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Pastor, Don’t Miss Christmas

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You have a lot on your plate during this season. Christmas is one of the busiest and most overwhelming times of the year for pastors. You pour your heart out in preaching, planning, and leading during this time.

And for good reason—people are more open to the Good News about Jesus at Christmas than at just about any other time of the year.

But if we’re not careful, we can miss the heart of Christmas. You would think that would be impossible for a pastor during the holiday season. You’re preparing sermons on the meaning of Christmas. You’re planning Christmas outreach events. Even when you get home, you’re watching Christmas movies, listening to Christmas music, and buying Christmas gifts.

But you can do all of that and completely miss the most important part—Jesus.

Just think about all the people who missed Jesus that first Christmas.

The innkeeper was too busy. His inn was full, his schedule packed, and he was focused on running his business.

I know how easy it is for ministry to crowd out everything else right now, but if we don’t consciously make time for Jesus during this season, busyness will take over and we’ll miss him.

The religious leaders let indifference take over. They knew the prophecies. They even told the wise men where to find Jesus. But they didn’t bother to go find him themselves. They were so wrapped up in their rituals that they didn’t recognize the miracle that was happening in front of them.

As pastors, we know the Christmas story better than most people do. But if we’re not careful, we’ll stop getting moved by the truth that God loves us so much that he sent his only Son to earth on that first Christmas.

Herod let fear hold him back. He didn’t want to lose control of his throne. He was so focused on keeping control that he couldn’t embrace the Messiah.

Sometimes we want our Christmas services to go so perfectly that we’re tempted to micro-manage everything. Trying to control the Christmas experience so tightly can keep us from obtaining the peace and joy God wants us to have while we serve him during Christmastime.

So what can you do to make sure you don’t miss Christmas this year?

Simplify your schedule. You don’t need to do everything. Prioritize the Christmas activities you most need to be part of and give yourself the freedom to miss others.
Find quiet and stillness. It’s tempting to let your quiet times go during the holiday season. You have a lot to do. But don’t give in to that temptation. Commit time every day to being quiet and still before God. When the Lord says, “Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10 NIV), he means you, too.
Celebrate with your family. Don’t let ministry steal your family time. Be present with them. Laugh, play, and worship together. Your family should be your first ministry.

Pastor, Christmas isn’t just for your congregation. It’s also for you! Jesus came on that first Christmas for you. You’re not just a shepherd for others; you’re a sheep under the care of Jesus. He wants you to come and rest in him this Christmas.

Let the miracle of the nativity minister to your heart in a new way this Christmas. He knows your stress. He knows your exhaustion. He knows your fear.

And he longs for you to know his peace this Christmas. Let him show it to you.

Recent Articles

Joy Returns When Christ Is First

Pastor, a lot of people—including those of us in ministry—are looking for joy in all the wrong places. We chase after bigger churches, more effective programs, or the applause of peers and congregants. But joy never shows up there.Misplaced priorities can eliminate your ministry joy.Paul explained this in his letter to the Philippians: “But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ.” (Philippians 3:7–8, NIV)That was Paul’s “profit and loss statement.” Everything that once seemed like a gain now counted as loss compared to knowing Christ. Even while sitting in a prison cell, Paul could rejoice because his priorities were centered on Jesus.Notice the word “rubbish.” The translators were being polite. The original word means dung, manure. Paul wasn’t mincing words. Without Jesus, everything else—fame, money, or power—is worthless garbage. Only Christ brings lasting joy.You will lose your joy in ministry if you let lesser things distract you. People will let you down. Plans won’t always work out. Attendance will fluctuate. If you keep your focus there, joy will evaporate.Paul reminds us that life is about tradeoffs. He surrendered everything so that he could be found “in Christ.” Jesus said the same thing: “No one can serve two masters.” (Matthew 6:24, NIV) Many of us want Jesus plus something else. But you can’t have two #1s.Here’s the reality: When we come to Christ, we give up everything. That may feel restrictive at first, but it’s really the doorway to joy. When we surrender, Jesus reshapes our gifts, reforms our goals, and gives them back with greater purpose than before.Missionary Jim Elliot, who gave his life in Ecuador, put it this way: “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”So what are you holding on to that keeps stealing your joy? Has your ministry—even your goals for it—taken the place of Christ?It’s time to reorder your priorities. Put Jesus back in the center. When you do, you’ll discover again the joy you’ve been missing.

