"I wish it could..."

It’s a phenomenon. A break from the ordinary. An interruption in the daily process of life. It’s longed for all year, yet seemingly only savored for a couple fleeting moments. For a brief moment in time, we are given a glimpse of things that could be. Why is it that the Christmas season is so radically different from every other time of the year? How is it that during this time we can forgive offenses, at least temporarily, for the sake of family and friends? How do we put aside personal differences to come together and celebrate this joyous time of the year? Why can’t this last all year long? I wish it could…

Friends, today we are going to explore this very thought of Christmas lasting all year long. To do this, we will look at a couple things. The first thing we’ll do is reminisce about some of our Christmas memories. Then we’ll contrast Christmas to other times of the year. Finally, we are going to learn about the “kairos.”

As the alarm sounds, you groggily hit it, hoping it’s just a dream. After the 5th time of hitting the snooze button, you drag yourself out of bed, stumbling to the kitchen. Instead of sizzling bacon and simmering sausage, dad is reading the newspaper, gnawing on a piece of toast. You manage a groggy, somewhat intelligible ‘hello’ as you make your way for the coffee pot. Gotta have coffee… need coffee. The worries of the day aren’t far away, in fact, they intensify with every sip from the coffee cup. And oh yeah, that argument you had last night, starts to simmer as the caffeine hits your bloodstream.

Now flip the calendar a couple pages, and see what it looks like waking up on Christmas morning.

Let’s walk through the winter wonderland of your memories, as we explore the memories of Christmas past. When you think of Christmas, what’s the first thing that comes to your mind? I want you all to do a favor for me: think back to some of your favorite Christmas’s. You suddenly awake and rush out of bed with more excitement than usual. You even got up before the alarm had a chance to wake you up. Can you feel the excitement as you make your way towards the kitchen? The aroma of sizzling bacon and simmering sausage hits your senses causing a wide smile to make its way across your face. Mmmmm… just like normal, dad is cooking a big meal. You make your way to the room with the Christmas tree to see the gifts hedging the tree. The perfectly wrapped presents lie in wait for the recipients to tear through the paper. Your thoughts quickly turn to the gifts that you bought for your family. I wonder if they’ll like it. I hope they do, I spent hours trying to figure out what to get them. I can’t wait to see the smile on their faces.

As your mind is filled with a myriad of thoughts, a Christmas carol begins to play in the background. Ahhh….isn’t that soothing. Something about the music just takes the cares of the world away. The stress at work seems miles away. The argument you had with your spouse or sibling seems like a distant memory. It doesn’t matter now. It’s Christmas. All those minor offenses are thrown by the wayside for the joy of the season. The emotions of bitterness and anger are replaced with joy and love. The only thing that matters now is enjoying the beauty of the day. It’ going to be a day of peace and tranquility like none other. I wish it could be Christmas all year long. I wish it could….

Remember what I said earlier? Christmas, it’s a phenomenon, a break from the ordinary, an interruption in the daily process of life. Why is that? Why is Christmas so radically different from the hustle and bustle of daily life? .

Do you see the stark difference between the two days? Why the big difference? Why is a morning in June so much different that a morning in December? I submit to you that it is because of your focus during that time. During Christmas, your joy is found in serving other people. You purposefully set your mind on pleasing other folks. Think about the regular morning in June which I’m sure we all can somewhat relate to. Your focus generally isn’t on other people. First it’s on waking up, whether it’s through the tasty Java, or my preferred measure of Coca Cola. Then, your focus generally shifts to what you need to get done that day at home and at work. You can’t be excited about the gifts you bought for your family, because you probably didn’t buy any because there wasn’t an occasion. The difference is our focus. For that short, ‘magical’ time, we intentionally shift our gaze from ourselves, to our loved ones. Don’t you wish it could be Christmas all year long?

I wish it could, and I think it can. To understand how we can accomplish this, I must teach you a new Greek word. Kairos, according to Wikipedia online, is a “passing instant when an opening appears which must be driven through with force if success is to be achieved.” Let me repeat that. Kairos is a “passing instant when an opening appears which must be driven through with force if success is to be achieved.” We have that passing instant this Christmas season, but we must take it by force if success will be achieved. If the difference between Christmas and other days is our focus, then let’s forcefully change what we focus on. I have three suggestions to make this possible.
1) Before you go to bed, leave a note for your spouse and/or siblings that tells them how much you love and appreciate them.
2) As you drink your morning coffee, instead of thinking about the worries of the day, think of one person at work that you can encourage or do something special for that day.
3) Use the same intentional focus and passion that you have at Christmas time to get a gift or do something special for someone for no particular rhyme or reason.

I truly wish it could be Christmas all year long. We’ve looked at the differences in a regular day, and how Christmas day goes. We even had a little Greek lesson where we found out the ‘Kairos’ is now, but we must take it by force. Friends, I truly believe the opportune time is now. We can change our families, cities, and world, but it must start with us. So I charge you: take it by force. Change your focus all year, so what we wish COULD be, CAN be all year long.