Christmas Day Can Be Every Day

Christmas Day Can Be Every Day

On another Sabbath day, a man with a deformed right hand was in the synagogue while Jesus was teaching. The teachers of religious law and the Pharisees watched Jesus closely. If he healed the man’s hand, they planned to accuse him of working on the Sabbath. But Jesus knew their thoughts. He said to the man with the deformed hand, “Come and stand in front of everyone.” So the man came forward. Then Jesus said to his critics, “I have a question for you. Does the law permit good deeds on the Sabbath, or is it a day for doing evil? Is this a day to save life or to destroy it?” He looked around at them one by one and then said to the man, “Hold out your hand.” So the man held out his hand, and it was restored! Luke 6:6-10

When patients come into the emergency room on holidays, they are often surprised to find me working.

“How come you’re not at home with your family?”

As I look around at the rooms full of sick and hurting people, I say, “God wanted me to be here with you when you’re sick. My family and I will celebrate when I get home.”

I didn’t realize how unusual this was, until a few years ago when my daughter Kristin called my wife with a question.

“What day is Christmas?”

“December 25,” Karen said.

“Is it the same date every year?”

“Yes. Unlike Easter, Christmas is the same date every year.”

At the time, Kristen was a young woman in her twenties living in Ireland, and though most people know that Christmas is on December 25, Kristin had rarely celebrated the holiday on the actual day.

As a young country doctor, I often had to work or at least be on call on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. To avoid my getting called away in the middle of our family celebration, we typically celebrated Christmas on a day when I could schedule another doctor to cover for me. My kids knew that Christmas was in December, but we placed little importance on the exact date. Anytime between December 15 and 30 could be Christmas for us.

On Christmas, we celebrate God’s gift to us of his Son. The least we can do is offer ourselves as a gift to someone in need.

TODAY’S RX

On this Christmas Day, do what you can to help someone else.

Lord, thank you for Christmas Day and the joy of this season. May I always praise the King of kings and be grateful for how you sent your precious Son, Immanuel, to this earth.