Faith Before the Miracle

Ministry often feels like standing on the edge of a fast-moving river—uncertain, overwhelming, and too deep to cross. You know what God has called you to do, but the next step still feels risky.That’s where Joshua found himself as he prepared to lead Israel into the Promised Land. God had given him the assignment, but it required courage. That’s why God said not once, but three times: “Be strong and courageous. . . . Be strong and very courageous. . . . Be strong and courageous!” (Joshua 1:6-7, 9 NLT).Fear can keep you from starting.Discouragement can keep you from continuing.But God has already given you what you need to move forward:God is with you. No matter what meetings, hospital visits, hard conversations, or leadership decisions await you this week, you won’t face them alone. “No one will be able to stand against you as long as you live. I will be with you as I was with Moses. I will not fail you or abandon you” (Joshua 1:5 NLT). God keeps his promises. He hasn’t brought you this far to abandon his work in you or through you. “Be strong and courageous, for you will distribute the land I swore to their ancestors to give them as an inheritance” (Joshua 1:6 CSB).God has called you to this. This isn’t a job you picked for yourself. You’re not in ministry by accident. “Haven’t I commanded you: be strong and courageous? Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9 CSB).When the priests arrived at the Jordan River, God didn’t stop the water in advance. He told them to step into it—and then the waters would stop. He asked them to trust him, not the circumstances.Sometimes the miracle happens after the step, not before.Pastor, is there something you’re hesitating to do because you’re waiting for God to clear the path first? Is there a conversation you’re avoiding, a change you’re delaying, a vision you’ve shelved?Be strong. Be courageous. God has not changed. He is with you.And he’s still parting rivers when his people step forward in faith.

Is God Waiting on You?

Pastor, as you step into another week of shepherding God’s people, remember this: God wants to bless you and your ministry. But he ties his blessings to a condition—obedience.The Bible contains over 7,000 promises where God essentially says, “If you do this, I will do this.”If you confess your sins, I will forgive you.If you call upon me, I will save you.If you obey me, I will bless you.When it feels like you’re waiting on God to move in your church, he may actually be waiting on you—to trust him more deeply, to walk in obedience, and to follow his lead in your ministry.Take Deuteronomy 28:2-6 as an example. Notice the blessings and the condition: “You will experience all these blessings if you obey the LORD your God: Your towns and your fields will be blessed. Your children and your crops will be blessed. The offspring of your herds and flocks will be blessed. Your fruit baskets and breadboards will be blessed. Wherever you go and whatever you do, you will be blessed” (NLT).You may not tend fields or flocks, but you do tend the flock of God. This promise still applies. God will bless your family and the work of your ministry. He will sustain you in preaching, in counseling, in leadership, and in carrying the unseen burdens of your congregation.God not only wants to bless everything you do in service to him—he also wants those blessings to be visible to others. His goodness in your life becomes a testimony to his faithfulness.Psalm 31:19 reminds us: “How great is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you. In the presence of everyone you have acted for those who take refuge in you” (CSB).God already has blessings stored up for you as a pastor—encouragements, provisions, fruitfulness—that he intends to pour out as you walk in obedience.As Ezekiel 34:26 says: “I will make them and the places surrounding my hill a blessing. I will send down showers in season; there will be showers of blessing” (NIV).That’s what God wants for your life and ministry: showers of blessing.So don’t miss what he wants to do this week. Lean into obedience. Follow his directions. Trust that he is faithful—and watch him fulfill his promises in your life and your church.

Why Your Quiet Time Is a Pastoral Lifeline

“Blessed are those who listen to me, watching daily at my doors, waiting at my doorway.” Proverbs 8:34 (NIV)Mondays can feel like a deep exhale for many pastors. The adrenaline of Sunday is gone, the sermons have been preached, the conversations had, the crises handled—and now you’re left with both the joy and the fatigue of pouring yourself out for your people.That’s why God’s promise in Proverbs 8:34 is so vital: “Blessed are those who listen to me, watching daily at my doors, waiting at my doorway” (NIV). He blesses those who daily come to him, not just for personal refreshment, but for the sake of the people they lead. Shepherding God’s flock is never meant to be done on yesterday’s strength.Your “quiet time” is more than a devotional habit—it’s a lifeline. Whether it’s five, 10, or 15 minutes, set aside time today to meet with the Lord. Find a quiet place and ask him, “Father, what do you want to say to me as I lead your people this week?” Bring him the names and needs that weighed on you yesterday. Lay before him the decisions you face.Read his Word slowly, letting him speak through it. Be still enough to listen for his guidance. Let him shepherd you before you shepherd others.For many, mornings are best for this sacred appointment. But if your Monday mornings are slow to start after a long Sunday, don’t force it—find the time of day when you can be most alert to his voice. The key is consistency.Psalm 31:19 reminds us, “How great is the goodness you have stored up for those who fear you. You lavish it on those who come to you for protection, blessing them before the watching world” (NLT). That “watching world” includes your congregation, your community, and even your family.When you give God the first and best of your time, he blesses you with wisdom, peace, and strength that overflow into every sermon you preach, every meeting you lead, and every hurting heart you comfort.

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