Ready For Christmas?

I'm normally hyper-organized at Christmas time. To be truthful, I did have most of our presents and cards purchased by around the end of September this year, but usually I'd have had them wrapped, cards gone out by December the 1st, and a step-by-step time plan for cooking over Christmas already in place.

I even have a stack of mince-pies ready for carollers by the front door usually. This year, we had one gang of kids bang on the door. My husband was in his dressing gown at the time and said "Sorry, the doors locked already!" to which he received the reply "That's ok, put some money through the letterbox for us."Cheeky little blighters.

Anyway, circumstances being what they are, we haven't wrapped any presents yet, we're having our food shopping delivered on Friday, and I'm just hoping everything from the list will be included, and I haven't even written a Christmas Card list as yet.

The front room is cheerily decorated, however, and we have been eating shop-bought mince pies while watching The Box of Delights on DVD, which is something of a festive treat. I'm going to be delaying the pleasure of Christmas Day Doctor Who, because it's on too early and I wouldn't let my little ones watch it, but that's ok, because it's repeated later on a couple of days afterwards.

We now have a piano, so my husband is brushing up on his tinkling skills for our own carolling, and we will have a visit from my ever-lovely in-laws on Christmas Day, which will be special.

Am I ready for Christmas? Well, temporally, not really at all, no. I shall probably spend much of the time in bed, trying to ease the weight on my pointless pelvis.
But in reality, I've been living Christmas for the past few months, everyday. Hebrews 4:14-16 has been an ever-present comfort to me;

Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast [our] profession.For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as [we are, yet] without sin.Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

This God-man, whose birth we think of specifically at this time of the year, coming to suffer, knows the temptations of the infirm. When I suffer, (which I do, there's no nobility in pretending otherwise) the knowledge that He knows exactly what I'm going through, not just because of His omniscience, but because He lived it, is an astonishing comfort.

He remembers I am dust, and He also intercedes for me. What security there is in that understanding. Though I feel desperately precarious physically when I try to stand, I feel utterly safe in His hands.

Wherever you are this Christmas - super-organized, madly hectic or a bit of both, I hope you will take lots of time to contemplate the glories of Jesus Christ, who knows you intimately, and calls you to the throne of grace, via His cross, to obtain His mercy. That way, you won't just be ready for Christmas, you'll be ready for anything.