fundraiser. We're purchasing resources to help further the mission of Jesus in this world, and we'd love for you to be a part.