DECEMBER: MICAH 6:8 AND cHRISTMAS

Micah 6:8  (King James Version)
​He has shown you, O man, what is good;
And what does the Lord require of you
But to do justly,
To love mercy,
And to walk humbly with your God?
Concept:  For many of us, Christmas is the most loaded time of the year. The calendar is loaded with events, gatherings, concerts, travel, and so many fun opportunities we don’t want to miss. Our mental space is loaded with remembering who wants what for Christmas, coordinating everyone, managing stress levels, and the guilty sense that we’re not doing enough. We are loaded with expectations and family dynamics. The season is meant to be all about preparing for and celebrating the birth of a Savior, but it is loaded with distractions and clutter. And many of those distractions and clutter are such good things.
    So what do we do? There’s not really an easy answer, but perhaps we can begin to discern what is essential and what is clutter by remembering “what is good and what the Lord requires of us.” This month, we’ll offer some guides for discernment. And we’ll give a few ideas for very simple traditions that might be able to replace some of our more complicated ones.
​Read It: Micah 6:8    and  Luke 2:1-20
​Pray It      God, we thank you for Jesus, the tiny baby born to change the world. Bring us closer to you. Amen.
Picture
Do It:  
Discerning the Clutter: It is so hard to decide what is essential in the month of December, and what is clutter! If we picture the month as a pathway to Jesus’s birth, the path has some stones on it. Some of these stones are markers that help us find our way. Some are tripping hazards. And one family’s tripping hazard is another family’s important trail marker! So this is about discerning what your household needs as you do justice, show loving kindness, and walk humbly toward the manger. Here are a few questions to ask as you decide what is essential for you.                                                                                                                                       ( Photo by Mariana B. on Unsplash)                                  
  • Reflect back:
    • What traditions or events do you remember as holding deep meaning in your childhood?
    • What traditions from your past felt like “coming home” - to your family and to Jesus?
    • What gaps do you see as you reflect back on your childhood Christmases?
    • On a scale of 1-10, one being “all about Santa and Jingle Bells” and ten being “all about Jesus’s birth,” what was the focus of your December when you were growing up?
  • Examine the present:
    • List out your household’s current December activities. You may want to look at a calendar, or list out “daily, weekly, occasional” activities - or organize in a way that makes sense to you! Once they’re listed, examine them. 
      • Which ones distract you from the path toward Jesus’s birth? (note: I don’t think all secular things are bad! This is not a call to do away with all things that aren’t strictly holy)
      • Which things on your list bring you home to Jesus?
      • Which things feel like extra, and which feel essential?
      • What on the list gets in the way of doing justice, loving mercy, and walking humbly? And what helps you live Micah 6:8?
      • Which things on this list overwhelm you?
      • What can you let go of?
    • Look at your gift-giving practices. How do they align with Micah 6:8? This area is hard, and there isn’t a right or wrong way to give gifts. Here are a few ideas if you’re needing inspiration for a gift-giving revamp:
      • Give experiences instead of things. Go to a show, or go skiing, or to a hotel for a night - create some memories! Then take an hour for everyone to make cards for each other, to be given around the tree.
      • Inspired by the three gifts of the magi, give each child three gifts: Something they need, something to read, and something they want (or whatever combo you choose!).
      • Do a family shopping trip to a local area. Split up children with adults if that works for you, and give each person a certain amount of cash to do all their shopping for others. Letting children select what they are giving is a gift you can give them. Many of us are tempted to buy all the gifts, then tell the family members what they’re giving everyone! But it’s amazing to watch a three-year-old thoughtfully choosing gifts for the people they love. The gifts might be wacky, but they’ll come from the heart!
      • Thrift store Christmas! Do the same idea as above, but in a couple of local thrift stores.
      • Have a good (and potentially challenging) conversation with extended family about gift-giving. Drawing names or having a family experience can be a good alternative to giving lots of stuff to each other. Our children’s favorite new Keim side tradition is the day-long service project that has replaced gift-giving.
      • Match dollar-for-dollar what you spend on gifts for each other and what you donate to a charity or to church.
Simple Celebration Ideas
  • Nightly Advent Rituals: See this year’s  Advent-at-Home Guide   for a simple ritual.
  • On Christmas or Christmas Eve, do a Shepherd’s Meal. See this former Building Faith post for ideas.
  • Read the story of Jesus’s birth from Luke 2:1-20 regularly (nightly or weekly). Here is a printable version if you want to have something you can put by your advent wreath.​
Picture
​​​​Explore it:   A Note from Tami
We all want our children to grow up into caring, generous adults. How do we promote that when they are so young? These articles may give you some ideas. December tends to be a busy and somewhat stressful time for many. I don’t want to cause guilt or stress you more, but to support you in finding ways to ease this pressure on yourselves and your child.